Day 1: 7.7 miles
Day 2: 10.2 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 4500 ft.
Time: 4 pm Wednesday to 4:15 pm Thursday
Weather: Overcast, cool, a few sun breaks on Thursday.
This story has three parts: the prologue, the story, and the epilogue. I feel the story is good, only given the epilogue. I will tell the story last...
The Prologue
It started with a Facebook event invite from a former student who I have hiked with a few times. She was going to be in town for a few days and wanted to get a few friends out for an overnighter. I was invited and happy to go. She and I talked, and I suggested the loop Gil and I had done about 12 days ago. She felt it would be a good time and distance, so the plan was set. Overnight at the gray wolf camp doing the same hike in Gil and I had, then hike out through Deer Park completing the loop. A few days go by, when I realize I had a work meeting on that Wednesday morning. I know it's summer, but some things will not wrap themselves up by themselves. So I talked with the my friend and told her I would hike in to meet them. I would hope to be there between 4 and 8 pm, depending on when I could get there.
The Epilogue
Everyone is home safe. Nobody was hurt, injured, or damaged in anyway.
The story (copied from the journal entry I wrote in my tent Wednesday night)
Wednesday June 13 10:26 pm
I have been at the Gray Wolf Campsite since 7:08 pm. I hiked the 7.7 miles (according to the map) in 3 hours and 3 minutes. I was planning to meet 6 people here, but when I arrived the campsite was empty. I was scared but remained calm. I was nervous because these 6 other people left way before me. They were also hiking in the same way. If they were insanely slow, then I would have caught them. If they were injured and hiked back out, I hopefully would have seen them.
Trying not to waste time, I dropped my back and began eating. I had not eaten since lunch around noon and it was now 7:11 pm. I wolfed down food while I began making a plan. What I came up with was to set up my tent, hang my food, and take a small pack, and go looking for them. The tent was set up with all the non-essential, non-food items just thrown inside. I got all my food hung, and then made sure I had water bottles, extra layers, headlamp, and first aid stuff. It was now 7:50 pm. I was off to look for them.
First, I went back through the Gray Wolf Camp again just screaming a few of their names. I heard no response. I looked at the trail signs again. It was clear this was the Gray Wolf Camp where I planned on meeting them. I was 99.9% sure I was at the Gray Wolf with Gil in week 92. Now that I had a map, I was 100% sure.
I took off up the trail to the Gray Wolf Pass. I ran ahead about 15~20 minutes, yelling every couple minutes. Never heard an answer. Looked back at the map and saw Three Forks camp near Gray Wolf and thought I would check there. We had talked about walking the loop over two days, and maybe they just wanted to be on the other side of the river. The map said it was 0.5 miles from camp. When I got back my camp I thought great, only 10 minutes till I find them.
Walking uphill a bit from my camp, then dropping down to the river bank, and I wasn't paying particularly close attention, when I heard something move over a log and began sprinting up the trail. I did not have a great view, but it had a long tail and ran like a cat. It seemed a bit small for a mountain lion. Within seconds, I heard another rustle, but it was higher on the ridge, a bit smaller, and disappeared even faster than the first. I began screaming again. This served two purposes: hopefully I will find my friends quicker and I will keep some of the scary critters away.
I was in Three Forks soon enough, but again it was empty. It was getting dark I looked at my watch. It was 9:35 pm. I put on my headlamp and walked back to camp.
I got to camp, lowered my food, and snacked. I thought about what to do next. There seemed to be only two options: 1) hike out leaving all but the essential gear. Get to the car after midnight, get to Sequim by 1 am, and start making phone calls. 2) spend the night and hike out early tomorrow.
While the first option seems like the best choice, I stayed. I am exhausted. I was up at 4 am this morning packing, breakfast at 6:30, followed with a Zumba class at 7:30, and a quick lift from 8:25 to 8:50. I then sat in a meeting from 9 until 11:30 am and spent the afternoon traveling with detours because of food, gas, and forgotten gear. When I hiked in, I was not planning on hiking out, so I held nothing back, hiking nearly 2.2 mph up hill with a decent sized pack.
As I write this justification, I feel guilty. I am barely awake writing this, but I am scared for what might have happened. I keep telling myself the first rule of wilderness first aid. "Who's number 1? I'm number 1!" Take care of yourself first, then help.
I will wake up early and hike out. I hope to God everyone is safe. It's 11pm, and I am going to bed.
The Explanation
The other 6 took a right at the trailhead, and I took the left. They hiked 5 miles in to Deer Park campground. I hiked a direction that would have been almost 14 miles from their camp.
Orchid: Finding out everyone is safe.
Onion: The guilt...
Picture:
Google Map
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