Going on a 3 day 2 night 20ish mile backpacking adventure this weekend. Spending my work day meal prepping and packing and sending the occasional email. Also if you haven't listened to Mavis Staples' new single you should. Almost 85, still a killer voice, and an absolute killer song:
awesome!! this the trip you messaged me about a couple months back?!
Yeah! Ended up being gifted a Zoleo so we used that, though the InReach looks pretty damn great. Trip overall was wonderful. 11,000 ft of elevation got to us, as did the unexpected snow. We couldn't find any info on what we were attempting online (Gaylor Lakes to Saddlebag Lakes if anyone is curious) and apparently that's because Gaylor Lakes area only opened a few years back. Turns out, the only reasonable (Not cliff) way down to Saddlebag 1000 feet below is currently covered in snow. It was impossible to find trail conditions before leaving, so we were just winging it a bit, especially since the region we were hiking doesn't have trails and it's all just cross country make your own way. So we called it on our second day due to elevation + snow making our path impossible to cross. The views were absolutely stunning though. We were quite possibly among the first people to camp in that area in a loooooong time and it was gorgeous. Once we left the trail we didn't see or hear a single person. Milky way was crystal clear at night. Only sounds were wind and water and mosquitos. It was a truly wonderful adventure, even if it had to be cut short.