Today's hike: Summit of Horse Lake Mtn. and beyond. I got all wet.
Holy cow! Today Karen and I hiked 9.3 miles with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain.
We took a brutally steep trail to the summit of Horse Lake Mountain and beyond. To my dismay, there was a false summit. Aaugh! Tibbets Mtn. has three false summits, so I shouldn't complain. Finally, we reached the top.
Cold wind was howling. Brrr! It was snowing on the Enchantment Mountains and Stevens Pass.
At the summit, Karen stretched out with her head on her pack. "You ought to lie down and try this," Karen said as I wandered around. While hiking, I never lie down. Ticks.
To pillow my head, I flipped over my pack. Unknown to me, I pinned the open water bite-valve under the pack. My head was higher than my feet. Relaxed, gazing at the view.
"I'm lying in a puddle!" I yelped, jumping up. My water reservoir had drained beneath me. My shirt, pants, gloves, and fleece jacket were soaking wet in the back. Deadly in cold conditions in the mountains like today.
"No worries," I said. "I'll change into two dry shirts and my down jacket." My dry clothes were in waterproof bags. To my delight, both my hiking pants and gloves were quick-drying.
"You came well-prepared," Karen said approvingly. Quickly overheated in the down jacket. I can never hike in it. Switched to my windbreaker/raincoat in the icy, screaming wind for the descent.
Thankfully, we chose a longer, easier route. It was still steep. We had to descend 3,000 feet of elevation.
Ran out of water with 1-1/2 miles to go. No biggie. What did I learn? CLOSE the water bite-valve before setting down my pack.
Photos:
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Snowing in the Enchantments from the summit. Looking west.
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One of two 1941 US Coast & Geodetic Survey bronze markers on the summit of Horse Lake Mountain. The arrow points north. The markers were elevated on metal pipes because the ground has eroded since 1941.
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Red Paintbrush and yellow Balsomroot flowers.
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Purple Rock Penstemon flowers. Rare.
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East Wenatchee, WA and the Columbia River. The north side of hills look like green velvet.
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9 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Great story and photos as always. Thank you for sharing.
19dacar52
Level 7
May 22, 2020
1
Thank you!
The inside of my pack got wet, especially the bottom. I emptied it, unzipped and propped it on the deck to dry out in the sun and wind.
Shook the upside-down pack outside because it had gritty dirt in the bottom. In the mountains, dirt is usually ground granite.
Also found sticks, pine needles and a lost hiking sock!
@LiterateHiker Oh yes, I am familiar with that ground granite having spent time in the high country in Yosemite. Socks will do that, they are very sneaky.
@NoMagicCookie, @sassygirl3869, @wolf041, @freedom41, @WilliamFleming, @@phoenixone1, @BudFrank
More photos by Karen:
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"Don't fall over the cliff!" Karen replied when I asked where to sit. "Not on top of the rocks." I was bundled up in the freezing wind after getting wet.
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We were surprised to see Forget-Me-Not flowers growing so high in the mountains.
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One of two 1941 US Coast & Geodetic Survey bronze markers on the summit of Horse Lake Mountain. The markers were elevated on metal pipes because the ground has eroded since 1941.
Karen put rocks around the base of the marker to make it look better. She likes to arrange the scene before taking photos.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
May 22, 2020
7
Nice of Karen to make the marker look better too.you do look cold there.
Facing the wind, I pressed my legs together, trying to keep them warm.
Alabama has no "mountains" and we only have two seasons..."Its HOT" and "it's SUMMER". The only saving grace is I am relatively close to the Ocean(well...the Gulf of Mexico which is lovely). I miss the mountains as a place of solitude and beauty. Thanks for posting...I can live vicariously through your adventures...great pics again.
Sounds (and looks like) a wonderful experience. To be able to recover from a mishap is a testament to superior readiness.
NoMagicCookie
Level 8
May 22, 2020
3
Thank you so much! I'm nothing if not prepared.
I didn't bring enough food. Had enough for two small meals and hot tea. Got home with a pocketful of roasted almonds.
After 6-1/2 hours of steep hiking, I was hungry when I hit the door.
@LiterateHiker You had a pocketful of roasted almonds after the adventure? Sounds like you were pretty good. You have a superior (safe) set of buffer parameters. Most I know would have no food reserves after such a day trip. Amazing how food tastes better after such a trip.
Aweesome pics. I miss mountain climbing something I've done since I was a teen - I just can't do it anymore since cancer 7 years ago. Last time I climbed. I can manage a hike of 2-3 miles now, but I miss it. Oh the views -the beauty.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
May 21, 2020
1
Beautiful pictures.
Congratulations!
WilliamFleming
Level 8
May 21, 2020
1
Thank you, William. It was gorgeous. Hills were covered in wildflowers.
Sounds like you had a really great day...Pictures are AMAZING... 
phoenixone1
Level 8
May 21, 2020
1
Thank you!
Great pics! Good lesson to learn
BudFrank
Level 8
May 21, 2020
1
Thanks.
Men give me crap for putting my clothes and sleeping bag in waterproof bags in my pack. If I ford a creek, slip and fall in, my pack will float.
What if it's raining hard? Even the best pack covers leak.
Most importantly, my sleeping bag and clothes stay dry.
@LiterateHiker learned that trick years ago. Beats getting everything soaked
@LiterateHiker I see no reason to give you crap for that. It makes perfect sense. I wouldn’t have thought of that but would copy your idea now.
Men think I"m overdoing it, being too fussy.
It poured rain while backpacking to Nada Lake in September 2013. My waterproof pack cover was useless.
Didn't put my first aid kit in a ziploc bag. In the bottom of my pack, everything in it got soaked, right down to the bandaids.
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