July 19th Lake Susan Jane to Waptus River

If possible, I was determined to put in a lot of miles seeing as how it got light around 5:30 in the morning and stayed that way until 8:30 or 9 in the evening. The one unknown factor was how much snow was still along the trail and how difficult it would be to cross it. Upon waking, the clear skies indicated that it was going to be a beautiful, warm, sunny day. The scenery in this section was wonderful as well, colorful wildflowers lining the path, mountain lakes shimmering in the sunlight, and dark evergreens providing shade as the day became hotter. I was thoroughly enjoying the hike until I hit the snow near the base of Surprise Mountain. "Oh no!", I thought to myself, "Here we go again." The good news was that there were footprints to follow so the initial route finding was not at all difficult. What was even better, as I soon discovered, was that the snow was really just in large patches, not nearly as much as there had been in the first two sections of the PCT, so my pace was not slowed by any significant measure. Descending on the south side of Surprise Mountain I passed the Deception Lakes, a set of smaller lakes whose pristine waters were so enticing that I had to stop if only for a short while to admire the magnificent setting. Continuing south towards Cathedral Rock, I had to cross a number of streams that were being fed by the meltwater of Lynch Glacier. This required a bit of boulder hopping and balancing across fallen logs since there were no bridges. This method worked well until I reached one particular torrent sweeping out of a steep side canyon. There was no clear way to make it to the other side. After a long period of scouting around the best route I could find was one which would need a leap of faith to reach the far bank. I hopped from boulder to boulder to get to the fateful place. I was standing atop a large boulder looking across at the rock opposite that had a flat surface lying at about a 40 degree angle. In order to make a successful jump, I'd have to land on that rock and grab ahold of the top edge to keep from falling backwards. I could then pull myself up safely on the other side. I stood there for some time judging the distance I needed to leap across, looking at the roiling water below and building up my courage for the attempt. Then, the count... one, two, three. I cleared the distance, landed in the middle of the rock, grabbed the top edge with both hands and began to feel that something was wrong. My waistbelt suddenly popped open and it felt as if something was falling out of the back of my pack. A few seconds later, I saw my Powerade water bottle hurtling down the cascade. Whew! Thank goodness. An item easily replaced at the next resupply stop. Besides, I had two other water containers so it wouldn't be much of an inconvenience. Grateful to be safe and dry, I scrambled up the bank and continued my ascent to Cathedral Rock. A long ascent it was too as I climbed higher and higher again reaching patches of snow before the equally long and steep descent to Deep Lake along a number of switchbacks. When I looked at my maps during a break at Deep Lake, I couldn't believe how far I had come. Figuring in the hours of remaining daylight I should be able to make it to Waptus Lake by the end of the day. I had thought it would take two days to cover such a distance, but I had been totally wrong about the snow conditions. Amazing how much farther you can go when you don't have to slog through snow or traverse slopes while using your ice axe. My calculations turned out to be correct as I pitched my tent in a small camp near Waptus River, just a mile or two from the PCT detour around the Lemah fire through Dutch Miller Gap.

Wilflowers along the PCT

A Shooting Star

Evergreens

34 Miles