9-27-20(PCT_to_Noble_Lake)

Frank (l) and Shiloh (r). Wearing orange vests so they won't be mistaken for deer! (We also keep them on lead.) Gardner Meadows trailhead, Highland Lakes, California, near Ebbetts Pass in the Sierra Nevada. We're taking a 2-mile connecting trail to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

These cattle are grazing in Lower Gardner Meadow, in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in California's Sierra Nevada. Normally grazing is forbidden in wilderness areas, but it was specifically grandfathered in here as part of the agreement establishing the wilderness area. Many of the cows are wearing bells (see inset), so the clanking of cowbells in the wilderness is a bit incongruous! I don't know if the cowbells make the roundup easier, or warn hikers, or scare the bears, or what.