Some bigger mountains under my hiking boots were waaaaay overdue!
Also, I still had something “personally” going on with Crater Lake (see Solo trip – Rocky Mountain NP, CO )…
It became a bit extreme right from the very beginning since Lukas and I rushed out of the office, caught the flight, cruised up the mountain to Pawnee Campground and set up camp at 11pm.
With approx 27kg (60lbs) including extensive photo gear we had a first day with 13.6km (8.5mi) over Pawnee Pass with 3800m (12,500 ft) – without any acclimatization!
However, the predicted afternoon thunderstorms weren’t happening, which was a blast: A lot of other hikers got frightened off right in the first place which left the trail pretty much just for us. Ha! Not bad for an extended Labor Day weekend, I’d guess!
Lukas, kudos for that effort on your first “real” mountain trip. Thumbs up!
“The mountains are calling, and I must go…”