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Published: June 27th 2012
After a LONG night, the morning was welcome. We broke camp, had pancakes for breakfast, and walked the very short distance to the Ranger Station. Someone is there during the entire tourist season. No electricity, no indoor toilets, but check out the view!
The walk to our next camp included a couple of suspension bridges (which I would have LOVED to have had on Day 4, you will see later why), a beautiful water fall, and at least one bear caution sign. At the waterfall we stopped to not only take pictures but to eat lunch. He had prepared this cream cheese mixture that we just LOVED. Cream cheese, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and some basil. YUM!
Today wasn’t as long a walk as the day hike in, but there sure seemed to be more hills! Calling YooHoo! Along the way only added to the chatter as we continued to learn more about each other. Our conversation on this trip went from religion to electronic monitors that should be placed in the park, to the South Beach Diet. We were an eclectic group to say the least.
Corey has aMaster’s
Swinging Bridges
We were really wishing for one of these bridges when we had to cross the one without a bridge.in Environmental Education, is from the East Coast, and was our garbage can at the end of every meal as we had to pack out any leftovers! Can’t throw them away in the park.
Andrew was born in India, came to the US when he was 4, grew up in Texas, and now lives in New York. He is a radiologist as well as part owner of a radiology group. Very well versed on many subjects! Then you have Anthony and I – you all know about us. You can imagine how lively the banter was!
We came across a log bridge over a little creek to enter into our next campsite and Andrew noticed that Anthony only had one of his sandals attached to his back! Oh dear - this isn’t good, as each day that we reach camp we take the boots off to rest our feet. SO – once the logistics of this campsite were figured out, who was sleeping where, etc, Anthony and I took off back down the trail to find his lost sandal. This to me was scary … Corey gave us the bear spray to take with
There are goats up there, I see them!
The rocks on the shore of Lake Elizabeth had been warmed by the sun, making it a nice perch to lay back and watch the Mt. Goats. us …. Whohoo … WhoHoo … WHOHOO ! We got louder the farther away from camp we got. We found his sandal right at the entrance to the waterfall path where we had stopped earlier. This trek added 2 more miles to our day. No bears were seen, BUT when we got to the creek, we decided that might be a good idea to wash off some of the grim from the last couple of days.
You know that brain freeze feeling you get when you eat something too cold? That is what my head felt like when I took my shoes and socks off and stepped in the water! Swish Swish … I am clean! No need to overdo it.
While we had gone shoe searching, Corey and Andrew had gone a mile the other side of the campsite to see what they could see. Now that the shoe was recovered we could actually take in the sights … oh man! Lake Elizabeth is stunning! Our campsite sat at the end of the lake as it came out of the Mountains. The wind coming off the water was fierce, cold, but the view
was so amazing! When Corey and Andrew got back we gathered on the shore of the Lake for Corey’s geology lesson. As I sat down, I was pleasantly surprised to find that instead of sand, it was small smooth flat pebbles that were very warm from the sun! A nice touch to the cold wind.
As we were sitting there, Anthony kept looking up at the mountainside and finally said “Hey, there’s goats up there!” Corey said he had never seen them there before at all! NICE! I ran to the tent and got the binoculars. Sure enough – they were perched on the side of the cliffs as if they had suction cups on their feet!
As the sun started setting, that wind got colder and colder. It started sprinkling a little, so they put up the tarp and while we were eating dinner, another couple came into camp and we invited them to sit under the cover with us. They had a brought a French coffee press! She said there are just some things they couldn’t do without. My mind came to the Mt. Dew I had packed in and was chilling
Icechest
Who said I couldn't find a Mt. Dew in the backwoods? in the lake. I understand where she was coming from!
The other backpackers we encountered were from all over! Almost like when we were in Tanzania and we met other Americans. You had to stop and talk and find out where they were from as you knew you had something in common with them just by the fact that they were US Citizens. We met several US citizens, even one from Hawaii (Freebird – more on him later), one guy from the United Kingdom, and two young men who just got out of the Israeli army here on vacation before going back and attending college.
