Saturday, July 13th, 2024, 0610-1850
Dutch Creek camp to Beehive Creek, mm 147.4
17 miles, Gain: 4970′, Loss: 4540′, elevation 7010′
My tent was still wet in the morning but not too bad. I was again the 3rd to leave camp but caught up to the early risers by Tornado Saddle. First I had to follow the rough ATV to Tornado pass, which confusingly wasn’t the pass because we still had to go up over 1k’ to the Saddle. It seemed the 2 names had been mistakenly switched. Then the trail backtracked almost a mile along the mountain shoulder. Back down in the valley, I could almost see our camp again.
The trail traversed rather than gaining elevation more steadily, then abruptly turned and headed straight up the chute to the saddle. It was so steep and the shale so deep that a lot of energy was wasted sliding back down with nearly every step. It lasted only 30 minutes or so but was tedious. I saw Alex and the Strawbridges just above me but could never get closer nor seem to reach the levels they’d just been at. I felt like I was stuck on a treadmill of scree.
I didn’t feel a need for a break at the pass and continued down after a few pictures. There were some switchbacks and then a a path through the dense forest. Eventually the trail met with an old logging road for easy cruising. I could have stayed on this road for many miles but realized the trail broke to the right to follow the river. I’m glad I decided to follow the trail, because I came to a spot where GDTA volunteers were replacing a bridge.
The lead guy was Dave, along with several others (Ernie, Ivan, Robert, Nole, and Lani…sorry I didn’t get everyone’s names). A helo had dropped the new bridge into position and they were expertly working on securing the base. I was actually quite happy crossing on the old bridge, made of 2 logs and some chicken wire (for traction), but I suppose that type of bridge is sketchy for some. The new bridge was going to be a cakewalk.
A while later, I came to their camp area and was invited to rest on their chairs, get filtered water, dump trash and talk trail stories with Lani, the camp manager. Alex and Michelle rolled in and Lani told us that the peak drawn on the GDT logo was actually Tornado Peak, which was right behind us. We got a picture of the 3 of us in front of it.
We were reluctant to resume because it had gotten so hot. We climbed over a moderate hill and came to the campsite we were scheduled to stay. I took a dip in the freezing creek and made my dinner. It was early still and the creek refreshed my spirits for walking. We had a very long day scheduled for the next day, so Alex and I decided to go another few miles to break up some of the distance.
Just before we left, I got a text from Vince saying that he and Georgie had decided to walk a parallel logging road to give Georgie’s knee a rest. It had been feeling tweaked since the road walk into Coleman. They planned to meet us at Boulton Creek a few days later. So we were down 2 from our large group and now I was doing that thing I said I’d try to refrain from doing: pushing ahead of schedule. I guess having Alex along encouraged me and I felt better that Michelle was staying at Cache Creek camp so that Woody would still have some company.
We’d already discovered that our hiking styles were a bit different, namely in how early people got started each day. I was normally the earliest of risers but the Strawbridges had me beat on this front. I also didn’t like taking really long breaks…just a 1 hour break for lunch, then I liked to get to camp early. Others favored many breaks throughout the day. It’s just the way it is with hikers…so many ways to get the same miles done.
The climb up to the Beehive area was tough after a long day, but so rewarding once we gained the ridge. There were fantastic views of the rock wall of the divide and we could see the bulbous prow of Beehive mountain in the distance. The sky was so blue, I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the beautiful bowls created by the mountain faces. We found a scenic campsite in a meadow next to Beehive creek and settled in for a quiet night in the alpine splendor. There were some mosquitoes but not severe yet. I could sense that they were just starting their tirade, about to get much worse.
Incredibly, after not seeing anyone but GDTA volunteers and hikers for 3 days, some people came after 8 pm and set up camp just above us on a rocky hump. They were just as surprised to see our tents as we were to see them arrive so late. The spot wasn’t listed as a campsite on Far Out, but they sounded like locals and probably knew how awesome the spot was. They stayed up late (for hikers) to feed the mosquitoes, so I put earplugs in and shortly passed out. I’d been finding it hard to go to sleep when it was still light beyond 10 pm, so I also had to pull my buff over my eyes. Minor inconveniences for sleeping in such a beautiful spot.