Day 4: Inyo Craters Hike.

Daniel carried the Camelbak on this hike.



We walked a short trail out to a set of three craters created hundreds of years ago. Love the formations that occur because of volcanic activity.



The first crater just dropped hundreds of feet into the ground.



At the bottom was a turquoise pool of water.







We walked over to the second crater, located right next to the first. It was larger and had a greener pond at the bottom.



Then Daniel, Mark, and I began the scramble up the sheer face of the third crater. If you look closely, you can see a blue figure in the center of this photo, Daniel's mom.



The scramble was short but exhausting (as you can tell by my exhausted face). And it turns out this crater had a lot less room to stand on.



Or none. We literally straddled the ridge.



It was a little bit of a shock to find such a steep edge at the top. And the views were just as unexpected.



We climbed inside the crater, a less steep descent.





We found an easier path through the opposite side of the crater.



Mark pointing at the tip of the crater ridge, which he climbed to (in sandals, no less) and which Daniel and I decided we'd stay just underneath.



Afterward, we drove over to June Lake and had our lunch.



And played on the swings.



Then Daniel's dad gave us a tour of the area.



We glimpsed a waterfall that looked strikingly like bird droppings.



We also rounded Mono Lake.





We stopped at Convict Lake to skip rocks and watch the sunset.







And then we headed back for a wonderful dinner and dessert.