Saturday, August 24th. Day 67
Today's miles = 11.4 Total CDT miles = 1,004.8
It poured all last night. The rain lately has been unforgiving. It stopped right about the break of dawn and by the time I got out of the tent it was just a cloudy mess in every direction. This morning came with two options for hiking. One of them being taking a low pass (11,000 ft) for 7 miles. The other was climbing over Napsack Col pass at 12,260ft for 10.3 miles. Napsack Col is supposed to be one of the best sections on the CDT, well, it's not actually on the CDT but climbing it is an alternate that connects you back to the CDT. Baboon and I didn't want to pass it up despite the looming thunderheads so around 8:30 in the morning we set off across the lake towards the pass. Around 9:30 the sky started to look very grim. We kept huffing it up to the pass refusing to turn back. And I'm glad we didn't because the rain held out until we were on the other side. The first few miles of the climb were pretty normal; steep, rocky, slippery. But the last 700 feet (in elevation) were brutal. There was no trail. There was no indication of where we were suppose to climb. All there was was more rock scramble like last night. But this was straight up and the rocks were much smaller and loose from the mountain. Most steps I took I began to slid down the mountain. It was easily a 70° angle up to the pass on this sprawl of rocky horribleness. Monkey and I kept screaming to each other "What the F. Is this for real?!?!" We couldn't believe that this was actually the way you were suppose to go up the mountain. No wonder it's not part of the CDT. It was difficult - beyond difficult, even for the CDT. I was so happy to make it to the top that I didn't bother looking at the path I would have to take to get down the other side. I sat at the top and ate a snack and thought that there was NO way the climb down was going to be like the way up. I was right. The climb down was exponentially harder and more dangerous. It was a boulder scramble straight down for about 1,000 feet!! It was one of those rare moments on trail where you realize that one wrong step could end not only your trail but possibly your life. Those moments don't happen often out here but when they do -for me at least- I become more focused and on point than any other time on trail. I scaled down the rocks with what felt like effortlessness and by the time I thought to look up Baboon was still about 300 feet higher. I busted up my thumb when rocks underneath me gave way and I was holding myself to the mountain with my weak thru hiker arms... but other than that all was well with the climb down.
We took lunch about a mile down the pass on some boulders and right as we were finished up it started to rain, of course. Not only did it rain but it began to hail! It hailed for about 45 minutes before the sun came out and warmed up the mountains for the first time all day. Looking back at the pass a few hours later was unbelievable. I couldn't believe that I had just climbed over it and made it to the other side to tell about it. It was an empowering feeling. I don't remember the last time I only hiked 11 miles because of difficulty and not because of laziness. There was nothing lazy about today.
Tonight I am camped at 10,400 feet at Little Seneca Lake. 10 miles to town tomorrow!!
Today's miles = 11.4 Total CDT miles = 1,004.8
It poured all last night. The rain lately has been unforgiving. It stopped right about the break of dawn and by the time I got out of the tent it was just a cloudy mess in every direction. This morning came with two options for hiking. One of them being taking a low pass (11,000 ft) for 7 miles. The other was climbing over Napsack Col pass at 12,260ft for 10.3 miles. Napsack Col is supposed to be one of the best sections on the CDT, well, it's not actually on the CDT but climbing it is an alternate that connects you back to the CDT. Baboon and I didn't want to pass it up despite the looming thunderheads so around 8:30 in the morning we set off across the lake towards the pass. Around 9:30 the sky started to look very grim. We kept huffing it up to the pass refusing to turn back. And I'm glad we didn't because the rain held out until we were on the other side. The first few miles of the climb were pretty normal; steep, rocky, slippery. But the last 700 feet (in elevation) were brutal. There was no trail. There was no indication of where we were suppose to climb. All there was was more rock scramble like last night. But this was straight up and the rocks were much smaller and loose from the mountain. Most steps I took I began to slid down the mountain. It was easily a 70° angle up to the pass on this sprawl of rocky horribleness. Monkey and I kept screaming to each other "What the F. Is this for real?!?!" We couldn't believe that this was actually the way you were suppose to go up the mountain. No wonder it's not part of the CDT. It was difficult - beyond difficult, even for the CDT. I was so happy to make it to the top that I didn't bother looking at the path I would have to take to get down the other side. I sat at the top and ate a snack and thought that there was NO way the climb down was going to be like the way up. I was right. The climb down was exponentially harder and more dangerous. It was a boulder scramble straight down for about 1,000 feet!! It was one of those rare moments on trail where you realize that one wrong step could end not only your trail but possibly your life. Those moments don't happen often out here but when they do -for me at least- I become more focused and on point than any other time on trail. I scaled down the rocks with what felt like effortlessness and by the time I thought to look up Baboon was still about 300 feet higher. I busted up my thumb when rocks underneath me gave way and I was holding myself to the mountain with my weak thru hiker arms... but other than that all was well with the climb down.
We took lunch about a mile down the pass on some boulders and right as we were finished up it started to rain, of course. Not only did it rain but it began to hail! It hailed for about 45 minutes before the sun came out and warmed up the mountains for the first time all day. Looking back at the pass a few hours later was unbelievable. I couldn't believe that I had just climbed over it and made it to the other side to tell about it. It was an empowering feeling. I don't remember the last time I only hiked 11 miles because of difficulty and not because of laziness. There was nothing lazy about today.
Tonight I am camped at 10,400 feet at Little Seneca Lake. 10 miles to town tomorrow!!
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