My buddy Peter and I went on this grueling adventure together and we were challenged in many ways…we celebrated doing this trek as we both climb the ladder of age toward 50! The smoke from nearby fires cleared out on our arrival from a cold front pushing in and after 5 days in the Wild smoke-free the winds shifted on our hike out bringing the smoke back into the Darwin Canyon…our trip was blessed…or, “it was meant to happen.” ; ) I did this trek as a solo adventure back in 2006! I think the mountains got further apart since then…Ha! One of my favorite places in the Sierra is Evolution Basin and Evolution Valley. Planning on a horse pack trip one day with my wife and my mom, so they can both see it via the sane route (Piute Pass and through Humphreys Basin).