Something of a slog this time. More tired than I should have been, the hammering of various runs the past two days probably didn't help in that regard but also not sleeping enough despite being on vacation. I also have to wonder how badly the trail was damaged by the flooding in the area last year, it certainly seemed more ragged and rough than what I remembered from my last visit two years ago. Whatever the case, it was tougher going than I expected and the running changed to mostly hiking barely above treeline. Fatigue was quite apparent on the ascent as I was yawning repeatedly. While traversing the Narrows I dented the inside of my right ankle against the edge of a rock, no lasting damage but it hurt like hell and will surely swell up some the next few days. Upon reaching the top, found the scenery compromised somewhat by out of state wildfire haze. Pretty much a given nowadays. Similar to the first time I summited, took a nap at the summit hunkered down between two rocks. A surprisingly sheltered spot and a relatively refreshing nap for the trip down. Sort of chased a pair of runners scrambling down to the keyhole and as far as the boulderfield, whereupon I saw another pair jogging along what passes for the trail at that point. This spurred me to start running when I probably wouldn't have otherwise, and ended up running basically the rest of the way. The uneven footing made for tired legs of course but overall the descent went well with no twisting of either ankle. In fact only one slip of any consequence, going around a hairpin near the bottom. The very end of the trail below treeline seemed to drag on forever. Mildly disappointing that a side trip to Chasm Lake wasn't going to happen, esp. after the nap, but overall a good day.
preude to a warm day, at least below treeline
lots of standing water below the trail
keyhole, far away
inside the shelter
keyhole quite up close
summit views
summit is surprisingly big, even when it's not the first visit
about to head down, a bit crowded on the homestretch
No comments:
Post a Comment