On October 7th I had a blast running/hiking to the top of Mt. Daniel over near Salmon La Sac. I drove over in the morning and arrived to a very chilly morning at the end of the Tucquala Lake road. My car indicated that the outside temperature was 29 degrees! I was in for a glorious blue sky and autumn color day. All the heather, huckelberry and deciduous trees were showing their most vibrant reds, oranges and yellows.
Since I got kinda a late start, around 9 AM, I was a little worried that I wouldn't have enough time to get to the top of Daniel. So I did some relatively quick hiking and a little running. I was surprised to find that it only took me 3:53 from the car to the summit even though I got off-route for about 20 minutes trying to bypass a steep dirt slope! I was a little surprised to see a couple of climbing groups on the glacier when there is a much faster route without snow on the nearby ridge.
At the summit I enjoyed the view of the central cascades with one welcome friend, a large raven. Ravens are amazing animals notwithstanding their mythological signs and portents. He sat on top of the highest rock on the summit of Mt. Daniel surveying all the snow, bare rock and wilderness below like a king on high. For a moment I could only wish and wonder: what would it be like to soar like a raven above the mountains and claim your perch on the loftiest, most exposed and cold rock in the center of a massive wilderness. Unfortunately, this particular raven wasn't much for chit chat!
I headed down the mountain and out of the forest, taking my time to enjoy the exploding colors of fall. I tried to soak it all in as I figured this trip might be my last before the snows of winter cover the high country.
On the way back to the car I was a little startled when I came around a corner on the trail (the PCT section) and nearly ran into a little porcupine. I followed him down the trail and watched him for a little while when he climbed a tree. I felt sorry for the little guy as a group of teenagers came up behind me and another noisy group with dogs was on the way from the opposite direction. I wished him well and hoped that he wouldn't have a heart attack from all the attention, then took off. When I encountered the group with dogs I warned them to leash their pets, primarily for the sake of the porcupine! The best picture I could get of the little guy is shown below:
1 comment:
Looks like a beautiful trip. I know how you feel about being out there and running into others. It's great that trails are open to everyone and that people want to appreciate it, but it's also a bit much sometimes when you run into group after group.
Also, good luck on the Birthday Challenge! Sounds awesome to me!
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