Day 3 downhill ain't all is cut out to be
I was hoping to be on the trail early today since the rain is coming (which last we saw was to show up around 12-2) but folks are slow to get going. And then there is the bear bag issue.
Due to potential/theoretical/actual black bears in the forest, we each take our food every night and put it into a bag. Then using some paracord and a rock you throw the rope over a 15 or so foot branch and hoist your food up the tree. Of course bears can climb trees so you don't want it too close to the trunk either. For some of the boys this isn't much of a chore, for others, a little more so... Last night Robert and Spencer begged josh to let them tie up with him since he had already thrown his rope up and they were struggling, again. He agreed and they were up. This morning when they tried to get it down it was stuck. Somehow the rope was stuck in the tree. So we had some "boost me up" and tree climbing to start the day.
We are barely out of camp at 10 am - when the rain starts. It rains on us for the next mile and a half until we reach the cuttoff. For the most part it isn't a drenching rain, but it does get quite heavy as we decide whether to go down off the hill or to go across to large schloss. Josh tells us Big Scholss is why people come here and we can't miss it. So they decide they will go down now and then come up tomorrow since the rocks will be wet today.
We get about 10 yards down the trail and I stop. The rain is making the trail pretty slick. Can someone explain this to me again? We can walk about a mile or 1.5 across the ridge to see Scholss and the rain should let up or we can hike down to a camp - my guess is 4-5 miles and then tomorrow take a 8-10 mile hike all the way back up and down?!! We turn around and head back to large schloss. As we hike the rain abates, some boys pick berries, and we get there and there is a quarter mile hike up to the top. The old guys leave their packs at the trail head under a dry rock ledge - any step without a pack is a good step.
We reach the top and it is very cool. We also have the place to ourselves - which isn't unusual given we have only seen about 2 groups up here so far, but is apparently unusual for Schloss
. The view would be spectacular but the cloud cover prevents more than an occasional glimpse. We eat an abbreviated lunch and thankfully the rest of the summer sausage is finished off (or thrown down...). Before we leave we see three other groups join us. There is no rain but we are still concerned about the afternoon rain so we head down a little after noon to start the decent.
I've already told you about the trail. This one is similar only gravity enhancing the steps down. During the trip I keep having to tighten my hat. Either my head is shrinking or my band is stretching. I'm guessing the first. We make it down and are happy to be so. We are even more happy that we don't have to do it both ways tomorrow. At the bottom I think most of us have some blisters that are giving us some trouble. Downhill is bone jarring.
We walk down a road and find the trail head that goes to the reservoir and look for a camp. We see a couple potential sites but want to be closer to the reservoir. A few YM go ahead as the rest check out a potential camp. They take a long time. We start after the first group but we can't see them and to call this a trail is a an overstatement. This reminds me of the path in beauty and the beast that leads to his castle - there are thorny bushes, large logs across the trail, washed out parts with water cascading down the path, boggy parts, and trees crowding around and over the path. It is hard to imagine this trail has been maintained in years. We finally make it to the reservoir and meet the first three. Down below the dam there is a camp area. We are also supposed to meet the bishop there tomorrow night. But the camp is loud due to the dam and it is sort of like car camping as it is a mowed grass field. It is 4 pm. In a vote that was only slightly less divided than the US electorate generally, it is determined that we will go back up by the trailhead to camp for the next two nights. We decide that we will do trail improvement on the way back up. I'm still concerned about the thunderstorms. We split into two groups (since we have two saws) and leapfrog going up. One group appears a little more particular than the other. But there is a lot of "I can do this" and lifting where we stand, muscles flexing and grunting. And when we finish I'm amazed. What a great looking path! I can recommend this hike to folks looking for a nice walk along a beautiful creek with waterfalls. The reservoir isn't a great end in my mind, but not terrible. Wear bug spray!
We arrive back in camp and set up and it's already 7:30pm before most of us have dinner as we eat around the fire. Then it is bear bag time. We are waiting on our favorite bear baggers who we worry were eaten by a bear since they have been gone so long when we hear thunder. The rain is approaching as Bro. Mitchell leads devotional and we scatter to our shelters/hammocks/tents as the rain starts just before 10. What a blessing the rain held off all afternoon and we didn't so much as see a bolt of lightening.
I think it was Thomas who said he was glad it rained while we hiked so we could say we did that and a few others agreed. In the end it wasn't bad and we set up camp nice and dry.
It was another successful day. Thanks again for the prayers! They were answered in the best way.
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