Russet Lake, Overlord, and Highnote August 14-16
This past weekend was my first two-night backpacking trip and I am pleased to say it was my best yet :)
My intention over the summer has been to build up experience and fitness for the daunting goal of a double HSCT (out-and-back from Cypress) over 3 days. I wanted to get a feel for the time with significantly more resources available before attempting something as wild as the HSCT.
Day 1: Got rolling on Singing Pass shortly before 9:00 am and enjoyed the slow ascent with mixed rain, cloud cover, and breaks of sunlight. The slight hint of smoke came across my nose a couple times and the haze was apparent but fortunately the smell didn't linger and breathing was easy throughout. Arrived at Russet Lake around 12:30 pm, crushed a couple chicken salad sandwiches, made camp, and prepped my vest for Overlord. After a crazy windy tent assembly, I held off for some sunshine and was rewarded for my patience. The sun beamed from behind scattered clouds as I began the ascent at 2:00 pm.
As I put the campsite behind me, the landscape changed dramatically and I quickly found myself feeling like I was trekking across a whole other planet. The clinking rocks and the small plants that jutted out from them seemed like something from a sci-fi novel. Feeling strong and inspired, Whirlwind Peak arrived within an hour and a half and Overlord tempted me from the distance. Making my way down and onto the ridge, things started to feel off. My way-finding was tested; extra caution and plenty of backtracking made the scramble significantly longer than if I had someone who knew the route. I plodded up to a high point on the ridge and clocked my time at 3 hours: 5:00 pm with 1 km left on the trail. With no way of knowing how long this last section would take and feeling particularly careful, I made the tough call and headed back to camp. The return trip was mercifully zippy and fun and my campsite greeted me at 7:30 pm. It felt damn good to sit and give my toes some air.
Stats – Distance: 25 km, Elevation: 2219 m, Time: 8 hours 32 minutes.
Day 2: Woke up less sore than I anticipated and was ready to enjoy a more scenic jaunt. My loop was planned for 22km from Russet to the Whistler gondola via the High Note trail. The sun was on full shine and I enjoyed the chance to bomb some downhills across Musical Bumps and saunter on the groomed track. The High Note eventually became flooded with tourists headed in the opposing direction which slowed my climb but my good mood refused to fade as my sunburnt lips greeted each passing hiker with a goofy smile and a "Good Morning!". Arrived at the Skybridge in less than 3 hours. I caught wind of the chance to enjoy an overpriced burger at a lodge and I decided to detour for an extended lunch break. My deviation ended up adding 5 km as I meandered around Whistler trying to reconnect with my planned route. C'est la vie. I landed back at camp around 6:30 and oh boy that trail ramen hit right as I looked at the thick salt line that had accumulated on my tee.
Stats – Distance: 28 km, Elevation: 1661 m, Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
Day 3: Not much to tell on the descent down Singing Pass, my legs held strong after the two days of silliness and the moderate downhill slope was exactly what I needed to close out the trip. The monotony gave me the chance to reflect on the experiences, cataloging the moments to hold, learn from, and treasure.
Stats – Distance: 15 km, Elevation: 0 m, Time: 3 hours 12 minutes
Total Stats – Distance: 68 km, Elevation: 3880 m, Time on Feet: 18 hours, 54 minutes