Day 19 – 4/1/161
8.8 map / 20.5 GPS miles
272.5 / 284.4 miles total
Welp, we got snow/iced on overnight. Again. We packed up our icy gear and hoped for a better day.
Thankfully the sky did finally clear today, taunting is with a view of the summit ridge that eluded us yesterday.
We had a few easy but very cold road miles before a whole bunch of cross country – dropping down precipitous cliffs, meandering through canyons, etc.
We had one move dropping down a cliff that highlighted the difference between being 5’7″ and 5’1″. I slid down a few inches, closing the gap to the next rock with my pack still on. Bubs handed down her pack and then spun every which way trying to get down. Finally, Joey was kind enough to offer her a knee to step on to.
We followed some nonexistent cattle paths and faint mining tracks and plowed through a bunch of ankle deep mud.
We were delighted to find some decent water in Swap Canyon towards the end of the day. So delighted we jumped with joy, releasing a bunch of quick-mud into the previously clear puddle of water. Oops.
But we did make good progress. Tomorrow we’ll hit out cache at the Burr Trail, finally getting rid of these silly snowshoes.
All the scrambling looks like so much fun!!!!!!!! Glad it was a little warmer and you found some water at the end of the day.
I know it can be really frustrating and surprisingly all consuming/obsessive to look back at a mountain, ridge, pass, slot canyon etc. that you had envisioned being part of the journey (be it since the start, just two days ago, or an hour before the attempt-assess-bail decision) but that didn’t work out in the moment. It’s a tough mindset to switch from (at least for me)-I’m most familiar with single-objective trips (go up this mountains) for which one waits for conditions, partners, and schedule to sync up in order to attain the summit x peak, traverse A-Z ridge. This can mean it takes months or even years to fulfill the objective.
While on a long distance hike one has continuous momentum and submits themselves to all sorts of flipping ridiculous conditions that aren’t in sync with the single event, but are aligned with fulfilling a bigger objective. If there’s a storm the day you happen to be near x peak, you just have to keep walking. It would have been awesome to include x peak as part of the journey, but many more awesome moments will come along the walk.
And if you want to road trip to Mt. Ellen and scramble the peak – you’ve got a climbing partner for it. Assuming we have good conditions.
Always a wise Marmot! We should definitely go scramble the peak – the true peak (north summit) isn’t even on the official Hayduke route!
Good day! Good job.
Scramblin’. Pretty cool. I do not like those long drops. You are all studs. Ha
Wired & I also had a lot of trouble with pics 4 & 5 last spring.