We didn't make it to Silver King Lake. We didn't need to, though. Just the two of us for two days - a girl, her dog and a backpack (with more food than we needed for the three days we intended to be gone :-)). Someday I'll learn to pack just enough food. Neither of us ever eats as much as I think we will, but I never want us to be hungry! We hiked through such a range of terrain - all of it stunning. Lodgepole pine forests dominated the lower landscape. Aspen filled in the gaps and there were plenty of willows and a smattering of early wildflowers. We traveled along Pine Creek as far as we could - over two days - until snow stopped us short of our destination. Bust as we sat in the meadow surrounded by Mt. Harvard and Emerald Peak (among several others in the Missouri Basin) it didn't matter that we hadn't made it to the lake. We sat amongst willows, an overflowing creek with snow still bridging it in places and at the foot of quickly softening snow fields. It couldn't have been more glorious or more peaceful.
After hiking past Little John's Cabin and not quite to Bedrock Falls (an awesome granite expanse over which Pine Creek cascades) we found the perfect campsite (previously camped at by others) in a meadow surrounded by pine and aspen, with just a short jaunt down to the creek for water. We'd easily hiked 7 miles to our campsite, maybe a tad bit more since Bedrock was at 8.1 and we were there pretty shortly after starting out on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning came after something of a restless night. We both slept well but in short spurts, waking up several times, checking out the stars (there are an amazing number out in the wilderness, by the way) and finally just got up about 6. In many ways, a normal morning for us. After a bite to eat we headed up the trail(without the big pack, phew) in search of Silver King Lake. The trail was waterlogged much of the way - we'd soon discover this was the result of snow melting higher up. Sydney was alert and eager and spotted a young buck of a deer - with a beautiful growing rack - and then she spotted a couple of marmots. She missed the bunny, but she caught it's scent as we crossed it's path heading up the trail. Pine Creek almost stopped our journey as the crossing was wide and precarious with ice still on the logs intended to be a bridge (though they weren't even close to stable). Finally after looking for alternative spots to cross I took off my shoes and Sydney and I forged across the FREEZING cold creek - snow melt after all! I was elated to have come to a good solution and to have made it across without losing anything and without slipping.
And boy was it worth it.
We spent much time awestruck by the majesty of the peaks surrounding us, by the amount of snow still in the basin and by the shear volume of water rushing down the creek. Oh, and the fact that we were there alone. Just Sydney and I. Content and gratified to have made it this far - up the valley - on the journey the universe has planned for us. Certainly not the stones I would have forseen laying on my own path just a week ago, but stones I was glad to have walked upon.
A happy dog would have been happier had she been free to run, but her momma was worried about rapids in the creek carrying her away. She was fascinated by the current and the ripples in the water - snapping and biting them anytime she got to carry her little paws into the water (always on her leash). She was always ready to go - somehow she didn't appreciate sitting still the way I did. She tolerated my awestruck need to take almost 200 photos and she happily pranced along ahead of me up and down the trail. She's a faithful companion and I cannot imagine having taken this journey without her. We are stronger because of this adventure. Our hearts have grown a bit bigger and more appreciative of the path we are following.
