September 11th
Segment 27 & 28
We all agreed to get up at 4:30 and get an early start. Grit and I along with Bolt and Ruthless. Today would be our last high elevation climb summiting at 12,308 feet with thunder and lightning expected in the afternoon.
We started climbing switchbacks in the dark straight out of camp. Grit and I left a few minutes early and when looked down we could see headlights bobbing up the switchbacks.
A window in the clouds on the horizon opened up showing the breaking of dawn. We past a scenic overlook in the dark. Bolt and Ruthless breezed by.
Right before we left the tree line with rain threatening we found a protected breakfast spot in the trees. We have hot breakfast and coffee and warmed our tummies.
Unfortunately our toes were frozen from sitting still and it was painful to walk until we got warmed up again. Storms kept threatening throughout the afternoon and we spent many stops taking on or off our rain jackets and rain pants, getting either too hot or too cold. The sun would shine and then disappeared, it would rain or hail for just a few minutes and then stop again.
We stopped for lunch at Taylor Lake and filtered water and dried our tents in the sun until the clouds took over again and it started to threaten rain again.
We had a 3,300 ft elevation descent to our campsite. We crossed a steep scree section called slippery rock traverse that lasted way too long.
Far up on a mountain top we could see all old homestead.
We walked through giant towering Aspen bigger than we could imagine them ever being. Grit absolutely loved them!
We were happy to descend back into the forest. It was beautiful and green and very lush. The fall colors are starting to show everywhere. And it feels like we’ve been here for three seasons starting in spring through the high mountain summer and into fall.
We sat and watched an inch worm while we changed out of our rain gear again, cheering us up for a moment and helping us forget our exhaustion.
We followed streams deep into the canyon and their music broke the silence of the forest. Everything was wet with rain drops and sparkled when the sun shone. It’s so beautiful but the day feels like forever and it goes on and on. We’re both so achy and weary.
We finally made it to camp!! Bolt and Ruthless cheered and welcomed us. Ruthless saved us a flat spot with her bear can.
We sat and are dinner around a cold old fire pit and chatted and celebrated our final evening.
We finished dinner and it started to rain and we all ran for our tents. It rained hard! Water started coming down the hill a ran between my ground cover and the floor of my tent. I took my treking pole and ran it under my ground cloth along the head of my tent. The little river now ran underneath and I felt safe from the wet…for now. The rain doesn’t sound so comforting from a tent as it does from home. It finally lightened and I fell asleep listening to the creek.
~Stoney
Grit’s blog bikehikerepeat.com