July 14

Distance today: 19.3 miles

Mile marker: 219.3

The campsite we had last night was one of the best so far. A pristine mountain lake watched over by jagged rocky peaks. Thankfully, the rocks didn’t choose last night to tumble down the hill.

We had a decent climb out from the lake and over the pass, but the really difficult part was the descent down the other side. Rocky terrain and uneven footing made for slow going. Despite going downhill, we only covered about six miles before lunch. We both had couscous (B).

During lunch, Jason noticed his pack was already developing some holes due to wear. The way the bear can was tucked inside led to it rubbing against the frame, which caused the fabric to thin and tear. Not ideal for only two weeks in. Jason used most of the patches in his gear repair kit and some Leukotape from the first aid kid to patch the holes and reinforce the wear point. Hopefully, the patch lasts as long as it needs to for him to decide what to do next (replace with the same model, a more permanent repair, get a new pack altogether). Jason and Alex did a little gear swap to change how things sat in his pack and give it more life. It’s still a great pack! This is just an unfortunate thing to happen so early on.

After lunch we kept descending towards the Cle Elem River. Some other hikers going northbound gave us some tips on getting across. There was a shallow spot to cross where only our ankles got wet. But the other side of the river was a bit tougher – deeper and faster water with unsure footing. Going slow and using our poles for extra support, we both made it to the other side unscathed.

Rivers are generally the low point of the topology. So you guessed it, we had to climb up out of the valley! Our feet were pretty beat from the climb down and already 12+ miles over the day. The climb out almost mirrored one of our common training hike routes in Colorado: Mt. Falcon which is ~1800′ elevation gain in 3.3 miles. We unknowingly had trained for this exact climb out. We turned on some music in our earbuds to let us rock our way up the hill.

Yet again the terrain on the other side was rocky and slow going. Our feet and ankles were stiff and sore. Alex might’ve seen one of them big ol’ mountain rabbits on the way down. It hopped away, kicking its bright white feet high in the air, before Jason caught a glance.

We finally rolled into camp after 12 hours of hiking and 19.3 miles, feet smooshed and ankles stiff from the day’s challenging footing. A resident pika, a natural at this terrain, munched leaves nearby. The camp was mostly mosquito free from a slight wind that let us eat without hiding in our bug nets after every bite. During those last few miles, we talked about adding a FAQ to answer all of the questions you’re dying to ask (like why are we doing this). Maybe we’ll put one together over the coming weeks.