Elevation Gain: Approximately 4600 ft. (with 5000 ft down)
Time: 8:15am - 4:30 pm
Weather: 90% of the time it rained, ranging from a light drizzle to a steady flow. The other 10% was perfect.
A couple of weeks ago, Creighton walked into my classroom and said I want to do a special hike with you around your birthday (Wednesday, I turned 30). Last weekend was too busy, so we settled on this weekend. It would be my first hike in my thirties. My friend and department chair, Gil, who I have mentioned several times in other blog entries, and I asked his permission to use his name on my blog, joined us as well. He is section hiking the PCT and has been on several hikes with me in the last 60 weeks (San Juan Kayak trip, several snowshoe outings, the Sol Duc Loop, and most recently the Tunnel Falls hike in Oregon). He asked me mid-week where we were going and if he could tag along. Since the trailhead was about 2 hours away, We met early, at about 6 am. We wanted to do the loop in about 7 hours. We hoped to get back to the car by 3 pm as to be home around 5 pm.
I fell asleep in the back of Creighton's car and when I awoke we were only minutes away. It was pouring rain as we pulled in to the parking lot. We all got our gear on in the car since it was so bad outside. We walked over to the bathroom, which had a nice covering and double checked that we had all we needed. We started walking around 8:15am.
Nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary. It was a wet day, and we had some distance to cover. We hadn't been walking more than 2 minutes when we came to a person laying on the trail. I was in the back, and when I walked up I could her her moaning in pain. I asked if she needed help, and she pulled back her rain hood to reveal a familiar, friendly face. It was the lower school head and a good friend from work. We laughed and hugged. She asked if she could join, and she told me happy birthday. A sweet treat for sure, she and I have led the school trip to Dark Canyon together with Creighton 3 times in the last 4 years. We have been on a lot of hikes in the last year, and she has met me in Rainier multiple times. She lives closer to Rainier than I do, so she will often just meet me at the trailhead. I figured Creighton or Gil (who are both really good friends with her too) had just mentioned our hike, and she wanted to surprise me.
We kept walking, laughing about the set-up, and I was smiling with delight. In just a few more minutes, I walked by a huge tree and on the other side was one of the Upper School Outdoor Ed coordinators. She is responsible for getting me on backcountry trips 6 years ago. We led Outdoor Ed together in the Fall of 2010, it was week 3 of the 52. She and I were always friendly, but we became really great friends on that trip. As I planned hike after hike last year, I would always ask her to join me. She has a busy life being a wife and mother, raising 2 girls both under the age of 10. This pretty much makes weekends family time. I don't know what that is like, but I understand. I was so happy to see her. I gave her a big hug, and now I knew something was up. I walked more briskly and at the front of the group. I was so excited as to who I might see next that I was missing how awesome the day already was.
A few minutes pass, and I see my good friend who teaches 5th grade. She and I were hired for full-time positions the same year. We were sent off to a "New Teacher" weekend in our first year, where we stayed up with the other young teachers and played games and told stories. She and I have been great friends ever since, and we led Outdoor Ed together this year (week 55). A big hug was exchanged, and I was on my way looking for who would be next.
The final morning addition was again behind a tree and was another huge surprise. She and I were hired the same year, both in the math department, and we shared an office for 4 years. She is an another incredible friend, and she is also an Outdoor Ed instructor. We have never led together, but I know (and have heard) that she is great. Now, I don't know if it is her favorite week of the year, but she does it with enthusiasm and grace. Last year, I think I asked her to join me on a hike at least 30 times. And every time she would smile and say, "oh, I'm busy" or " maybe next time." She too is a mother of two girls and a wife, but she always let me knew in a kind way that hiking is not what she wanted to do on the weekends. When I saw her on the trail this morning, I think I screamed, "no way!" I gave her a huge hug, as it continued to pour down rain. Our little group of 3 had reached its maximum of 7.
We hiked on to Spray falls. It took a little over an hour, and it rained the entire time. I hiked in the lead, which was probably for the best, since I was very emotional and moved by the whole morning. We stopped at the junction to turn off to the falls, and I let everyone go by. As Creighton brought up the rear, he was smiling and laughing as he approached me. I gave him a hug and started crying when I told him how much this meant to me. He knows already, but I told him how much I loved him. He shared with me that the idea was not his, but in fact my mom's. She contacted him through Facebook and had him organize it all. My mom is pretty awesome, and this was confirmed at yet another level today. I called her as soon as I had cell service after the hike.
