What a great day! I
had decided to hike past Mirror Lake toward Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, in the
Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness. There is a switchback that, if we follow the
ridge south-west instead of following the trail north-east to the mountain, we
might be able to find a route to the Wind Creek Basin. There are several small
lakes out there, and it seemed that it would be very secluded for our
backpacking trip next week, in case the road into Trillium Lake was still
closed.
We set off from the
truck at 11:30, after donning our rain jackets and pants, and making sure we
had our snacks. I was wearing my new Marmot Nano AS jacket, subject of the
review in my previous post. This would be a great chance to try it out in
another set of real-world conditions and see how it performed. I had also
re-proofed my hiking boots and Valerie's Moonstone Mountaineering shell, and I
was eager to see how they held up in long-term wet.
We crossed Camp
Creek right from the parking lot, and it was a rushing torrent from all the
rain. It is its own mini-rapids. The hike up through the forest was uneventful.
There were very few people out that day due to the rain and relative cool
temperatures. We hiked all day at about 41 to 44 degrees. We passed a boy scout
troop on their way out, straggling in several small groups. They must have made
their hike early in the morning. Aside from two or three other couples, the
area was empty.
We arrived at Mirror
Lake about 45 minutes later, covered in quickly changing mist that alternately
obscured and revealed the lake surface, rain pattering its circular patterns
into the water. The trail up to Tom Dick and Harry Mountain was quiet and dark.
The trail surfaced several times onto the rocky shale mountainside, but the
mist covered all views past a few hundred feet. With the rain, the forest and
my best friend for company, I was in a slice of heaven.
We arrived at the
switchback and had some snacks, then carefully made our way across the
ridgetop. I expected to see some trail, but there were only deer trails to
follow. We picked our way through the rocks and fallen trees, steadily
downward, avoiding rhododendron thickets as much as possible. They reminded me
of the laurel thickets we used to get stuck hiking through in Connecticut.
Deadly waste of time.
 |
| Retying for rough terrain |
 |
| Not-so-grim reaper |
We did make our way
to the first level plateau, but got stuck in rhododendron thickets with no
forward options. As the afternoon was progressing, we decided to try to find a
way down on another day. This route will not be an option for next week's trip.
We slowly proceeded
back up the hillside to the switchback. This open area was the very same place
we came to last year, picked two bags of ripe huckleberries, and had enough for
two pies. Everyone agreed that huckleberry pie is delicious!
The rain became
heavier on the way back down. The trail became sodden and muddy in some places,
requiring a little finesse in remaining balanced, especially on the wet and
rocky mountain sides.
We passed two families on their way up. One was taking
two small children on their first "fishing trip". I felt sorry for
them all, as it was not a good day for a trip like that, the children were too
young and they were already tired and grumpy at only half-way. There would be
no spectacular views of Mt Hood to balance the lack of fishing opportunity.
They had all the wrong equipment for rain and cold, and lacked any real fishing
gear. It seemed they were going to try
to use live bait which is illegal in most areas here. Good luck.
The final trail
section was full of puddles, and we enjoyed the sound of rain in the forest and
on our jackets, singing us a song of life.
Our rain wear was
soaked outside, and our boots were similarly wet through, but no water made it
through the Gore-Tex membranes. We were out for 3 1/2 hours in steady rain and
remained dry and comfortable, with minimal sweating. I will post a short follow-up
review for the Nano AS and the boot re-proofer solution I used.
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