Carne Mountain to High Pass (page 16)

Monday, September 10, 1990
Day 9 High Pass Arrival

Headed up to Buck Creek Pass in sunshine

I am writing this after the completion of the trip because, given the events that transpired, there wasn't a lot of quiet time to sit and write it all down in my journal.

When I opened my eyes that morning at 'Kidney Stone Camp,' there was brilliant, warm sunshine upon my tent and the surrounding area. The forest around me went about its business; the intense power I'd felt the night before was dimmed. It wasn't gone, more like muted by the business of life going on in the forest around me.

I went down to the stream and splashed frigid water upon my face, then sat back and gazed around with a feeling of absolute joy. I'd weathered the storm: the stone was gone, life was good again. The trip would continue. Sometime later, Mica and I left the forest and began winding our way around the meadowed southern slopes of Fortress Mountain. The bright sunshine lit every blade of grass, every needle and leaf on every tree ... well, at least it seemed so to me at the time.

As we continued to gently climb, I realized I was still a little depleted from the last few days, but relished the comforting thought that we could camp just around the mountain at Buck Creek Pass.

Mica looked particularly natty and a bit rakish with her forest-green doggy pack contrasting smartly with her red and black "cow-kerchief." This was a present to me from C&G some time ago and somehow Mica ended up with it. It has black and white cows standing about on a solid field of bright red. Very stylish for any dog.

Looking back at Plummer Mountain

We stopped frequently to look back across the Suiattle River valley and admire the view of Miner's Ridge and Plummer Mountain. We could see far down Agnes Creek and I paused to reflect on the trip so many years ago when I had come up that very valley en route to Stevens Pass. But that was then and this was now.

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