Waptus Lake layover, page 20

 

Summit Chief reflection from peninsula camp

Day 10, 12:40 PM
Monday, September 16, 1991

I have lost some weight on this trip and – not counting my hip, which is still severely sore and stiff – I feel quite well. After thinking about it, I decided I must have somehow gotten that sacroiliac joint out of alignment again. I'm too mobile to have ‘slipped a disc.’ Where's a chiropractor when you need one?

Still, with all the rest that I’ve had these last two days, it should have begun to heal much better than it has. The nights have been the worst. I just can't get comfortable, even when lying on my stomach. I keep dozing off, only to awaken when the pain gets sharp or my arm falls asleep.

This morning I got the maps out and began to consider taking the Waptus River trail out instead of finishing the hike as I’d planned. It would be 17.5 km of mostly flat valley walking. I could camp about halfway down the river near Cone Mountain.

The route to Deep Lake, on the other hand, would be 8.6 km uphill to the lake, then another 11.7 km out to the trailhead, with a healthy climb up to Cathedral Rock.

Going down the river trail to Salmon La Sac would not only save about a 2,000-foot elevation gain, it would also chop off darn near 2-miles. I could easily intercept C&G on the road, as they have to drive right through Salmon La Sac to get to Hyas Lake.  Hmmm …

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