Cottonwood Lakes
I finally managed to secure a bear canister and get up to the trail head... late. They've all taken off already because they don't know I needed to get this thing and couldn't until 8 AM and they're worried about the rumors of thunder storms starting while it's still morning. I get everything packed and start up the trail not entirely sure where I'm going and hoping this isn't a very heavy day hike. It is the right trail, the couple stretching at the trail head describe them well. I start up the trail headed toward "Cottonwood Lakes", the campsite that has been stated but is a large area and likely not the actual campsite, which will be on the route to New Army Pass.
Getting to the junction for the lakes or the pass, I decide to take the tour of the lakes. At one of the higher lakes, I bump into people I thought were in the group, but are just up for their own trip and will hang out with the group this evening, then go out. They head over toward New Army as I climb the rest of the way to the last lakes and watch a few hikers come down Army Pass which is no longer maintained but still popular. The high lakes are filling with campers and already full of day hiking fishermen as I get water and it threatens to rain.
Turning back, I take the shortcut to the New Army route and start hiking up the various lakes. I pass a bunch of pack animals coming down. I see a large group by one lake as I'm wondering how many more there might be above. The group isn't mine, they've got chairs and quite a few other things. The churned up trail leads down to their camp from a spot beside me, this is where the pack animals went. A Meet-Up group walking by say there's a couple more lakes, so I hike the short distance to Long Lake with the last of them and find my group.
While folks are playing in the lake and getting their water, I pulled out the sketchbook, the heavy one but the materials are light and there's only 4 pages left in the light one so it's the heavy one on this trip, and sketch a bit of the lake and trees on the bump beyond.
I set out my shinny new bivy on the tent footprint for the night and get some dinner. As the sky darkens, the rain starts softly. I tuck in, prepared to test this thing with its open face but otherwise waterproof design. The guy at REI had said you can just put your jacket over if it rains, although he hadn't had one to sell me that I wanted to buy. I tried it for a bit, but found that my jacket, being the lighter of the breathable materials, doesn't breath enough. It got moist underneath from both breath and water slowly coming down the bivy and started to seal. When popping a hole through that seal got me a stream of water on my shoulder, I decided I really needed a roof more than a floor.
In the dark, I pull on that moist coat and grapled for the light. I didn't find it, so I went after the rain pants. Pulling them on and yanking off my now wet socks to stick in my boots, I look for the light again more successfully. The light plays on my boots and I see them pointing the wrong way but can't be bothered since they're so big without any socks. I pull out the bit of lline that has been in my emergency kit for years and the couple stakes I decided to bring with the footprint and set out using the trees I had camped within to set up my first shelter. A little bit of mumbling later, I have one that seemed sufficient, assuming the bivy works. Off with the boots and rain gear and into a spot of shelter above my head and I tuck in for the night, falling asleep very quickly. I later wake to clear, stary skies and wonder if the foot of the bag is wet, but it's just cold.
Getting to the junction for the lakes or the pass, I decide to take the tour of the lakes. At one of the higher lakes, I bump into people I thought were in the group, but are just up for their own trip and will hang out with the group this evening, then go out. They head over toward New Army as I climb the rest of the way to the last lakes and watch a few hikers come down Army Pass which is no longer maintained but still popular. The high lakes are filling with campers and already full of day hiking fishermen as I get water and it threatens to rain.
Turning back, I take the shortcut to the New Army route and start hiking up the various lakes. I pass a bunch of pack animals coming down. I see a large group by one lake as I'm wondering how many more there might be above. The group isn't mine, they've got chairs and quite a few other things. The churned up trail leads down to their camp from a spot beside me, this is where the pack animals went. A Meet-Up group walking by say there's a couple more lakes, so I hike the short distance to Long Lake with the last of them and find my group.
While folks are playing in the lake and getting their water, I pulled out the sketchbook, the heavy one but the materials are light and there's only 4 pages left in the light one so it's the heavy one on this trip, and sketch a bit of the lake and trees on the bump beyond.
I set out my shinny new bivy on the tent footprint for the night and get some dinner. As the sky darkens, the rain starts softly. I tuck in, prepared to test this thing with its open face but otherwise waterproof design. The guy at REI had said you can just put your jacket over if it rains, although he hadn't had one to sell me that I wanted to buy. I tried it for a bit, but found that my jacket, being the lighter of the breathable materials, doesn't breath enough. It got moist underneath from both breath and water slowly coming down the bivy and started to seal. When popping a hole through that seal got me a stream of water on my shoulder, I decided I really needed a roof more than a floor.
In the dark, I pull on that moist coat and grapled for the light. I didn't find it, so I went after the rain pants. Pulling them on and yanking off my now wet socks to stick in my boots, I look for the light again more successfully. The light plays on my boots and I see them pointing the wrong way but can't be bothered since they're so big without any socks. I pull out the bit of lline that has been in my emergency kit for years and the couple stakes I decided to bring with the footprint and set out using the trees I had camped within to set up my first shelter. A little bit of mumbling later, I have one that seemed sufficient, assuming the bivy works. Off with the boots and rain gear and into a spot of shelter above my head and I tuck in for the night, falling asleep very quickly. I later wake to clear, stary skies and wonder if the foot of the bag is wet, but it's just cold.