Hike : Day 3 - Cascade Canyon to Holly Lake
Well, good morning, Gorgeous.
Day 3 promised to be another bright & beautiful one - and also proved to be a bit smokey as well. There was a fire burning to the east of the park that the rangers warned us about when we picked up our permit - we had actually been concerned about it before we started the hike, because the ranger station was smothered in smoke the day we were there, and we found it a bit difficult to breathe. But once on trail, we didn't experience any issues except on Day 3.
This day's hike would take us up out of Cascade Canyon, past Lake Solitude and over Paintbrush Divide. It was hot, exposed, and smokey. The elevation wasn't all that bad, especially compared to the Sierras, but this just ended up being a brutal day. Beautiful, but brutal. I cursed a lot.
BEAR BUTT! BEAR BUTT!
I ALSO HAZ THE ITCHEZ
Anybody who has hiked with me in the Whites knows that I hike hot and I hike ugly, and would probably hike naked if it wouldn't end with severe thigh chafing and a jail sentence. Day 3 was hot and hazy enough that I briefly considered it. I was already battling a couple of days worth of sunburn, windburn and heat rash - and now an added dash of smoke inhalation.
We took about a 45 minute break at Lake Solitude to have lunch and gather ourselves for the punishment that we knew was coming in the form of a mercilessly long and completely exposed grind up to Paintbrush Divide.
FYI : water's heavy when you have to carry it.
We took about a 45 minute break at Lake Solitude to have lunch and gather ourselves for the punishment that we knew was coming in the form of a mercilessly long and completely exposed grind up to Paintbrush Divide.
FYI : water's heavy when you have to carry it.
And we were hiking...
oh. oh you thought you just had to get to the top of this ridge?
HAHAHAHA NO.
Keep going, fools.
I cursed every step of this climb.
Mark felt 1000% better on this hike than he did in the Sierras - while I struggled as much at 10,000 feet as I did at 13,000 and 14,000 feet on the JMT. The Sierras weren't any less exposed, but they were a bit cooler - and we had a bit more time to acclimatize before and during that hike. So I did a lot of profanitizing on Paintbrush Divide. Shocking, I know.
But just look at the beauty of that packed dirt path. I tried to remind myself how much worse this day would have been if the trail had been in New Hampshire or Maine. Google "Mahoosuc Notch" and you'll see what I mean.
Mark felt 1000% better on this hike than he did in the Sierras - while I struggled as much at 10,000 feet as I did at 13,000 and 14,000 feet on the JMT. The Sierras weren't any less exposed, but they were a bit cooler - and we had a bit more time to acclimatize before and during that hike. So I did a lot of profanitizing on Paintbrush Divide. Shocking, I know.
But just look at the beauty of that packed dirt path. I tried to remind myself how much worse this day would have been if the trail had been in New Hampshire or Maine. Google "Mahoosuc Notch" and you'll see what I mean.
We didn't stay long. It was windy and we were ready to get to a campsite. So we took a few minutes to appreciate the views and congratulate ourselves on the monster climb we just did - and then popped over the edge and down the other side.
Oh hey - guess what? That snowfield that the ranger assured you wasn't still there?
Totally still there. SURPRISE!
Totally still there. SURPRISE!
We found a campsite at Holly Lake - it was a decent site, nothing special. Met a couple of ex-military guys who used to test weapons systems. Ate some spaghetti. Saw a silver fox. (Not my photo - I wasn't quick enough to catch it on camera).
Good night, Wyoming. F*ck you, Paintbrush Divide. :)
All photos are © Sugarjets Studio - all rights reserved. Please don't steal them. Stealing is shitty.
Don't be shitty. And please don't make me be mean.
Don't be shitty. And please don't make me be mean.