Trip Report: A Wedding Trip From the Eleanor Lake TH To Otter Lakes And Back. Part 2 of 4.

We found a mostly pleasant route along the south side of the Vernon basin, but that did not stop me from getting really butt-hurt. A series of circumstances finally merged and I became a cranky hamster. Nancy named this delightful, private little pond Butthurt Pond, in my honor. The next morning, I felt much better and we started a very nice hike up the Branigan cascade.
This is part 2 of 4. Here is part 1.

We were thrilled about being on the cascade again, and the hike up through the Branigan wash and across to Andrews Lake was fantastic.

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Yosemite

Parting from the Branigan wash, and hiking over the mountain to Andrews Lake, we found that this dead tree was at a good elevation for us to stop climbing and to start heading west towards Andrews Lake. But heavy smoke appeared to the south and we grew uneasy. Apparently a fire had started, and we had difficulty telling how far away it was or what direction it was moving. So over dinner, we formulated a series of plans in the event the fire grew closer. Andrews Lake is a secluded backcountry delight. We made camp early, swam, and got cleaned up. The next morning, we saw continued smoke from the fire, but it didn't seem to be increasing or getting heavier in our direction. We stuck with our original travel plan but stayed alert for an opportunity to ask another hiker or a ranger (if we crossed paths with one) for more precise information on what was happening.

We left via the southern side of the lake, which wasn't bad. We forded Falls Creek and I almost killed myself testing a tree-sized log.
We had three Bear Vault bear canisters with us, and the plan was to stash one of them. It would contain the last four days of food, and we'd pick it up later on our trip. We set it in a small copse of trees and headed north. Part 3 of this trip report is here.