Pyramid Creek to Paradise River, Aug 14
Today was a cache day! We left Pyramid Creek, crossed the terrible Kautz creek (no bridge), and headed to Rampart Ridge – a place I’ve been snowshoeing before but I didn’t recognize any of it without snow. We encountered more and more people until we finally reached Longmire and the bathroom with flush toilets and a sink! We dubbed this destination “Lothlorien” – a place for rest and recovery. K’s sister and her fiancee were there to meet us with supplies (drinks, chocolate, baby wipes, extra toilet paper). We picked up our second cache, washed up as much as possible in the sink, and then had a little party at a picnic table.
K’s sister walked with us part way to our next campsite before turning back and we kept going through a flatter, more forested part of the trail following the Paradise River. When we stopped to rest at a waterfall we met several groups going the other way and exchanged information. One of these was a group of two ladies who stopped to chat with us. Becky and Kathleen were both in their early-mid seventies and were doing the full circuit in 13 days (with a stay at a lodge in the middle). They were so sweet, told us about how they had a mix of ultra lightweight gear combined with some really antique stuff that weighed far too much. I’d been stressing a little bit about my ankle, but this screwed up my resolve to see it through to the end. This was also when we decided that our group should do this hike again, as a reunion, in 20 years. I’ll be the same age as Kathleen and Becky. 6.9 miles
