4th August Brokeoff mountain trail and to Tahoe

Penny drove Cary to the start of the Brokeoff Mountain trail for an 06:50 start (& then went back to bed!). Summit at 08:58. Return start 09:15, back to start at 11:00, even after talking to several people who were on their way up & surprised to see someone coming down at that time of day. I was a little nervous of walking on my own so early in case of bears, so I made plenty of noise as I went. Singing & whistling got me out of breath at this altitude (& the smoke!) so banging walking poles on rocks & tree trunks was used instead. Only wildlife encountered: lots of chipmunks, a few birds, and doe with fawns.

Notably - strong smell of woodsmoke & very hazy. Looked as if the nearby forest fire smoke had blown over the area & descended into the valleys overnight. At summit - layers of smoke & cloud. Apparently on a clear day you can see Mt Shasta.

Forecast was 30% thunder & lightening at 11, but it didn't happen. Lots of rain in Tahoe though, with forecast of more for the rest of the week! Apparently its sunny & hot at 32C in Yosemite.