We took a long time getting out of bed this morning as it was really cold out. We finally did and took off about 7:20. We had a gentle climb the descent. On the descent, we could smell a fire and it smelled close by. We finally found the source: some hikers had started one, likely to warm up. I don't know if they were weekend backpackers or thru hikers, but regardless, there's a statewide fire ban. Frank yelled through the trees to their camp to tell them that and they said they'd put it out. I'm not betting they did though.
As a side note/rant, this bubble we've found ourselves in is full of a ton of just awful people. They're a loud, party crew who don't seem to care about "leave no trace" principles, and I'm pretty sure a bunch of them attended the COVID super spreader party last month in southern Oregon and then continued hiking despite being symptomatic.
Anyway, we did another climb and entered the Goat Rocks Wilderness which Frank and I have been looking forward to for a while. A lot of people list their favorite part of the trail as the High Sierra (and rightfully so), but the place that seems to come up second on these lists are the Goat Rocks. We got a nice view of Adams and then dropped back into the trees and eventually stopped at a spring for lunch.
We set out our sleeping bags to dry and they dried really quickly. Rally caught us as we were finishing lunch and we hiked out with her. We got some more views of Adams and began the big climb up to Cispus Pass.
Shortly before the pass, the scenery opened up and we got some magnificent views. At the top of the pass, more views awaited.
We dropped down and got water at a waterfall before pushing on.
There were three campsite options for us, each one higher up in elevation. We passed the first two (which were empty) and took our chances with the third one, hoping there would be some spots still open (many sites we passed prior to these were full with weekend backpackers). When we got to the top spot, we were into the alpine zone and nobody was at the site. I figured nobody was stupid enough to camp this high on a night that's expected to drop into the 30s.
I got a bit of service and learned that my resupply box (which was supposed to be delivered to the store half a mile off the trail) had the wrong zip code and is now in a town 20 miles away from the trail. I guess I'll figure out what to do about that tomorrow.
Rally picked out a sheltered site and Frank and I went for one that was a little more exposed, but had a view that couldn't be beat.
This may top Evolution Lake as our favorite camp spot. We watched the sun set (red due to the smoke) and got in the tent as it quickly got cold.
Here's hoping we can stay warm tonight.
The inconsiderate hikers are reflective of what’s going on here too although it’s especially important to leave no trace there. Wear your masks around them and in town; the delta variant is spreading rapidly. Your photos of Goat Ricks Wilderness are beautiful. I recently watched that part and the Cispus Pass of the PCT video of the 360 hike. Is that a photo of your tent?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's my tent
DeleteYour tent looks like a great pyramid. Those views are magnificent and I saved a couple pics ;-)
ReplyDeleteI saw the PCTA post on Instagram about hikers not wearing masks in towns when asked to and testing positive for Covid...hope you all move out of their terrible bubble soon. The Goat Rocks was the place I remember seeing pictures and videos of and thinking I'd like to go to one day. I also like that your tent mirrors the shape of the mountains in the background.
ReplyDelete