Photo stop along the way. That's a lenticular cloud, kids.
I got up in the morning, and spent an hour or so getting things ready for the outing, and headed up to REI to find a map, since they open at 9:30. Otherwise, I’d have far rather gone to Second Ascent, but they don’t open til 10:00. I managed to find a map, not the Green Trails, of course, because they don’t stock those for such an esoteric destination as the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Then up to get gas, by which time it was evident that Michael wasn’t going to be able to go.
So, Candice, good sport that she is, came instead. She got Amy to watch the chickens (and cats) and we packed up and headed out.
The drive is long, including a stop at the pallisades. We didn’t get to the trailhead until after 4:00. It would have been at least half an hour earlier if I hadn’t screwed up the directions.
We stopped at a gas station at White Pass to use the bathroom; turns out that’s a major stopping point on the PCT, and there was a guy in the bathroom who reeked so powerfully of BO that I had to breathe through my mouth. Don’t these guys know you can rinse out your clothes in the water even if you can’t get to a washing machine?
The drive in goes along logging roads that were populated by hunters; we saw well over a dozen. Mostly deer or elk, I assume, but there were a couple dressed in the head-to-toe camoflage that I think is used by bear hunters.
The hike in was really really dry. The area seems more oriented to horseriding than hiking. The route information in my 12-year-old book was out of date, and we struggled with followingthe start-and-stop trails. For part of the way, we hiked along the South Fork of the Tietan River.
We got to Surprise Lake at dusk, and set up camp. We were the only ones there, after passing half a dozen horses. Once again I dragged my camp lantern along; it really doesn't give enough light to make it worth the trouble. Before going to bed, we hung the food in a bear bag, but there was no bears.
Didn’t sleep great. In the morning we had breakfast and coffee, and set out, still naively following Peggy’s instructions, confident that Warm Lake was about a mile away.
Turns out the trail to Warm Lake is no longer there. You head north a mile or more on the loop trail, then head up a cairned trail up into this pleasant hilly and open area, and eventually, if you hook far enough back south, you’d run into Warm Lake. We apparently stopped a few hundred yards short.
We hung out for 10-15 minutes, and packed up, and headed out. The hike out was dry and dusty too.
Conrad Meadows is pretty dry this time of year.
Stopped for dinner at Stanfords, taking advantage of my employee purchase card.