Skip to main content

Day 163 - JMT Bear Ridge

Full-on cowboy attire was required for the dense smoke we encountered this morning as we climbed the steep Bear Ridge. We used bandannas to cover our nose and mouth, but had to remove them as we climbed, since we couldn't breath in enough oxygen with them on.  We could taste the smoke.

Bear Ridge went through a quiet, serene forest with some old growth trees.  This one was likely 500 years old.  We struck up a conversation with Bellingham Dude, a smiling gentleman from Bellingham, Washington during a break halfway up the ridge.  He was amused by our (especially Bob's) cowboy look.

Descending the ridge on the other side we found a natural water slide, and smartly deciding to break and slide!  We contemplated using our plastic bag pack liners to increase our speed, but thought better of risking our only rain protection to the rock.  Sliding felt wonderful and so fun, like a kid at a water park, but with the added solace of the outdoors.  

After two hours at the water slide, we packed up and hiked steadily uphill toward Seldon Pass.  We couldn't make the pass this day, but we could cut the distance for tomorrow.  We passed Bellingham Dude along the way, said hello and goodbye, and carried onward and up.  A view of the lovely mountains, cascading in the distance, was seen from a side-trail overlook.

We reached an open meadow named Upper Bear Creek Meadow and decided to stop and camp.  The mountain views were sensational in every direction and the creek flow mild and comforting.  We found a great campsite under dense trees and enjoyed the serene setting without a single human passing by all evening.

We ate dinner while watching the alpenglow descend over the far mountain ridges.  

Labels:

Comments

  1. David FrankstoneSeptember 22, 2015 at 11:43 AM

    Good timing for the water side photo. How many photos before you got that one?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion!  I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together.  David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S.  and Canada....
1 comment
Read more

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper.  The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet!  I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception.  I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton.  The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district.  Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...
Post a Comment
Read more