| |
 |
|
|
Thursday, July 20. 2006
Upon reaching Pleasant Camp, those of us who would be sore on the trip were feeling all of the places that would ache for the next four days. We stretched out over the sun-warmed rocks at the Taiya's edge to nap or contemplate the sounds of a powerful river, each as they pleased. Except for the mosquitos, Pleasant Camp was... well, pleasant. The morning had passed at a leisurely pace, but the naps and the contemplation had readied us all to don our packs and get back on the trail. We knew we would have a very early morning ahead: snow conditions warranted leaving camp before 5:00 am, in order to traverse the avalanche zone safely. I guess "safely" is relative...
The trail from Pleasant Camp to Sheep Camp is an easy hike. The hike is only 1.3 miles (2 kms), and this section of the trail has the least elevation change. Ken and I enjoyed chatting together as we walked along. I paid particular attention to the vegetation, once more, knowing that this would be the last of the coastal temperate rainforest on this trip.
 |  |
 As we neared Sheep Camp, we saw that the trail had been re-routed. It was new construction, not yet complete; and we had to be careful not to trip over roots. The unfinished surface of the trail was mulch a few inches deep, and it felt a lot like walking in sand or on tundra. Hiking on surfaces like this gets old fast; and I was happy to see a newly constructed zigzag bridge over the Taiya, signalling our arrival at the island that is Sheep Camp. However as this was day two of our hike, I really had my hiking legs under me. Part of me wanted to knock this section out as quickly as possible and head to the pass, but I knew that this wasn't logistically practical. Summit Day is supposed to be special anyway, and I knew I didn't want to hurry through the Golden Staircase.
Sheep Camp was soggy. We learned from Ranger Jeremy, who would come down from the Ranger station to brief us on the trail ahead, that the trail was rerouted because the old trail was underwater. Apparently the Taiya migrates a great deal in this particular stretch: Sheep Camp had already been moved once to its present location, and the Park Service is getting ready to move it again. There were platforms to pitch tents on (convenient if you have a free-standing tent but not so great for us); and because the water table is high, there were composting toilets raised up on platforms. These were the nicest outhouses of the trip!
Sheep Camp is a large, sprawling camp; but the tent sites are very close together. For the first time on the trip, I realised just how crowded the trail could potentially be during the Chilkoot Summer months. We were early in the season still. I was thankful for that, even if being early did represent an extra five pounds that I would carry for the duration of the trip (snowshoes!).
I said it once, but it bears repeating: Sheep Camp was soggy. I quickly realised that Ken would be useless for camp chores, beyong pitching the tent. Mosquitos were everywhere, and they honed in on him. As soon as the tent was staked and guyed, Ken dove in, dragging his sleeping bag behind him. From this point forward, I would feed anything he needed underneath the screen door, while he madly swatted the viscious mosquitos that snuck in with the gear. Yvette filtered water, washed up, and followed Ken's example. I hung clothes to dry, washed up, filtered water in the icy cold river, and attempted to read my book at a picnic table on a gravel bar. The attempt was unsuccessful: the mosquitos were ridiculous. Rocky had sought refuge in the wall tent shelter with a couple of the boys. Although the two groups were still giving each other plenty of space, and I felt like it would be good to break the ice a bit, I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in a dark shelter.
I decided to cook an early dinner so that I could head to bed with my book. I was soon joined by Rocky, Yvette, and Ken. Dinner talk centered around mosquitos and our upcoming Summit Day. Soon Ranger Jeremy arrived to give a talk about trail and weather conditions. He confirmed our suspicions that the earlier we hit the trail, the better. Although he had history and wildlife presentations, Ranger Jeremy was astute enough to recognize that we had an early morning (and thus an early bed time). Ken and I had decided we should leave camp by 4:00 am to avoid soft snow. Rocky and Yvette were pushing for 5:30. We compromised with a 5:00 am departure.
 We cleaned up from dinner; stashed the smelly food bags and toiletries in the bear boxes; and Yvette, Ken, and I headed to the tents, while Rocky journaled. You can see just how bad the mosquitos were. Yvette took this photograph of Rocky through the mesh, rather than risking several mosquito bites and the annoyance of extra mosquitos in her tent. Ken amused himself by exhaling toward the tent wall and watching the mosquitos frantically try to get to the warm blooded mammal, poking their proboscides through the silnylon.
I read my book until I could convince myself to fall asleep, around 7:30 or 8:00. Ken laughed that I had brought Edward Abbey's Black Sun on a backpacking trip. But I thought, what could be better than reading about love, the forest, and love under the sun in the forest while in the forest? Of course, there was a little of Edward Abbey thrown in for good measure (sex, a mysterious disappearance, death, and grief). As this was one of Abbey's favorites, I felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to read it while sitting on a cozy couch. It felt much more suited for the dirt, sweat, and damp of the Chilkoot.
|
|
|
|
| |
