Day 4 - 3 Young Czechs

July 15

Start Richardson Lake Mile 1118.59

End Mile 1129.48

Miles Walked 10.89

Departed our camp at 8-25 am after a great nights sleep and the walking was some of the best we have experienced to date. The trail was relatively flat with some slight undulations just to keep things interesting and we were averaging about 2 miles per hour which seemed like warp speed in comparison to the past 3 days. It really is amazing how much ground you can cover if you are not having to search for the trail or go up and down over the snowy hills that are often encountered. The first five miles seemed to fly by and then we started a climb which was relatively gentle up to Barker Pass where we decided to stop for lunch. The afternoon hiking was the complete opposite to the mornings enjoyable walk, as we faced a long steep uphill climb which would have been fine if we had not encountered more snow, which you have to see to truly believe it. Even though you are right on top of the trail, which lies a number of feet below the snow, the drop offs—should you slip—are alarming. We were constantly looking for alternative routes to escape the danger as to go forward would be suicidal. Again we lost precious time trying to figure out a safe route, but eventually our perseverance and persistence saw us rewarded as we found the trail and the next 3 hours were enjoyable insomuch as we were making progress moving forward, or in this case upward!.

Both Marvin and myself were both feeling stronger and did not feel the need to rest as often as the first 2-3 days. Plus, the countryside we were walking through was absolutely gorgeous, as we had entered a magical forest of evergreen trees, with some impressive specimens. All was going great until we turned a corner and ran smack dab into a huge, deep wall of snow which blocked our path. There appeared to be an obvious route but it looked down right dangerous, and so Marvin and I sat down to evaluate the best way to move forward. The thing I like about hiking with Marvin is the way he evaluates and tackles the problem, and it is so much easier walking with someone who is on the same page when it comes to evaluating the risks.

We decided to do our spikes and then scramble up the exposed rocks and dirt to make it easier to access the snow and get a better look at what we were facing and it was not pretty. There were tracks going forward but also a wicked one way slide down into the trees if we screwed up. As we were putting on our spikes 3 young Czech hikers appeared and stopped to chat. The first one had shoes that resembled those of a mountain climber, which had a stiff smooth sole and it was impressive how he dug the outside edge of one foot and the inside of the other to get a grip and he glided across the snow. Before they left I learned how to say beer in Czech which is Pivo! It is impressive to see the young walkers out here as they have no fear and a sense for where the trail is. Marvin and myself are in awe but wonder how many of these folks will be taking on these challenges when they reach our age? The huge difference that Marvin and I have observed appears to be a generational thing, whereby the younger walkers know no fear whereas we see danger at every turn. We eventually started our journey across the snow and safely made it to the other side, and no sooner had we reached dry land than we came across a small campsite which we decided might be a good spot to spend the night.

Wanderer.