Wednesday we got all packed up and ready to head out. After about a mile into our journey, we hit our next snag, snow. We tried going around. We made it past our first major snow bank. Then we hit another. Wes was able to get around it without his pack. But there was no way he was going to tackle the hillside carrying his 45lb pack. So the short little section of snow kept us from trekking further down the Crest Trail. It was the only part of the trail that was even on the North side of the mountains. Had we been able to go that half mile, we’d have made it to the other side. But we couldn’t even make it to Rock Creek Butte.
On to Plan C:
Wednesday:
~Pack back to Twin lakes Trail Head
~Descend to Twin Lakes
~Get fresh lake water
~Explore the lakes and area
~Relax and enjoy life
Thursday:
~Climb Elkhorn Peak
~Enjoy lunch and the view
~Spend another night at Twin Lakes
Friday:
~Pack out
Back to Twin Lakes we went. Then down we went. As we came close to the end of our descent, I saw a picture I had to snag. As I was focused on that, Wes spied a huge herd of mountain goats. They spied us. I missed shooting them. About 15 headed out of the meadow below and up the craggy cliff. It was quite a site.
Upon arrival lakeside, Wes fixed lunch and I retrieved some fresh water. Boy was that water fresh. It tasted so good. It was cold, clear, clean, and smoke free.
After lunch we did some looking around for the best camp site. We got the pick of the crop, since no one else was there. That was one of the best things about the whole trip, not another soul was out there. We saw a forest ranger on the road as we headed in on Tuesday and a couple of guys on the trail as we headed out Friday. After setting up camp it was time to go explore.
We headed down past the lower lake so that we could see what was beyond the trees. What a site! Out of the lake tumbled a water fall, and it meandered and rolled down the hillside and into the meadow below. We explored it for some time. We also both took the opportunity to soak our hot feet it the cold, just recently thawed snow. It felt so good. Wes says he had a religious experience.
By the time we got back to camp it was time for dinner and a lake side sponge bath. It felt good to get cleaned up after being on the trail for the long, hot hike in the day before. It began to drizzle a bit in the evening so we headed in early for a good night’s rest.
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