1982: The Pasaytan Loop, page 4

The snow has stopped, but the drizzle continues.

We reached woody Holman pass at just a little after 4 PM. In the dreary darkness beneath the dripping trees I hurriedly pitched the tent and threw my pack and Micki inside. Everything is sopping wet, but at least the tent site is relatively flat. I am currently in my sleeping bag shivering as I write this. Micki is cuddled up next to me, wrapped inside my jacket. It ain't the Ritz but it feels good to lie down.

I can't believe how sore my feet are. I will have to cut some footpads from my sleeping pad to cushion my feet throughout the rest of the hike, or else I will surely have blisters on the balls of my feet. And that's from only 14-miles today! I guess having your feet wet all day long tends to soften up the skin and make it more susceptible to the rubbing and friction. Tomorrow we have 12-miles to Hopkins Lake, then about 14 1/2 miles to Freeze Out Lake the following day. After that, just a little over 12-miles will put us to Ross Lake on Wednesday.

Thistle.

Ranger Linda said it was supposed to clear a bit by Tuesday. That sure would be nice! However the reality is hiking through sleet or rain most of the time. It makes for a miserable experience but also creates opportunities for dramatic photographs. And that is one of the main reasons I am up here.

This is the High Hunt and as I lay here I can hear rifle fire every few minutes. Those suckers are nuts! The guy who reported the death of his friend last night is back up today hunting with his son. He told us at the cabin last night that they were shooting quail just south of Baron. So that's our system of priority these days – your friend dies and the next day you go out and kill birds just for the hell of it.

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