Grand
I’m not sure if it was the bright morning light that woke me up, or back pain from sleeping on a wooden slab all night. I do know that Recon had already silently slipped out of the shelter and packed up. He had just started down the trail and I shouted a goodbye, knowing I probably wouldn’t catch up to him again. I had big plans for the day: A 21-mile hike along an alternate route with three huge climbs over alpine passes.
I dashed over to the Dose Meadows camp to relieve myself and fill up on water for my day. There were a couple camo-clad canvas-backpack Outdoor Man guys up there (you know the type?) and I made uncomfortable small talk in my twinky short-shorts hiker outfit before setting off up to Lost Pass.
The climb was a straight-shot up a steep grade with scrubby bushes giving way to bare scree. The trail was barely defined on the slope, but easy enough to follow. I didn’t even take a break at the top because it was already late in the morning, and I decided to take a break at the top of the next one. So I swiftly crossed the horseshoe-shaped valley to the next 1000-foot climb toward Cameron Pass. A 200-foot scree scramble to the left of the pass was too enticing to pass up, so I continued until I made it to the very top.
The day was so clear that I could see the white domes of both Mount Baker and Mount Rainier (unforunately, I was unable to capture them with my camera due to dynamic range issues). I paired this once-in-a-lifetime view with a ziploc bag of pulverized Cheez-Its. Some other hiker climbed the pass from the alternate direction and shouted up to me to ask about how the view was. Amazing, obviously. I passed him on the way down and we traded pleasantries.
The other side of the pass was a totally barren scree field with (somehow, still) a crystal-clear snow-melt stream flowing from the slope of Mount Cameron. A descent down the semi-treacherous scree slope brought me to the water and I filled up, surrounded by cushions of bright-purple heather.
I was unfortunately running a bit late, possibly from my long break at Cameron Pass, and I still had a huge pass to climb later in the day. So I took off along the partially-maintained Cameron Creek trail. The trail wound through some scraggly forest and brush. By the time I made it to the Grand Pass climb, I was feeling extremely tired. I took a break at the bottom and powered through to the very top.
The thought struck me that this was the highest elevation I would see before the end of my hike. It was hard not to feel a tiny bit devastated about this. I tried to savor the experience and also attempted to take one last awkward selfie of myself at the very top of a mountain.
By the time I was ready to come down, the sun was noticeably sinking toward the horizon. I wound down to camp at Grand Lake, in a quiet, wooded little tent spot. I was extremely tired and slept soundly.