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Day 11 (Wed,  8/6).  Paradise River to Devil's Dream (4839 ft elev).   Backpacked  8.50 miles with 2437 ft elev gain/ 1104 ft loss.

a. Pick Up Food Cache # 2 at Longmire (en Route)

It was our food cache #2 day at Longmire.   Our plan was to eat big breakfast at Longmire.     I would be too hungry by the time we arrived at the Longmire.   So, I took my time and had Ramen for breakfast.   I was the last one to leave the camp site at 0640 (& arrived at Longmire at 0810).   The trail was mostly along the River like the Duckabush Trail (in the Olympics).   Looked like there were a few camp sites along the trail.    We all ate breakfast at National Park Inn, Longmire.    Its service was sooooo slow.   I guess that's the way it was there.     We picked up our food cache #2 at the Longmire Ranger Station (I met the ranger on the day before at Snow Lake trail) and headed up the trail at 1000.   3 of us decided to go up the Rampart Ridge trail which was about 1 mile longer and higher elev gain.    I heard of the trail and looked more interesting than the Wonderland trail.     Also, we were in a no hurry to get to the Devil's Dream.   Who knows its place might be bad as its name sake ?      The Rampart Ridge trail was in the woods and had one view point right off the trail that looked down at the Longmire area.    The Wonerland trail that parallel the Rampart Ridge trail probably did not have any view point.     The rest of the trail was in the woods.     We sort of cruised to Devil's Camp site and greeted by hungry skeeters.    I was the only one with the mosquito hood !   It worked very well.

After dinner,  Bill and I walked up to the Indian Henry (about a mile up) to check it out.   We would go through the place next day but might not spend much time then.  The place was fully loaded with wild flowers.   Good timing  for the pictures.   There were lots of standing waters and tarns which might be the bleeding grounds for the skeeters.    That's probably why there were so much skeeters at Devils' camp site.  The Devil's dream camp site had like 7 individual camp sites.  

When we were about to get some water for the next day, father & young son were coming down and said there was a black bear up on the trail.   Bill, Dave, and I rushed up the hill toward Indian Henry and saw the bear near the tarn.   The bear looked at us but continued on eating and scratching face.     I was to able to capture some images and video shots while the skeeters were eating us alive.

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