Queens River Loop June 2015 - Day 5

Good morning from inside the tent.

Goodbye Nanny Creek!

Nanny Creek to the trailhead is not a long hike. With a clear trail, I think I could do it by myself in four hours. With Ambrose (and his toe!), I was counting on six or so. I saved most of my coffee for after the crossing of the Queens that would begin our day's hike. It's not a difficult crossing per se, it's just that you have to walk through a freezing cold section, the climb up onto an island with a very big step on slippery, collapsing ground, walk through grass that feels like knives on your cold sensitized skin, and then get back in the water before you reach the trail. By the time I got to a sitting log, my feet were painfully cold. I spent extra time chafing warmth back into them, and gulped my coffee to heat myself from the inside out.

That was a cold crossing. 

See, I do let Ambrose use the camera sometimes. 

Moments after I finished my coffee, Ambrose asked if he could have a sip. His bad timing, or my good timing? The world will never know.

We continued hiking close together down the Queens River. I hiked a bit ahead, but never so far that I couldn't see Ambrose if I stopped for a minute or two. It was good endurance practice. I might not be traveling as fast as I wanted, but I was, because of that, staying on my feet longer. And my feet were doing really well. Last year, they would ache after only a couple hours in my boots, but this year the aches took longer to start and weren't as intense. Hurray for my new boots!

No ripe huckleberries :(

No more ice cave...

I spotted the huckleberry bushes, but they were way out of season, sporting tiny green proto-berries. The ice/snow cave over the river had melted away, leaving distinctive debris across the river. The washout where I'd had to climb down nearly to the river and then up a steep bank had been fixed so that Ambrose didn't have to repeat my adventure. Considering his ailments, I was glad it was fixed up for his sake.

I recognized parts of the trail, but there were more sections than my mind wanted to remember. I knew what we had to pass before getting to the next crossing, but I kept expecting the trail to edge close to the river well before it actually did. But after it did edge close enough that we could see the river, and practically cross it, we came to the places I did remember. The field of flowers wasn't as riotously colorful as last year, but the flowers and grasses were a lot taller than I remembered. In a few places, the trail was difficult to follow, but I kept my nose down and figured it out.

Hurray for trail maintenance! 

No need to scramble up the bank this time.

I don't want to be here the next time it rains torrentially.

On this side of the loop, too, the burned areas were recovering with blankets of greenery. The crossing itself was hardly recognizable, it was so overgrown with new life.

Greenery!

More columbine.

I can't decide which flowers I like best.

These are some very tall flowers. 

Also very pretty.

Ambrose wanted to have a snack before he crossed and I wanted to have a snack after I crossed, so I crossed without him and had my snack. He stayed behind to eat before doing his own crossing. And then came the part I'd really been looking forward to.

River crossing!

A trail dug into field of rock landslide.

Last year, this simple, short section of trail had become a nightmare of washed out trail for me. I lost the trail at the first big washout and didn't recover it until the crossing, which I only found by luck. I couldn't wait to find out how those washouts had been adjusted.

It turned out that trail maintainers weren't the only ones making adjustments to the washout. There, too, growth abounded. In one, a stream now flowed, and plants grew all over it. All of them had clear paths through them now, demonstrating to me that I should have walked straight across the washouts last year. Though I'm not sure how feasible that would have been. Maneuvering through them was hard enough without trying to stay in a straight line.

The large pine - cut, but not washed away.

Trees and boulders. 

The last ford of the day!

We found the large pine tree that had fallen across the trail, that I tried to find last year and couldn't. It had been nicely chopped up and no longer posed such a challenge to hiking the trail. I was surprised, because I thought it had been washed out, but I'd just managed to miss it.

When we reached the next (and last) ford of the Queens River, Ambrose suggested that I go full speedy rabbit ahead on the other side. I was tempted, but the last thing I wanted was to arrive at the car and wait for hours for him to catch up. I'd worry too much. So after we crossed I told him I'd be sticking with him. And that turned out to be better for both of us. My fast pace pulled him along at a faster pace than he would have managed had he been all alone. And when he was feeling good, he hiked even faster, causing me to speed up so he wouldn't catch me. By playing that push-pull game, we made good time.

Getting closer...

Almost there...

Lots more greenery here too.

We stopped for a snack break after making it through the high reroute over the swampy section of the trail. And then we found yet more greenery on the previously quite barren hill. There were a few stream crossings, but nothing that required boots off. One of them was bridged by a log, and, after I crossed it, I turned to make sure Ambrose made it across safely, a serious look on my face. He caught me looking at him just as I saw him finish. He was closer than I thought which made me half-smile.

Not far from the trailhead, Ambrose asked me to stop. He wanted to take off a boot because of a piece of something in it that was bugging him. I decided that it was time to go on ahead. I set off, drinking deeply from my water bladder because I knew I was close. Okay, 20 minutes from the trailhead might not seem that close, but after hiking for several hours, 20 minutes is really close.

So close!

Ah, made it - even with those large sunglasses. 

I moved the car to a campsite and started to get set up for boiling some water. I wanted to wash my hair and Ambrose's feet and anything else we wanted. Ambrose showed up in not too long of a time, and I went down to the river to get some water for washing. As I stood on the sandy bank dipping water into a squeeze bag, a fly, or something, bit my left foot, near the instep. I squished it with a vengeance, but it hurt badly so I decided to wade into the river to soothe it. And then, because I'd been backpacking for 5 days, I waded all the way in, fully clothed.

Ambrose made it too.

I came back to the picnic table sopping wet, but satisfied. I heated our water and we set to washing. But we didn't dawdle. After a 5 day trip, we had a reward coming our way. Hamburgers and milkshakes in Idaho City. Still a long way to drive to get to them, so we got in the car and drove off as soon as we could.

Queens River Loop June 2015 - Day 4

This day was going to be one of our easiest days, since instead of coming down from Plummer Lake, we were already halfway to Nanny Creek. Ambrose remembered the hike to Nanny being rather awful and long, but I think that's because I was cranky when we did it last year. In that spirit, we took our time getting started. I think, for once, we were running closer to my internal clock when it came to waking up than Ambrose's.

Good morning, trail!

We weren't far from the next crossing of the Queens, the first of two for the day. Ambrose was surprised by how close we were to it, but I recognized the terrain and suspected it was close. But not close enough for us to start the day with our boots off.

In some ways, I wanted to go fast, but I was more tired than I expected to be, probably because of the snow traversing. And so I kept Ambrose in sight, for the most part, walking ahead and then pausing for him to catch up. The next crossing wasn't very far and then it was just a matter of following the river down to the Nanny Creek campsite. It's kind of funny, I haven't actually seen Nanny Creek yet.

An Ambrose sighting! 

A few freshly cut logs, courtesy of trail maintenance. 

But I remembered enough about the trail that I was able to point out a ridgeline to him. This ridgeline seemed to be the one that would lead to Nanny Creek. But I knew from experience that it did not, and so I told him that it was the Ridge of False Hope.

We weren't the only ones using the trail.

The sun was out on this day.

Still no morels!

I stopped at the place I'd had lunch on my solo trip, a nice pile of rocks near the river. The trail that led to that point got a little confusing. The grasses were tall and grew over the trail. But I didn't think that Ambrose wouldn't be able to follow it until I saw him bushwhacking off trail directly towards me. He had lost it, but then caught sight of me.

We rested there for a while and then hiked on.

A nice view for lunch.

It was some time after that that I realized Ambrose was having more issues than just going slowly for his knee. He looked like he was in pain. I asked him what was going on and he said he was having problems getting his pack's hip belt to stay above his hips. Either he would cinch the belt tight enough to stay in place and then his legs would start to go numb or he would loosen it and it would slide past his hips, putting all the weight on his shoulders. I know from experience how much that can hurt, because I did that on purpose last year to get past some hip/leg pain.

Why, yes, that is the Ridge of False Hope on the left!

Since I knew we weren't far from our campsite, I told him to feel free to drop his pack and I could come back and get it after we got to Nanny Creek. He looked like he was in that much pain. But he refused and said he could keep going. So I went on ahead again.

I love these flowers - western columbine I think. 

I was a little disappointed that this log had gotten the chop... 

I was hoping to wait for him sitting on a particular log that lay across the trail. Last year, in order to climb over it, I had to use a rock as a stepping stone. It was that middling height above the trail that I couldn't step over or easily go under. But the trail maintainers had chopped it up, so I sat on a forlorn segment and waited for him to arrive.

He wasn't looking good. And I knew we were close. I thought it would be just around the next bend. So I make a decision. I went full speed ahead, no throttling back. I made for Nanny Creek like a bat out of hell.

It wasn't quite as close as I thought it was, but I made it in good time, took a picture to mark my time and then dumped my pack and turned around, going just as fast, maybe a little faster, to catch Ambrose and steal his pack. When I reached him, I insisted that he give me his pack. After a token protest that I couldn't carry his pack (it being designed for a large male, whereas I am a small female), he gave it up. I had to cinch the hip belt and shoulder straps nearly to the max, but by this day, most of the food weight was gone and I didn't have any trouble with the weight.

Not only is the fire pit ugly, it's illegal. In the Wilderness area, fires are only allowed on fire blankets or in fire pans. 

We walked to the Nanny Creek site together. Ambrose noticed first that the fire pit marring the site was a new one. Someone had dug out the old one and then, presumably someone else had added a new one. Fire is not allowed in the wilderness except in a fire pot or fire blanket, so fire rings are no-nos. Ambrose decided he would figure out a way to report it to the rangers (and he did).

Once we were there, I set up the tent and got to the serious business of relaxing and reading. The tent spent a good amount of time in full sun and I luxuriated in the heat. Our old tent tended to get unbearably hot in the sun, but this one just got deliciously hot. Too hot for Ambrose though, I had the tent to myself and used his sleeping pad, since it's bigger. More luxurious.

After assuring me that he was fine, and ready to continue hiking, Ambrose showed me one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. The toe next to his big toe looked like a marble had been inserted under the nail. The nail was floating on a blister, and we were both sure that the nail was a goner. Ambrose said that he would need a lot of tissues when he popped it at home. I told him he was going to be popping that thing in the shower or nowhere.

I don't know how he managed to hike with that thing on his toe, but he did. And I had a bit more sympathy for his pace. I wanted to try and spend more time being in the dark on this trip, because it was still something that scared me. But I'd slept through the night for the most part so I didn't have an opportunity to try and take it in. That night, I went ahead and got out of the tent to pee without waking Ambrose for company like I usually do. I could have sworn he was snoring the entire time, but he says he woke up.

Queens River Loop June 2015 - Day 3

Today's plan was fluid. We were going to get to our decision point, where the trail forked, before making a firm decision, but it was looking very much like Plummer Lake was not going to reached on this trip. And, in keeping with the planned short day, Ambrose didn't get me up super early.

Goodbye Pats Lake!

The morning started partly cloudy.

Oh! Snow!

I decided that, given Ambrose's knee, we should stick close together, though I did allow myself to get ahead on the switchbacks leading up to Arrowhead Lake. It was on those switchbacks that we ran into some nice large clumps of snow. Nothing that we couldn't step around, but I did not have high hopes for the coming pass.

More snow!

Trees growing out of rock near Arrowhead Lake. 

Arrowhead Lake. 

The water in Arrowhead Lake seemed a bit lower than it had last July. There was no illusion of the lake flowing into infinity this time. We took a break before continuing around the lake to the next set of switchbacks. The sun had come out, but then was covered by clouds, which was actually quite a good thing. Coming to the pass in the morning rather than the afternoon was also a plus, because we began to encounter large amounts of snow.

Now, I'm glad the snow wasn't falling from the sky like last year's blizzard up at Stump Lake. But the snow was covering large portions of the switchbacks up to the pass. Some sections I felt comfortable kickstepping through. But some I did not. And I didn't want to let Ambrose break any of the snow trail, because kickstepping would put his knee in torqued positions. The last thing I wanted was to exacerbate his injury.

The trail is somewhere under the snow.

Kickstepping through this is more tiring than it looks. 

After I finished breaking trail through the first section, I went ahead on a short section of dry trail to scope out the next. Then I heard a yell behind me. Ambrose had broken through the snow. It happens. But what doesn't happen all the time is his foot getting completely wedged under the snow. The sun not beating down on us had the advantage of leaving the snow harder, but that advantage was a disadvantage when a foot broke through. I ended up dropping my pack and coming back to help dig him out.

Then we decided that, for safety, it would be better to cut the switchback than traverse the snow on top of it. After that short, fast ascent, we had another snow traverse. Then another cut, a bit of dry trail, another cut and the final traverse to the snow covered pass.

A cloudy day over Arrowhead and Pats. 

More snow...

And here's the pass! Under the snow!

Last year when we were up there, we almost walked on a cornice on the other side of the pass without realizing it, but this year there was not nearly as much snow on the other side. We made our way down to the lake at 8696 and stopped to eat lunch and refill our water bladders. We were definitely trying to be more conscientious about drinking water this trip, and I think we succeeded.

Ambrose making his way to the pass. 

Hello there, Mount Everly.

Lunch at the lakeside. 

The trail continued switchbacking down, and I could tell that Ambrose was having trouble. He didn't look comfortable, even coming down the trail. So I didn't protest when he called for a break shortly after crossing the stream that flowed out of the lake at 8696 - even though I knew we were really close to the Benedict Creek trail junction.

Switchbacking down to the Queens River. 

A rock hop across the outlet from 8696. 

The sign fell down!

When we reached the Benedict Creek junction, the decision to skip Plummer Lake was made official. However, I did go up the trail a ways to see what I could see. Just to where the trail next crossed the Queens River, less than a 10 minute walk for me. The landscape was gorgeous and the trail looked challenging. I'm looking forward to making that trip.

Where the trail turns up to Benedict Creek. 

That crossing might be boots on later in the season. 

Everly from another angle. 

Then it was time to pick a camp site for the night. Nothing on that side of the Queens River looked good to us, so we went down the trail to the crossing and made it. On the other side, I found an adequate spot above the trail, but Ambrose decided it wasn't good enough, so we decided to keep going down and stop when we found something suitable. I zoomed on ahead, because this section of trail was fairly easy. Nothing too steep.

Heading down the rocky trail in search of a campsite. 

I passed a few spots that looked okay, but they were either too rocky or didn't have very good access to water, so I kept going. One area looked particularly promising after a fallen log blocked the trail, but I didn't think Ambrose would approve, so I kept going - and found the perfect spot. It was dirt, not rock, close enough to water and had clearly been used for camping in the past. There wasn't a fire ring, thank goodness, but there was really old horse poop.

Ah, right down there should work just fine. 

I settled myself on the trail to wait, since the site was a bit below it and I didn't want Ambrose to miss me. He appeared before too long and I took a certain amount of pride in showing him the site I'd selected. And he did approve.

After that I felt like all my useful energy had been expended so I sat and had a snack before getting the tent set up and our beds made. The snow, especially, had sapped my strength, and I was ready to lay down and read until dinner and then sleep.