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15 June ~2008

I pushed myself too hard, intent on reaching the open valley me and the dogs have camped in the last two springs.  It is as beautiful a spot as I have ever seen.  The sun rises due east of it so the first morning light falls upon the meadow and the line of peaks above.

The problem was all the snow that is still left up there.  I suspected I was in for a tough time when I was crossing over snowbanks before I even left the main trail.  I still had two miles to go, bushwacking across country, uphill and to the West.

I am pretty sure I would not have made it if it werent for the weather being cold and windy, which left a crust over the snow.  At midafternoon I found icicles on willows beside the stream., which had not melted in the day's warmth. For the last mile my trail was across solid snow, only broken occasionally where a streamlet trickled downhill.  I followed those the best I could, but the going was slow and tough.  I used my trekking poles to spread out my weight so I wouldn't posthole.

A few times I stepped into snow chambers hidden next to rocks, and my leg sunk up to hip level.  After that I gave boulders a wide berth when I could see them,  to avoid the disaster of a broken bone if I fell wrong.

I had worked away from the stream I was following so I could move along steeper slopes with less snowpack.  At some point I would have to turn to the left and find my way through my trees to the valley meadow.  I came upon some fresh Elk tracks, and figured me and the Elk might have the same destination.  I followed them and they took me stright to the meadow, where I found a single snowfree spot at its side to place my tent.

I only stayed one night because I knew a warm spell was coming.  If it wasn't cold enough in the morning to produce a hard crust on the snow I would be in for a heck of a time climbing out of there.   I was thinking I could cut some spruce branches if I had to to form makeshift snowshoes.

The night was windy and frigid.  Before dawn the wind stopped and a hard frost settled in.  I quickly picked up camp and travelled the two miles back to the main trail without breaking through the snow once.

Before I left though I spent an hour in the valley watching the sunrise, as well as offering a prayer of thanks for the health and good fortune to be up there.  There is not one church on earth that can hold a candle to that Mountain Cathedral.


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