We woke up with the sunshine after our first night on the trail and lazed in the tent. It was wonderful to listen to the sounds of the water fall and feel the cool air, while snuggling in our down sleeping bags. We were in no hurry to get started, as this would be a short day of only 4.3 miles (6.9 kms).
Everyone was in good spirits, as we reconvened at our picnic table
in the sunshine. I happily ate my oatmeal, rinsed my mug and spork in the fast-flowing Taiya, and made some hot black tea. That's the thing about light hiking: it requires a lot more work and patience. Rocky and Yvette could make their food and drink their tea or coffee at the same time! Still I'll put up with oatmeal floaties in my drink any day to save the neck, back, and knee strain.
I was happy to discover that Ken and I are fairly compatible hiking partners. When we got to Canyon City the previous evening, we set up camp before relaxing and eating. On this first morning, we were like-minded in our desire to take down camp before heading off for fun. On the agenda: a visit to the old Canyon City town site, .3 miles (.4 kms) from camp.
But first, the sleeping bags must be stuffed into stuff sacks, the sleeping pads deflated and rolled up, the clothes taken off of the clothes line and stuffed into stuff sacks, the water filtered from the cascading mountain stream... Rocky and Yvette headed off down the trail. I finished my errands shortly thereafter and skipped away in my Crocs and a silkweight tee... the day was already getting hot. Ken was waylaid: the boys had discovered... dunh dunh dunh... the elusive older COOL COMPUTER GEEK! Rarely seen in such wilderness settings, cool older computer geek must be apprehended at first available opportunity, even if he is headed down the trail. I laughed and told Ken I'd see him at the ruins.
Canyon City may be the first place on the trail that makes one realise just how crazy these Stampeders really were. After seeing the old restaurant stove, the boiler that powered the aerial tramway, and various pieces of pottery and ironworks (in this day and age, this would all be trash, and discarding it would be frowned upon), I became a believer in "gold fever".
I had noticed some old, overgrown trails just before the restaurant stove. Yvette was sure they were animal trails, but I convinced her to head back with me for a peak. It turned out that they led to old building foundations and piles of cool junk. We were glad we checked it out.
By the time we were done exploring the historic garbage (which was definitely interesting garbage), the guys had already crossed the suspension bridge and headed back down the main trail to camp. That didn't stop Yvette and I from testing the spring on the bridge. I felt like a naughty child, jumping on a new mattress.
Back in camp, Ken and I packed our food bags into our backpacks and lazed in the sunshine as Rocky and Yvette broke camp. Soon we headed down the trail toward our lunch spot at Pleasant Camp, 2.7 miles (4.4 kms) away. We stepped off the trail to snap a quick shot of the bridge- and have some more bouncing fun- before any serious hiking could take place. Beyond the suspension bridge, the trail diverged from the Taiya River for the first time. The Taiya disappeared into a steep canyon, and we began climbing. We saw relics of the old telegraph and tram lines, strung through the trees all along our path. The day was quickly as hot as the first, and the glaciers again beckoned in the distance. I enjoyed watching the vegetation change from that of the coastal rainforest to something in between rainforest and alpine. The earthy, bitter smell of giant devil's club followed much of our hike. Fiddlehead ferns, spruce tips, wood columbine, and other edibles played hide and seek in the multi-dimensional green of the forest. Fast flowing mountain streams, tumbling toward the Taiya far below, provided us with icy cold drinking water. Innovative gold miners or Tlingit packers from long ago encourage our forward progress, as a sapling they had long ago bent into a directional marker still stands as a sentry along the trail.
In no time, we descended to the cobbled banks of the Taiya, where we would lunch, wash, and nap in the sunshine.
