COOK LAKES, WY
I got an early start from Vista Pass, using my headlamp. This climb was really hard. Ascending to Knapsack Col you have to climb a boulder field. It was extremely slow, exhausting, and dangerous. There are an infinite number of ways to break a leg.
At one point I was sliding across a boulder when my Platypus slid off and fell deep into a crevasse. This was the only water I was carrying. Using the headlamp, I found it and was able to slide down into the crevasse to get it. Whew!
As I approached the final climb, I met Mike and Dan who were attempting the same thing. It was extremely steep getting to the top, but I made it and had lunch. Mike and Dan followed, and I didn’t want to stay long because rain was coming. I looked for the way forward, which according to the maps went up a ridge and through more boulders. It looked pretty bad. Some hikers had told me to just go straight down, but yesterday two forest service workers said that isn’t an option. Meanwhile, Mike and Dan started going straight down. I decided to follow them. That was the best choice of the day. It was slippery, but we got down on flat and easy terrain to go the rest of the way back to the CDT.
While I was up there, I took advantage of some clean and cold glacier melt to fill water. I also made another attempt to vigorously backflush my water filter, and it worked; it is no longer clogged. That really helps!
It began to rain as I approached the junction back to the CDT. By 4:30 I climbed Lester Pass and was deciding what to do. The rain stopped and the sun came out, so there was plenty of time to get more miles. However, I was beat, it looked like it might rain again, and the next section has 3 climbs in it. I decided to call it a short but strenuous day and got to a camp spot at Cook Lakes by 5:30 pm
Tomorrow I’ll try to put in a big day and get to the junction of Cirque of Towers