Thursday May 13, 2010

Camp 12: Snow Lake

Ahh...the river crossings are finally over!  A total of 45 today, which brings us to a grand total of 135 crossings (give or take) in three days.  It was a rough start today.  Neither of us slept well as it was extremely cold last night. By the time we had hiked 20 minutes we had crossed the river 6 times.  Our feet didn't stand a chance.  The wild rose and horsetail were relentless, scratching an stinging our shins and calves; our legs frozen, barely able to move.  On the flip side, the cool thing about river crossings and mud means a lot of animal tracks...bear, mountain lion and elk.  We still haven't seen much in the way of wildlife except for a couple of wild pigs which was cool and unexpected. We are now at Snow Lake, the sun is going down and Eric is making dinner.  We are both exhausted and hungry.  It has been a tough stretch of trail but definitely worth every river crossing to experience the beauty of the canyon. The night is still and beautiful as the light dances on the water, the sky illuminated.  We sit in silence taking a mental snapshot, feeling incredibly lucky for the day, the night and each other.  With a shot of whiskey that burns all the way down, it's time for some warm food and rest.  Cheers!