Day 17 - 17160!! — Walking People Out of Poverty

walkingpeopleoutofpoverty.ca is the personal blog of Peter Thorpe, long-time Opportunity International Canada supporter and Walking People Out of Poverty founder. For Dan Murray’s blog and information on OIC, please click here.

Start Time: 5:50 am
End Time: 6:00 pm
Start Mileage: 2442.40
End Mileage: 2459.40
Distance Walked Miles: 17
Elevation Gain Feet: 4249

We set off with a gradual uphill section that only lasted a few minutes before we endured a lovely downhill section for a couple of miles that led us to our first water source for the day. With the intense heat we’ve been getting we are drinking lots of water as well as the all important Electrolytes.

We also had a tricky crossing of the water source and I’m pleased to report everyone made it across safely and without getting wet. We were supposed to have breakfast at this spot but it really wasn’t conducive as it was lots of big rocks and there was nowhere to sit comfortably. After about 3 1/2 miles Woody and I found a campsite that was perfect for breakfast. Neither Cameraman or Payday were interested in breakfast so they decided to push on.

I suspect they were worried about the heat later in the day and we cannot really blame them. So Huckleberry, Woody, and I settled down to our respective breakfast and the obligatory cup of coffee. After breakfast, we were faced with a climb of 1500 feet and so we put Woody in front as he always sets such a good steady pace.

We met several hiking groups coming down the hill and they all said that Cameraman and Payday were just a few minutes ahead of us but we could never quite catch them.

The paths we walk on can sometimes be wonderful. Other times they are dreadful and rocky and other times they are nothing but roots. Woody believes we were heading up Piper Pass and once at the top the 3 of us stopped for lunch. We hadn’t seen either Cameraman or Payday but we knew they would be okay.

After lunch I took the lead as we set off down a series of switchbacks which was tough going as it was nothing but rock. We were traveling through a very rocky area and you will get a sense of just how rocky from the photos. Finally I was free of the rocks and looking back you would never know a trail existed.

Today was also the first day since Monday that was conducive to getting some decent photos so I hope you like them. We now came to our last climb of the day which was a thousand footer and I led us up. It was a stiff climb but manageable as today was a lot cooler than the past 3 days and everyone made great time getting to the top. We had terrific views down into the valley and and now it was time to look for a campsite, but first we had a long climb down to the lake. We set off and not to far down the trail met a young lady with a big dog who were heading for the top of the mountain we had just relinquished. The dog was huge and was carrying his/her own gear in a pack. We carried on down and unfortunately the first campsite we had targeted was full, so tomorrow we will have a slightly shorter walk to Stevens Pass as our campsite is that much closer to our destination.

By my calculations we have climbed an amazing 17160 feet in elevation in 4 days. This would have been an accomplishment in normal weather conditions, but to do it in temperatures that were in the low to mid 90’s during the first 3 days is, I think, remarkable.

And now for some photos.