After breakfast on Day 3 we took a day hike up towards Red Gap Pass. Corey knew we wouldn’t be able to go all the way due to snow, but the hike was stunning! I have never been anywhere in the mountains with this much snow still on the ground in June! We each rummaged through the woods to break some poles to use on the snow, and off we went. Corey leading the way, and making huge holes for us to put our feet EXACTLY where he did
to avoid slipping and falling down the slope.
At the top Corey showed us the rocks that most of this area is made with. It was like mini chalk boards! I couldn’t resist writing on one and leaving it up there. Wonder if anyone found it?
On the way we met the guy from the UK. He was all dressed in Black from head to toe. Had the gear you would expect from a professional hiker ……. He was going to MEXICO! Yes, all the way to Mexico … via the Continental Divide trail. I think there is a faster way.
The hike down was obviously much faster, and once we were in camp we enjoyed a second night there.
Day 4 has a challenge for me. Corey had been talking about it, we met a group of backpackers who did it on day 3 and lived to tell about it, but I still wasn’t convinced. You know those cute little bridges that we crossed earlier? Well, it appears that there is a river we have to cross that the current and the width keeps one of those
Mosquito protection
Andrew was the only one of our group who actually used the mosquito hat ... mostly just to look cool! from being installed and we will have to walk over. In the water. In the Ice cold freezing water. In our sandals! There is a cable strung across for holding on to as you cross, and I have been trying to figure out how I could hang upside down on it and pull myself across. My mind is playing tricks on me with this one!
As we get out on the trail we come in contact with another hiker. He is tall and skinny, wearing shorts, a long sleeve shirt jacket, no hat, no boots, no gloves, no earmuffs, and a ‘Hello Kitty’ size backpack. He was wearing a pair of socks with his Teva sandals. He looked like he was going to Six Flags for the day.
He also informed us he was going to Mexico! You can check him out on his website
http://trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=9246.
This guy is the real deal. Minimalist to the extreme, his ice pick weighs 4.5 oz and can’t even be bought anymore. His tent less than 8 oz! What was in that Hello Kitty back pack? I bet he didn’t have a coffee press or
a Mt. Dew!
And he was so cheerful! Like spending the next 6 months being afraid of bears, starving, being cold, and alone was an excitement he just couldn’t wait to get started! I have to say I think if we all had that vitality for life in the face of adversity we’d all be a much happier race of people.
Yes, I know … I still have to cross the river … I should ask Freebird what he thought … oh WAIT … he went AROUND it! One strike for him – I will one up him.
We approach the river, the wind was so cold, the waves looked like you could surf on them, and the distance was at least half a mile. Ok … I am exaggerating, but it still looked really scary.
Corey said my backpack would get wet if I tried to carry it, so he walked across, dropped his pack, walked back and was going to carry my pack and walk over with me. What a guide! He got an extra tip for that one. The water was so cold though we
Careful where you step!
We were told AFTER we crossed this that there could be places where the top layer gives way and you end up down the slope! had to wait for the feeling to come back into his feet before he went back across for the 3
rd time! Yeah, that makes me feel even better about stepping in. Since we didn’t want to get our boots wet we had to take them off and put on our sandals and shorts. Once we crossed over, we were only about 1/4 mile from our next campsite, so not far to go to change clothes. I had planned so I already had my shorts on under my pants.
Without any further enlightenment I will let the picture of Andrew speak for Anthony and I on how that water felt!!
Once out of the water – we did some jumping around to get the feeling back in our feet and legs, it was WARM! HA! Even at 65 degrees that was a good 30 degrees warmer than the water!
The hike to our next campsite was quick, and we soon changed and had tents all set up. We are getting to be pretty good at this!
Stay tuned for the last few days! Don’t forget to scroll all the
Are we Sking?
There were times when skies or at least snow shoes would have been a good idea! What Freebird was doing at this place in the path I do not know. way down to make sure you see all the pictures.
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