Mountain 1. Paul 0.

High Altitude Surreal...

The root of suffering is attachment…

- The Buddha

7/8/15

Since I am attached to my thumb, hip, ankle, lower back, and ego…  I am suffering. The hike I departed on Monday turned out to be shorter, and more painful than planned.  The original goal was to go from the East Inlet of Grand Lake to Route 7 (somewhere around 30 + miles).  My back country permit was for three nights: Slick rock, Thunder Lake, and Aspen Knoll.  To best explain how my hike went, check out the trip notes I took on the evening of 7/7/15:

Stark and wild...

• Drove to East Inlet Trail Head off Grand Lake in RMNP - 9,000 ft. Raining
• Hiked 5 miles to Slick Rock Campsite. 10,250 feet.  Raining.
• Set up tent. Raining.  Began raining hard at 7:00 PM.  Rained throughout the night.
• Woke up at 5:00 AM. Raining.
• Broke camp @ 6:30. Raining.
• Hiked two miles to trails end. Not raining!
• Broke off from Fourth Lake.
• Followed caribou path (?) to Boulder Grande Pass (?) and ascended 1,000 feet.  Two miles.  
• Took compass reading.  Too far east.  Raining.  Distant thunder.
• Traversed 1 mile west through boulder field (not Boulder Grand Pass).  Raining.  Distant thunder.
• Followed several different caribou paths.  Found stream / waterfall.  Traversed through water fall.  Completely soaked.  Raining.  Distant thunder.  Very slippery "trail" conditions.
• Found top of pass. 12,061 ft.  Lake of Many Winds in sight. Raining, hail, high winds, thunder, lightning.  Could see lightning strikes nearby.
• Retreat.  Exhausted.  12,061 ft.
• Traversed through water fall.  Completely soaked.  Raining, hail, high winds, thunder, lightning. 
• Found guided group of six under tarp waiting out the storm.  Gathered information on a direct path to main trail out.  11,000 ft (?). Raining.  Distant thunder.
• Slipped.  Grabbed sapling.  Sapling’s roots pulled. Down hill pole-vaulted fifteen feet.  Slid another twenty feet off trail over slab onto switchback below.  Cursed.  Let go of sapling. 10,750 ft (?). Raining.  Distant thunder.
• Descended down to main trail.  10,250 ft. Two miles.  Not raining.
• Went back to Slick Rock Camp Site. Two miles.  Site taken.  
• Hiked five miles to East Inlet Trail Head off Grand Lake in RMNP - 9,000 ft. Raining.  
• Ate dinner.  drank beer. Slept in van on main drag of Grand Lake.

  

  Although I was soaked and beaten, the beauty of the area
  far exceeds the discomfort obtained.

I definitely got my ass kicked… But!  I did hike around 18 miles in 24 hours between 9,000 and 12,000 feet in REALLY shitty weather...

7/8/15

Every morning I am in any town I do a coffee for free wi fi trade.  I buy a small coffee, get the wifi password from the establishment, go back in the van and make breakfast and coffee while dubbing around on the internet. It seems like a great deal for everyone involved.

After I left Grand Lake I went strait to the Back Country Permit office of RMNP to tell them I would not be showing up at Aspen Knoll for the night and made reservations to Boulderfield Campsite (13,281 ft) on the side of Long’s Peak (14,259 ft).  I would have two days to recover and explore Long’s Peak…  

The sun did peak through at times and the high alpine flora was everywhere...