Mountain weather
I woke up to another gray, drizzly morning, with 19 miles and a 5000-foot climb between me and the spot where I knew Bugs and Moose would be camping that night. With a full pack and all-day rain in the forecast, I knew this would be another put-my-head-down-and-hike kind of day.
The trail guidebook warned that there may not be water between my campsite and Pyramid Lake (C272), but Bugs and Moose had gotten word from other hikers that the Parker Ridge Spring 3300 feet into the climb, was running well this year. So at least I didn’t have to load up on water. I ate my usual breakfast of oats and powdered milk while gravity-filtering a liter of water, and set off up the mountain.
The locals who I had hitched into Bonner’s Ferry with had warned me about this one. I thought the 5000-foot climb would be a serious challenge, but after the first 3000 feet or so, the grade leveled out enough that it was very manageable. The drizzle was persistent, though, and I started getting a lot colder as I climbed into the clouds. I took a short break at the spring to filter a few liters of water, but I couldn’t rest for too long.
The trees thinned as the trail skirted Parker Peak, and the trail crossed a couple of scree fields with wide open views to the southeast. These views must have been incredible on a clear day, but I could see nothing but fog.
As I made my way up to the ridgeline, the wind started blowing harder. It was starting to get seriously chilly now, and the persistent drizzle starting to make its way under my rain jacket. Just as my morale was starting to sink, I came across a small patch of snow where someone had carved in the initials “C.M. & M.S.” and a big smiley face. A much-needed morale boost from Cookie Monster and Morning Star! Only about half a mile ahead of that, I saw a familiar tent parked right next to the trail on the ridgeline, and my heart leapt. “Bugs and Moose, is that you?” I yelled into the wind. I heard Moose yell back, “Hey, man!!!” They had decided to take a nap in the middle of the trail to wait out the weather. We cheerfully updated each other on our lives since we had last seen each other (just over a day previously), and reiterated our plan to meet up at Ball Lakes (0273P) for the bushwhack the next morning.
I left Bugs and Moose in a much better mood. I still had a few more miles to hike along this exposed ridgeline, the wind was still gusting, and the drizzle was starting to seep under my rain jacket and wet my down layer. But I no longer felt alone, knowing that my friends were nearby.
It was a big relief when the trail finally turned off of the ridge and dipped back below the treeline. The fog was still thick, but here I was protected from the biting wind. My body was starting to warm up again by the time I made it to Pyramid Lake (C272). I climbed the tight switchbacks up the next ridge and decided to call it a night as soon as I made it to Upper Ball Lake. I couldn’t imagine hiking even a quarter-mile further to Lower Ball Lake, where the next day’s bushwhack would begin.
The lake had a thick cloud of fog over it, so once I got close to the shore I could only see a few feet in front of me. It felt like I was standing on the edge of a precipitous drop-off. Unfortunately, everyone else decided to camp at Lower Ball Lake, not knowing that I had stopped at Upper Ball Lake. So I was alone for the evening, huddled in my tent and trying to stay warm in my damp, already-reeking quilt-nest.