For the glorious 4th of July weekend, an overnight hike was in order. Andy, equipped with his new camera and skills, was inspired by Coleman's trip report and beautiful pictures. So that's where we (and a bunch of other hikers) decided to go!
The trail head was nearly full when we arrived Saturday morning around 9:30 am. Certainly a steady and gradual climb up to the top. It was our first time at the pass and it sounded like most of the people who where already camped out make it a point to come regularly. I now know why and maybe we will be regulars, too. Who would expect a lush meadow at the top of the ridge? We found a nice flat spot to pitch our tent. Other than the large flies, bees and ants, there were no other annoying bugs around. I think a few mosquitoes because I have one bite, but not bad at all. There were still some patches of snow at the top and that's how we got our water - let the ice melt in the sun, filter, then boil. There appeared to be red sediments on the surface of the snow, so we just dug a little deeper to get some fresh snow.
It's awesome up there - especially at 6,100' on a clear, not too cool night. The stars made a spectacular show and Andy took some cool pictures. Oh my gosh! And we saw our first large, male goat. Mild mannered, but he was getting too comfortable around our sites so some of us had to throw rocks at him to scare him away. He was grazing and following people as they went pee. Looking for urine, that guy.
When we come back next time, we will make it a point to climb up to Buckhorn. It must be spectacular up there.
