1 August 2017
Location: Hayden Pass Trail head - N40.72204° W110.86413°
Elevation: 10,362'
Ascent: 2845' (Total: 19,857')
Descent: 3216' (Total: 17,433')
Day Distance: 20.6 miles (Total: 123.7 miles)
I got up this morning to another clear sky. After breakfast, as I was putting camp away, I had some deer just come in and walk around me. They were not spooked at all.
I was, I thought at the time, 17 miles from the trail head and about 10 miles from my planned camp. I was unsure if I was going to spend one more night or go all the way to the trail head. Because of the infection in my foot, I was leaning towards the trail head. As I came down from Ledge Lake and hit the intersection where the HighLine trail descends into Rock Creek, I took the right fork towards Lightening Lake as I had already planned. My plan was to circle around and visit Helen Lake. To me, the HighLine trail should already do this, since it follows the contour and mountains that I had been following all the way since North Pole Pass. This small detour added about three miles to my trip. As a 12 year old scout, my one and only journey into the High Uinta Wilderness Area included Helen Lake. Helen Lake is my only clear memory of a place name that we visited. I wanted to see it again, to see if it match my memories. After passing the next intersection that would lead down to Jack and Jill Lakes I arrived at Helen Lake. It is almost exactly as I remember. A lake pinned in by cliffs. Heading for Rocky See Pass from Helen Lake there is an initial short climb. Then the trail follows the contour until Rosalie Lake, the descends down past Black Lake. This is the point where the Jack and Jill trail reconnects. The trail doesn't actually go to the lake. If you want to see Black Lake, you need to descend a couple hundred more feet on a side trail. The trail then makes it way past Brinkley Lake. Just after Brinkley Lake the Rock Creek trail reconnects. This is the official trail 025 (High Line Trail).
Shortly after the junction with the Rock Creek trail, the trail begin to climb to gain the elevation of the basin below Rocky Sea Pass. I got to my planned camp site near the unnamed lakes in the basin below Rocky Sea Pass about 14:00. The skies were beginning to darken, and I did not want to set up camp so early, just to be confined to my tent by a rain storm and mosquitoes. My foot was not bothering me, but I was worried about the infection. So I made the decision to finish and hike the miles to the trail head.
Up and over Rocky Sea Pass I went. As I got down from the pass it started to sprinkle, so I put on my pack cover. I did not get out my rain jacket. The trail from Rocky Sea Pass to the trail head is mostly down hill until the last couple of miles where it climbs to the trail head. It sprinkled on me most of the way. Not a constant rain, just brief moments of light rain.
I was making fairly good time because of the down hill. The trail is also heavily trafficked so it is wide. At 17:00 I called Shelly to arrange for her to come at get me. Arranging the pick up for sometime between 19:30 and 20:00. I wanted to make sure I got there before she did. I had about five miles to go, according to the GPS. As I got my phone out, it started to rain, not just sprinkle. It rained slightly longer than it took for me to make my call, then continued to lightly sprinkle for about the next hour.
I arrived at the trail head at 19:30 and Shelly arrived soon after. I was going to wash up, but the water coming out of the spigot was red/brown. So I ate the Subway sandwich that Shelly brought me, got into the truck and drove home.
Side note: A few days later. My fourth toe (or ring toe) on my right foot is infected. Looks like a strep infection of some kind. The skin was just falling off the toe and the red streak had started climbing my foot and ankle. The doctor gave me a shot, and put my on an antibiotic. The toe is doing much better and will heal just fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment