Making good progress our camp is way down in the trees. With early morning light, and the canyon shaded, it was time to begin the scramble. I was quickly energized upon reaching the meadow and viewing the grandeur of Grizzly Waterfall and Thompson Peak, at 9,002’ the highest in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.īase camp was in the trees at the far end of this meadow where we were treated to views of our morning scramble challenge.Īnd a sky filled with near full-moon light. The unrelenting sun on this extremely hot day made this ascent much more challenging than the initial one I’d had nightmares about. Grizzly Creek greeted us at the bottom and then taunted us during the climb, just out of reach, but always present by sound and more than an occasional glimpse. However the glorious descent was clouded with worry about climbing this beast in a few days time. Suffering from asthma means I really hate trails that begin with ascents, but surprisingly the first climb of the day wasn’t nearly as challenging as I had imagined during my preparatory month. The trail to Grizzly Meadow did not disappoint. I find myself dancing with the butterflies, singing with the birds, guessing what’s over the next horizon, looking for shapes in the trees and the clouds.
While burned forests are not my thing, wildflowers are my breadcrumbs, they distract me and entertain me, my brain clicks away trying to recall names, my body is happy for the stretching breaks as I pretzel myself to capture the perfect photographic angle. So here we are, mid July 2013, ready for adventure! It’ll be a sufferfest, but you can do it, YES you can!”Īccording to the guide book from the China Gulch Trailhead, it’s a 5,440’ 7-mile ascent to Grizzly Lake and Grizzly Falls, less than that to Grizzly Meadow our campsite destination. My inner voice chattered, “it’s only five miles to base camp, you have all day.
With a nudge from my friends and a month of preparation time, I hung the profile on my refrigerator, set the countdown timer on my phone, and started thinking a bit more seriously about this potential adventure. This was a bucket list hike for my friend Scott, so I knew it would be epic. I was more than a little intimidated by the profile, especially after reading a trail guide that used words such as torture, grueling, steep, rough and tedious to describe the route. My initial fight or flight response was NO and Hell NO, I’m not in my best shape, I’ve gained some weight, climbing is not my strong suit, scrambling even less so. My invitation read, MAJOR workout! This trip is going to a real test of thighs, lungs and heart! Those joining must be really fit.
0 kommentar(er)
