Day 6 - A Bear of a Day

Start Time: 6:00 am
End Time: 8:00 pm
Start Mileage: 2524.5
End Mileage: 2538.3
Distance Walked (Miles): 13.8
Elevation Gain (Feet): 3,227
Descent (Feet): 4,752

We were up and on the trail by 6:00 am as we had a huge climbing day ahead.

I must thank Huckleberry and Woody for babysitting me down the trail today. After last night’s escapades, they were very conscious that I might need help, and I cannot thank them enough. Every time we came to a blowdown, Woody would be there to take my backpack while I crawled under the tree, or scrambled over if it was too high. Huckleberry would always walk behind me to keep an eye on my progress and be there with encouragement and assistance when needed.

Unfortunately, neither Huckleberry nor Woody could do anything about my second accident in 16 hours. We were bypassing a tree that had blown down at the side of the trail, which involved climbing down several steps. I was using my hiking pole for assistance when it snapped, causing me to be hurtled forward due to the weight in my pack. I banged my head—which I guess is stronger than the tree—and had a couple of gashes on my hand and further bruised my ribs. Thankfully, there was no other damage, and after Huckleberry had picked me up, we were back on our way.

We were heading downhill, but our progress was painfully slow due to blowdowns, plus we were doing a lot of bushwhacking. It was a miserable morning, only made brighter by the salmonberries, huckleberries, and wild raspberries. When you could find a ripe one, they were delicious. Down and down we went until we eventually reached Milk Creek. It had been a tough start to the day, and it wasn’t going to get easier.

We were now faced with another long hike and had received a number of warnings from other hikers about the difficulties of going up the other side. True to form, the advice was spot on. We started up, and the trail meandered up and across the mountain. Unfortunately, there was very little visibility, and it was difficult to see where you were putting your feet. On and on we pressed, and it’s at times like these that we remind ourselves that our journey is a walk in the park compared to the clients OIC serve. We eventually reached the top and were greeted by several marmots who kept a watchful eye on us.

We then began our journey down the mountain to our campsite, which was several miles away, but in all honesty, it was not a great trail where you could knock off some miles. For the longest time, the trail consisted of two tracks, side by each, with one being higher than the other. But as soon as we reached the forest, we hit a lovely trail that was a joy to walk through.

We finally made camp at around 8:00 pm, and the same tent that was pitched where we camped last night was there to greet us. It turned out to be Silke from Belgium, and she was very happy to see us, as she had noticed fresh bear scat on the trail and felt safer knowing there were more people around. Silke is an Assistant Professor in Coastal Engineering and is based in Holland. She very kindly offered me some disinfectant wipes for my scrapes and cuts, which I thought was very kind of her. In return, I gave her several snacks and a bag of my prized trail mix, which I knew she would enjoy.

For dinner, I had Peak Refuel Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli, and I must have the formula down pat in terms of how much water to add. It was delicious. Woody, who has taken a shine to these dinners, asked if he could try my dinner, and I was happy to oblige. He brought over a plastic bag and scooped four sporks full and was thrilled and delighted with the taste.

Another home run for Briden Solutions.