Day 2: Cow Creek Caynon

When I turned over and looked at my watch it said 5:30 am. “Oh no!” I thought to myself “this isn’t going to work out well for the first day of hiking.” At that exact moment Carter and I both looked at one another in our 1.5 person tent and without speaking agreed that we needed at least another hour of sleep. Eventually, the clock did hit 7:00 am and there was no arguing that it was time to get out of the confines of the tent. Our destination today was up and over a 13,000 foot climb. Where we landed after that point we had no idea nor were we really concerned. In the original planning stages we estimated that we would hike between 10-14 miles a day. In a shocking turn of events, we had hiked 14 miles the first day. I wonder if we will walk 20 miles by the end of our trip?

As we climbed through fairly dense evergreens, hoping over large pine cones that reminded me of pineapples, and posing for pictures with a few of them (think David’s the Thinker), we noticed that all of the sudden we were in the middle of a boulder field. All around us were white rocks and sagebrush. In the smallest of spaces, paintbrush flowers grew between the cracks and rocks. The landscape was so different than the dense forests of the East Coast that it kept my attention for the majority of the climb. However around 11 the air became thick with heat and the altitude started to drain our lungs of oxygen. Once the trees disappeared and there were only switchbacks in front of us we stopped to consult the map. We had climbed from 7840 to the top of Monache Creek Bow, which was at a towering height of 10540! Both Carter and I had mentioned the tightness in our muscles and the slight pounding in our heads but had managed to keep a pretty comfortable pace the entire morning.

Climbing the last 50 meters, I began to freak out a bit as the tops of the mountains looked white instead of gray and green. My worst fear thus far was the threat of snow. I’ve never really hiked in snow. The thought of climbing over multiple mountain passes and maneuvering across steep mountains grades covered in whiteness was not really a comforting thought.

At 1:30 Carter spotted a shady tree and we took off our shoes to stretch our feet while we dined. Before we knew it an hour had passed and the afternoon sun began to turn the once cool air to a less than comfortable heat. It didn’t help matters that our water bottles were low and with every step the air became thicker and thicker. The map mentioned that water wasn’t far but we must have done the math wrong. By the time we actually made it to the creek, it was a “no speak” zone while we both took care of business.

An old log covered in sap, a fact we didn’t realize until we stood up, provided a 15 minute break before our entry into “Dinosaur Land.” Dead trees and large white boulders competed for space with the sage brush that seemed to be the ultimate winner. Just from walking 2.5 miles through this terrain our legs were bloody and covered in scratches. To top it off our feet were incredibly tired, my legs were loosing steam, and Death Canyon Creek, our destination for dinner, seemed to be running away from us rather than towards us.
Finally at the creek we learned from the swatting hands of fellows hikers that the creek was a hot bed for mosquitoes. Hungry and tired, Carter suggested we move up wind and make dinner within walking distance of the creek, but far enough away from the loud buzz of the bugs. Rice and beans was the menu item for the night and I have to say that I rather enjoyed this tasty treat. Topped with Laughing Cow cheese it makes for a hearty meal that filled our bellies and helped us walk a mile up the trail where we set up home for the night. A bed of pine needles provided a cushy bed for our over exhausted bodies.