Texas Creek didn’t look any less swollen this morning than it did yesterday evening - I have videos of both, maybe you can see a difference.
Taken yesterday evening:
Taken this morning
Since the water level didn’t really change, we probably should have crossed yesterday because the water was absolutely FREEZING this morning. Like what happens to my fingers when they get cold, my toes instantly lost all circulation; it felt strange hiking for the next several miles without being able to feel my toes.
please excuse my disgusting toes - My toes lost circulation after fording the creek
When we forded Texas Creek, we took out our shoe inserts and didn’t wear socks in an attempt to keep our feet as dry as possible for the rest of the day’s hike. (We contemplated just going barefoot, but I think it was a little too rocky for that). After we both made it safely across, we sat on a nearby log and did our best to dry our feet and our shoes. Besides frozen toes, all was going as planned.
A few miles later, we passed G-String’s campsite; this was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t think we’d see another thru-hiker this section and the fact that it was G-String we saw made me smile. We briefly chatted, mostly about the upcoming Lake Ann Pass, which all reports said was still sketchy and full of snow.
About a mile later, we had to cross Texas Creek again. This time there were a few logs that we used as a makeshift bridge. Nick made it across just fine, but as I attempted to cross I ended up not pushing enough with my left foot, which meant I wasn’t able to pull myself up with my right foot/leg, which meant I fell back onto my left foot. My left foot then slipped off the log and went right into the water. Ugh. I took all that time earlier to make sure my feet would be as dry as possible and it was for naught. At least my time hiking in the Gila taught me that it isn’t the end of the world to hike with wet shoes and socks. Still, it sucks.
Other than fording the creek, seeing G-String, and getting my foot wet, the hike this morning was uneventful. We were hiking in the trees again, too, so even the scenery was a little monotonous. Beautiful, but monotonous.
On the way to our lunch spot (we chose to meet right before the climb up to Lake Ann Pass), a guy hiking the Colorado Trail SOBO came towards me. I asked him how Lake Ann Pass was and he said it wasn’t terrible. Then, while eating lunch, another day-hiker walked by. He, too, said the pass wasn’t terrible, which made me feel better. After Knife Edge I’m ready for the sketchy snow traverses to be over.
While eating lunch, I kept looking at the sky, which was steadily getting darker. The forecast said it was supposed to storm today and I didn’t want to be up on the pass when it hit. G-String passed us as we were finishing lunch, which further added to my sense of urgency that we get the pass over with already. We packed up and got going.
The hike up to the pass wasn’t terrible but it definitely wasn’t easy. The only thing that kept me going was the rain that loomed over us.
Once finally at the top, I was happy to see that G-String was still getting himself ready to cross. Since Woodpecker decided to take the Collegiate East route (we are on the Collegiate West), it made me feel better knowing he wouldn’t be doing it alone. While the pass didn’t look as bad as some people had said, I don’t think it was as easy as the two guys made it seem like it would be.
A video of G-String heading down snowy Lake Ann Pass
The guy we saw at lunch had said that it looked like it would be easier if we went to the left rather than to the right, but G-String and I looked at both options and decided to go with the right, which is what everyone else had done. (Sadly, we weren’t able to glissade all the way down because some of the snow had melted).
It started to rain while we were assessing the situation, which added to the somber mood and to our nervousness. At least it wasn’t storming, though.
Since I was still waiting for Nick to get up there, G-String crossed first. Even though he’s a competent hiker, I watched nervously. He did great, of course, and, even better, he put down very solid tracks to follow. In fact, his tracks were so good that I didn’t have any issues at all crossing.
me walking on the path G-String made (he took this pic of me because he’s great
While we were getting ready to glissade down a section that looked snowy and non-rocky enough to do so, Puddles got to the top and started her way down. I had no idea she was behind us and felt happy that she, too, didn’t have to do it alone, even though she is also a very competent hiker.
The glissade was tons of fun - the snow was soft enough that we didn’t go too fast and lose control, but it wasn’t so soft that we couldn’t slide down at all. Excellent.
Nick and me glissading down, picture courtesy of G-String
Once we all made it to the bottom, it was as if a huge wave of relief washed over all of us (well, maybe not Nick because nothing phases him). We all took a moment to eat a snack and to celebrate successfully navigating Lake Ann Pass - it felt great.
It stopped raining when we got to the bottom, and from there the rest of the day’s hike was easy. Yes, there was a little snow to deal with, but it was all downhill or flat all the way to North Fork Clear Creek (we walked across the valley).
Ideally, we would have hiked at least 2 more miles today; however, the next 5.4 miles to Hope Pass are all uphill and we couldn’t be sure there would be any suitable campsites. Since there is a beautiful campsite here at North Fork Clear Creek, we decided to end the day early. It started to rain as we were starting to set up camp, which made us feel better about our decision to stop. Nick promises we’ll start hiking by 6 tomorrow to make up for stopping so early today. Don’t get me wrong, I love having extra time in camp. However, I want to be sure we get to Twin Lakes early enough to grab our resupply, eat some ‘real’ food, recharge our devices, and hike out again.
———There are a lot of mosquitoes outside on the netting and they are fascinating to watch. And I just now saw a spider crawl across the netting - maybe she is trying to get to the mosquitos? I feel so safe inside this tent - it’s crazy how much security a thin piece of netting gives me. Lol
Note: If I don’t listen to anything, I can make one charge on my phone last for 3 days, which is good to know. I just recharged my phone with Nick’s battery, and since we are headed into town tomorrow and will be able to recharge everything there, that means I can listen to something on the hike up to Hope Pass - very exciting. :)
Along the trail:
there were so many bridges this afternoon, it's too bad there weren’t any this morning!
Camp:
