M
mryan
Guest
We decided, for this trip, to do something different: the three of us would each take a separate route and meet at Crag Camp, where we planned to stay for the night.
Saturday night we slept under the stars at Dolly Camp, in a site right next to the river. At daybreak, we were up, packed, and off. Randy and Matt dropped me off at my trailhead: Bowman. My route was up Castle Trail to Jefferson and then down the Jefferson Loop and over to Gulfside and then from Gulfside to Thunderstorm Junction, where I would pick up Spur to Crag Camp.
At 7:23, I was off. The morning air was cold and refreshing and my pack--stuffed to the brim with gear and a sleeping bag--felt particularly heavy. The first mile and half were flat, so i moved quick, feeling good. then it got steeper and steadily the vegetation began its shrinking away. at tree line the first castle--a large, steep rock outcropping--presented itself. it was almost exactly at timberline. a dense fog rolled in from the northwest. i could see the low clouds being blown over the ridge. visibility became less and less and a slight drizzle commenced. i stopped to assess the situation. i put on my rain coat and sat on a rock, hoping that it would pass and wondering what the hell i would do if i had to go back down. there was no car; it would be with randy, at his trailhead.
while i'm thinking, matt was steadily making his way up howker ridge trail. he later reported that he saw some strange mushrooms and other growths, most likely the result of the particularly large amount of rain the region's recieved this season. on the left were huge waterfalls. he thought of the other two guys: me and randy. and he thought of how spooky the woods feel when you're alone.
finally, randy had started up the danile webster scout trail. he later reported he didn't really like the feeling of being alone. as a result, he freaked out and hiked really fast, taking no breaks and not enjoying the experience of being alone, really alone.
well, at 1:00 i arrived at thunderstorm junction. the sky was clear, it was cool, and visibility was great. the foliage was mostly red. i turned down spur, heading north, and immediately saw randy, clad in a yellow jacket, in the distance. my immediate reaction was, 'how did he beat me?' but it wasn't a race i reminded myself. i hiked behind him for a ways until he stopped and sat on a rock to take a break. not wanting to catch up with him yet, i stopped too, just behind a rock so he couldn't see me.
i grabbed some water and turned to look towards madison, to see if i could catch a glimpse of matt. he was nowhere in sight. go to go....more later.
Saturday night we slept under the stars at Dolly Camp, in a site right next to the river. At daybreak, we were up, packed, and off. Randy and Matt dropped me off at my trailhead: Bowman. My route was up Castle Trail to Jefferson and then down the Jefferson Loop and over to Gulfside and then from Gulfside to Thunderstorm Junction, where I would pick up Spur to Crag Camp.
At 7:23, I was off. The morning air was cold and refreshing and my pack--stuffed to the brim with gear and a sleeping bag--felt particularly heavy. The first mile and half were flat, so i moved quick, feeling good. then it got steeper and steadily the vegetation began its shrinking away. at tree line the first castle--a large, steep rock outcropping--presented itself. it was almost exactly at timberline. a dense fog rolled in from the northwest. i could see the low clouds being blown over the ridge. visibility became less and less and a slight drizzle commenced. i stopped to assess the situation. i put on my rain coat and sat on a rock, hoping that it would pass and wondering what the hell i would do if i had to go back down. there was no car; it would be with randy, at his trailhead.
while i'm thinking, matt was steadily making his way up howker ridge trail. he later reported that he saw some strange mushrooms and other growths, most likely the result of the particularly large amount of rain the region's recieved this season. on the left were huge waterfalls. he thought of the other two guys: me and randy. and he thought of how spooky the woods feel when you're alone.
finally, randy had started up the danile webster scout trail. he later reported he didn't really like the feeling of being alone. as a result, he freaked out and hiked really fast, taking no breaks and not enjoying the experience of being alone, really alone.
well, at 1:00 i arrived at thunderstorm junction. the sky was clear, it was cool, and visibility was great. the foliage was mostly red. i turned down spur, heading north, and immediately saw randy, clad in a yellow jacket, in the distance. my immediate reaction was, 'how did he beat me?' but it wasn't a race i reminded myself. i hiked behind him for a ways until he stopped and sat on a rock to take a break. not wanting to catch up with him yet, i stopped too, just behind a rock so he couldn't see me.
i grabbed some water and turned to look towards madison, to see if i could catch a glimpse of matt. he was nowhere in sight. go to go....more later.