Creighton and I continued on to Spray Falls. We took pictures, I got hit with snow balls, we laughed, and I basked in the company of many great friends. We walked back up to the trail junction where our 15 mile loop was to continue, but 3 of the hikers were turning back. I gave a little thank you speech, where I cried (of course) and had a chance to acknowledge how much their love and friendship meant to me.
My dark canyon co-leader was going to continue with Gil, Creighton, and I to Spray and Seattle Park. The trail was a lot steeper past the falls. We walked quietly and in the rain. We emerged from the forest and walked through water soaked trails. As we hit the highest point of the trail, 6400 ft in the saddle between Spray and Seattle parks, the rain stopped. The wind picked up and blew the clouds away. Several peaks revealed themselves, bathed in sunlight and shining against a brilliant blue sky. The four of us gawked and marveled at the beauty of the natural world. One commented, it was as if angels were out dancing on the mountain tops. This is when my other friend had to take off, and she gave me a little present of some sweet decadent cookies.
Gil, Creighton, and I went on. We passed a snowfield or two. Most of it was icy and was obviously from last winter. However, some of the field had a dusting of new snow. This was easier to walk across and made me excited for this upcoming winter. I do like snowshoeing, and I want to try some more winter camping. This was a fantastic part of the hike. We descended for hours, walking through Seattle Park, then dropping back down into the forest. We came out at the carbon river, just below the Carbon Glacier. It was 1 o'clock. Here is where we figured that the best case scenario was to finish at 4 pm. Creighton and Gil knew this area and had looked at the map. I had no real idea what the hike looked like, I was just filling it in on the limited information I know about the park.
We needed to book it, so we took off from the suspension bridge below the Carbon Glacier. This was the long slog section. It started raining again. I knew this trail and it is a gradual decent to the carbon river where you cross back again. The trail is washed out on the south side. So this was a bit of a detour, but it was the only way. We crossed the river again, and we were at the start of the climb to Ipsut Pass three and a half miles away, only five miles from our car, and it was 2 o'clock.
Now I have hiked 2.5 miles per hour before, and I was psyching myself up to do it too. But this was a new trail for me, and what I didn't know at the time is that this section gains 3000 feet over this 3.5 mile stretch. I was cold, wet, tired, sore, hungry, and thirsty. Creighton asked if i was ready, and I stupidly said yes. I made the classic mistake of thinking that to stop and eat and drink would slow me down. We began walking, up, and up, and up. I did alright for the first hour, but once you emerge from the forest, the switchbacks hug a ridge and destroy any normal person's pace. Of course it did not slow my friend, Creighton. Creighton is 57 year old ex-professional runner. He never slows down. He is very far from normal in many respects. The fact that he was undaunted in this stretch is another supporting argument to his lack of normalcy. (I hope to be able to say the same about me some day.)
After grinding through the 3.5 miles, Gil and I reached the pass at 3:40. The other side of the pass was more exposed to the wind, and the hike down had me cold and miserable. I was too hungry and thisty. I was not thinking straight, but I did not say anything out loud. We were back at the car by 4:30. There was a note from yet another friend who came to join our hike. He was meeting us at the pass, but he left the pass around 3:10 pm. He had plans and was expecting us sooner. Creighton said he had gotten to the pass around 3:20 and he must have judged missed him. I was obviously so touched he came out, but I was sad to have missed him. He is an icon at my school. He goes by his first name to everyone. He is the nicest guy you will ever meet, and when he shakes your hand, it's clear he could crush every bone if he wanted too. He is the kind of teacher at a school who has his hand in everything, because if he didn't nothing would get done. He hikes a lot less than he used to, but he gets out on the water in his kayak or out to his cabin in the Goat Rocks on weekends. He is another whom I have asked multiple time to hike with me and another who hasn't been able to yet. I was a little bummed I wasn't fast enough to catch him.
Once I was at the car, I finally stopped and drank some water. I ate a snack, put on dry clothes, and got into a warm car. I started feeling good again soon, and I realized how poor of a job I did managing my body today. I did feel pretty special though. People always ask me what my favorite hike was when they hear I have gone on 61 hikes in the last 61 weekends. I now have my answer.
Orchid: Surprise birthday hike!
Onion: The hike up to Ipsut and down to the lake.
Picture:
Google Map
