Day 17 - Thousand Island Lake. — Walking People Out of Poverty

We were up and away between 6:06 a.m. and 6:10 a.m., and I had the honour of leading the way. Although we were climbing uphill, it wasn’t as tough as previous climbs, and we made good time. The plan was to walk 1.1 miles and then have breakfast, and before you knew it, we were having breakfast. Today was the coldest we have experienced since the trip started, and I had my Patagonia hooded pullover on as well as my lightweight fleece. I was also wearing my gloves.

Last night, we had planned to cowboy camp in order to catch the light show that was forecasted. There was supposed to be a meteor shower; however, the wind was howling, so we thought we would be better off in the warmth and comfort of our tents.

Within five minutes of walking, I caught a glimpse of two mountains that Traveler climbed when he was younger, Ritter and Banner, and they were bathed in the early morning sunshine. I was able to snap off a shot before the moment passed; the result is in the pictures below.

After breakfast, I set off again, and the trail continued its upward trajectory. The going was reasonably good, not too bad, and the parts of the trail that were a problem were when we had to struggle through the tightly growing bushes and cross several creeks at the same time. Having said that, it wasn’t too bad. After 90 to 120 minutes, it was time for a water break, and it still hadn’t warmed up. We found a spot among the rocks, out of the way of the wind, and enjoyed our break. I left a minute or so before everyone else, and within a hundred yards, I saw a coyote about 30 feet ahead of me, angling down to the path I was walking. The coyote never looked back, and I never saw him again. Interestingly, Woody saw a coyote following me a short while later, although neither of us could confirm it was the same one. We had been making good time, but we now came upon some serious switchbacks, which slowed our momentum. Up and around the mountain we went until we finally arrived at our main destination today, Thousand Island Lake. Huckleberry had set his sights on going for a swim, but that was out of the question as the wind was whipping across the lake and it was cold. There was very little shelter from the cool wind, but we found a small ledge of rock, about three feet tall, that backed onto the lake and provided just enough shelter from the wind. The cowgirl, who I mentioned in a previous thread, came by on foot leading her horse and mules, recognized us, and said we looked like lizards warming up on the rocks. It was a rather appropriate comment, as it certainly was the warmest spot. As we had already put in 7 miles and only had 3 to go, it was decided we would take an extended lunch break, so we maintained our spot to keep warm. We had hardly seen any hikers all morning, but this place was hopping, and we saw all manner of people.

It was finally time to leave, and Woody took the lead as we went up the long slope that led to a series of switchbacks. We were heading up yet another pass, and this one was called Island Pass. Towards the top of the switchbacks, we caught one final glimpse of Thousand Island Lake, which allowed us all to snag another photo of the lake in all its glory. We pushed on and eventually crested the pass, which was cause for Huckleberry to summon us all for a selfie! We had done this at every pass, and we still have one more to climb over tomorrow. We were now on the homeward stretch but had to be very careful going down, as the path wasn’t that great. At lunchtime, a hiker gave us a tip for a great campsite, and we were on the lookout for it. Fortunately, Dan found the site, and it was perfect, with four lovely, flat spots that worked well on so many levels. We had arrived early and made great time today, which tells me we are in much better shape than we were 2–3 weeks ago. We quickly set up camp and then went down to the water to wash off our dusty feet and legs, and to get water for dinner. Tomorrow, we have one big pass to climb, Donahue Pass, and then the day after, we have 7 miles before our journey comes to an end.