They call this a pass? 9-18-09

Well Mike and Herb had picked out a terrific campsite - in a stand of pine next to a lake protected on one side by some photogenic red cliffs. After setting up camp we spent the evening exchanging friendly jabs, commenting on equipment and food selections, and then retired early to the sounds of light rain on the tents, and the smell of pine trees and campfire smoke from across the lake. Truly a wonderful evening.

As I recall it didn't get much colder overnight, just about freezing, and the Aleve/Motrin did help cut the aches from the hike and altitude.

It was brisk when we woke and scattered about for a little 'privacy' before coffee and, in my case, cereal. One recurring topic was trail food. Every hiker has a favorite dish, or style, or brand. Most of us try to get the least expensive we can tolerate and carry. One thing I had begun to watch, after a longer hike several years ago, was calories per serving. Top Ramen Noodles are a favorite - easy, hot, flavorful - but the calories per serving is something on the order of a tablespoon of peanut butter. Mountain House makes de-hydrated and freeze-dried meals in a bag that can run about 5 times that, or 500 calories per serving. A serious hike can burn 3-4 thousand cal a day, and you'd better be putting most of that back if you want to stay out and stay healthy.

But I digress.

After eating and cleaning up (all foods and fragrances hung in a bear bag) we geared up and headed uphill. Today we would walk about 12 miles round trip with about 4,000 elevation gain then loss. The trail was heading south into the boxed end of the canyon we were in, and we could watch the sides close in and the end wall approach - we could not, though, quite see Kings Peak, which was one ridge line beyond the end wall.

Mike had been this way before and was our guide. we really just sort of meandered along the trails that went in the direction of the end wall, and Mike herded us along and kept us from quitting. We passed one campsite set by a group on horseback with a nice campfire and coffee, and then dropped off the rocky trail into some vegetation along the river. It became more challenging to stay dry and mud free as we went along, but we had our eye on Gunsight Pass as our 'shortcut' approach to the peak.

When we reached to bottom and looked up the 750' scree we weren't so sure, but this was called a pass, after all, so we hitched up our pants and went at it. Funny how high up you feel when you are on tenuous footing. Though we could hear rocks let go and bounce down the steep face to the canyon floor we were fortunate none chose our line and we had no injuries or close calls.

At the top we took a nice breather in what appeared to be a very primitive campsite or shelter from the winds and snacked and re hydrated and congratulated ourselves.

Then we took a good look at what was left.

We had to cross another trail perpendicular to the line we were on, and scramble up more broken rock to the summit, still another mile and a half away. Yikes.

Mike and Herb showed their good form and fitness, while I proved I could protect our rear from enemy attack. The altitude was demanding its share of effort, along with the poor footing and steep terrain, but we finally made it and had ten minutes of solitude before a young woman (who came to the foot of the summit hill by horse) joined us. Followed by 3 young men (of course) who were practically bounding up the hill and had plans for further wanderings that same day.

A little more snack, hero shots, and it was time to head back.

Like a cat in a tree would avow, coming down is harder then getting up. I have a fear of cracking an ankle, despite using two walking poles, so that was my excuse coming down the jagged rocks for the next three hours. Our track took us to the summit base, then across Gunsight Pass to Anderson Pass, where we dropped back down into the canyon floor for the walk home. H&M were in fine shape, but I was into survival shuffle by that time, requiring more frequent rest stops and a full recline before continuing. But continue we did, and arrived safely back at camp for a full dissection of the days walk.