Page 8: Spectacle Lake

Spectacle Lake

September 6, 1984
Thursday, Day Six. 9:15 PM

We’re still at Spectacle Lake and it looks very well like we may be here at least until tomorrow. The rain and wind have let up only momentarily these last 20 hours. It was a miserable, sodden night.  It seems that my Light Dimension tent needs to have a few seams touched up (sealed) – like the two main seams that go down the top of the tent! 

To make it worse, I've pitched the front of the tent right into the wind. I'm so smart sometimes I can hardly stand it. But I was not about to get out into that howling wind-lashed rain just to move the tent.  And I paid for it all night long.  I finally got out about one half hour ago and moved it.  Mica and I were outside but everything else, including Mickey, stayed in.

It was really quite a dramatic scene this morning when I finally poked my head out – the trees across the narrow neck of water were bathed in a golden light, while the cliffs behind and above were ominously gray. The higher cliffs had a light dusting of snow. See – I told everyone I get the first snow!

I said earlier we would probably be here another day. Well, the weather is one reason but the main reason is Micki. She was so tired and stiff yesterday that she kept falling behind all the time, especially on the downhill switchbacks. She would sit on one switchback and watch us go down the next, then she’d take the shortcut -- which in most cases it didn't look to me like she was saving any energy.

After reaching the crest between Park and Spectacle lakes, she kept lagging behind. After the first switchbacks Mica and I went on, figuring that once we were out of sight she would reluctantly start after us. At one point we sat at the first of another set of switchbacks and waited for her. Waited. And waited.

Finally I heard the most pathetic, mournful howl coming from back up the trail. I dropped my pack and ran back up the trail to see Mickey about one-quarter mile back, just sitting in the middle of the trail waiting for us. After a bit of cajoling she finally agreed to follow us back down the trail.

She didn’t eat much dinner and just seemed to want to sleep.  Poor old pup; this may be getting too tough for her!  This morning I brought her water bowl into the tent and she lapped it all right up, but she still wouldn't eat.  We snoozed a little while and I woke to find her lying on top of her sleeping bag with water dripping on her head from the leaky ceiling seams.  She just lay there with her eyes shut and shivered. I put her inside the sleeping bag with me.  So we were both wet, but she was happy.

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