Derek and I did an overnight backpacking trip – I left my camera with him and did not retrieve it until this past Friday, 6/29 (and then had a massively busy weekend, see next trip report) so no report until today – on Saturday, 6/23 into Sunday, 6/24. Above is a view from just south of where we pitched our tents on Songbird Peak.
It was a great trip and we are already planning our next one. And we learned that we were carrying too much weight. My total load was about 40 pounds – try being an old man carrying a load like that up mountains. Ugh.
We started up the Mt. Washington main trail about 5pm. We went east at the Great Wall connector, shared the Olallie bike trail for a short way and then went up to Change Peak.
From there we went back down to the Great Wall and, since it was getting late, made our way south, then east, then north again to Songbird Peak. Here is the peak, with McClellan Butte in the distance, from the Great Wall:
After camping on Songbird we got up early – sunrise on a mountain! – and headed back west to hit Mt. Washington via Great Wall route.
Sunday was so clear and beautiful. We made our way back east to pack up our camp and then stashed our huge backpacks in the brush while we headed east to try to hit Chester Peak. No luck – the route we had picked via Google Earth turns out to be in the ‘no trespassing’ area of the Cedar River Watershed so we turned back.
Derek went up Greenway and, farther west, a no-name peak that looks like this when viewed from the north:
Lots of gorgeous plant life around and the Bear Grass is blooming these days:
Between the amazing sunrise and the amazing sunset we reveled in our experience:
Total for the 2 days was over 6,800 feet of elevation gain and 22 miles, 15 on Sunday. I admit I was almost completely exhausted towards the end. We went down the Mt. Washington main trail and on the last mile I was reeling and stumbling along, my legs having long since given out.
So next time, as I say, we will learn and will both lighten and consolidate our loads. Once we get all of that worked out we will be heading out for longer outings.
Living in the back country is the greatest fun!