Death Canyon Creek to Chicken Spring Lake
20.1 miles
Mile 750.8
I slept like a rock, it was amazing. Peeking from my tent flap I saw a fresh layer of snow covering everything.
I decided a fire was needed to ward off the morning chill, so I got to it. Before long I had a nice fire going as Spikes, Swift and Diva joined me around the it. We decided on banging out 20 miles to Chicken Spring Lake where we’d camp for the night.
After toppling off my bottles at the creek, I set out after Spikes, leaving Swift and Diva chilling at camp.
The day started with a small ascent. Within no time I was post holing my way through knee deep snow. I was thankful for the single set of footprints guiding my way through the otherwise unidentifiable trail.
Unlike the day before, today was blessed by blue skys and warmer weather.
Around noon I found a solid spot to dry out my wet tent and quilt. While picking at my bag of trail mix, Spikes walked up. She joined me for a bit before moving on.
From there the trail cleared up a bit, with less snow to deal with I was moving quicker. I passed Spikes before long and found Swift another mile or so down trail.
With less than 5 miles left, I took a break. Pleased with the great time we were making, I looked forward to getting into camp early to enjoy the alpine lake.
Unfortunately, the trail wasn’t done with us yet. We spent the next three miles post hiking through over knee deep snow along a steep ridge. It totally sucked…
Those were the slowest miles I’d had on trail thus far. Moving at a snails pace, I constantly lost the trail.
There were no longer footprints to follow, so my map was always out. Falling became a norm, along with freezing wet shoes. Fun!
I reached the lake at 6, and immediately set about procuring wood for the fire we’d need to dry our wet shoes and clothes.
Before long Spikes, Swift and I were huddled around a fire watching the sun set on the alpine lake framed by a sheer rock face.
As darkness fell, so did the snow. We retired to our tents to seek the warmth of our down quilts.
Another epic day! I’ve established that cold weather, post holing, trail finding and wet feet are the new norm, and I’m cool with it.
Hey, if it was easy everyone would do it!
Cheers!
Having fun catching up on your adventures. Sounds like maybe your stomach was better this day? Can you explain “post holing” to those of us who don’t know the vernacular? Thanks for sharing…hang in there with the cold!!
Austin, You are a fabulous writer! You have us feeling all you are experiencing! What an adventure we are all on! Thank you for allowing us to follow!
Thanks Terri!
Wow what a change of trail and weather patterns. You continue to share beautiful photos and write just enough to capture our interest.
Stay warm and be safe in the snow.