Day 2: Striped Rocks and Sunshine
We woke up to frost on the tent in a clear, chilly morning. Rob had been freezing all night but without the energy to change into his warmer sleeping clothes. You know sometimes how it's easier to suffer than to actually move and do something about it? That happens a lot in a cramped tent, especially when it's cold and/or wet.
But it warmed up quickly enough and after a hot breakfast we were off hiking again in shorts and tshirts. Our path today took us along Chain Lakes and Rob insisted on stopping twice to swim in them, or rather jump in the water, gasp, and then jump back out again. Robert's Pass loomed above us, though, and soon we were gasping for air as we trudged upwards. It was really just a finger of a ridge coming away from the higher mountains, but at just over 11,000 feet it was higher than we had been in years. Luckily we got distracted by some really cool striped on the rocks covering the trail...red and white and so many layers we were amazed. At some point these rocks were on a sea bed forming layers of sediment....not anymore!
The amazing sunshine continued all day, until our tired bodies came into a wonderful meadow perfect for an evening camp. It was angled where we could watch the sunset and the moonrise at the same time. But we were more concerned with warm food, a comfy spot to camp, and a hot campfire. This time, we had enough time to get it all done before nightfall. The wind was blowing a little by dark, which meant paradoxically it stayed a little warmer than night and we didn't need to bundle up so much. You'll have to ask the meteorologists why that is!
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| Looking down from Robert's Pass |
We woke up to frost on the tent in a clear, chilly morning. Rob had been freezing all night but without the energy to change into his warmer sleeping clothes. You know sometimes how it's easier to suffer than to actually move and do something about it? That happens a lot in a cramped tent, especially when it's cold and/or wet. 
But it warmed up quickly enough and after a hot breakfast we were off hiking again in shorts and tshirts. Our path today took us along Chain Lakes and Rob insisted on stopping twice to swim in them, or rather jump in the water, gasp, and then jump back out again. Robert's Pass loomed above us, though, and soon we were gasping for air as we trudged upwards. It was really just a finger of a ridge coming away from the higher mountains, but at just over 11,000 feet it was higher than we had been in years. Luckily we got distracted by some really cool striped on the rocks covering the trail...red and white and so many layers we were amazed. At some point these rocks were on a sea bed forming layers of sediment....not anymore! 
The amazing sunshine continued all day, until our tired bodies came into a wonderful meadow perfect for an evening camp. It was angled where we could watch the sunset and the moonrise at the same time. But we were more concerned with warm food, a comfy spot to camp, and a hot campfire. This time, we had enough time to get it all done before nightfall. The wind was blowing a little by dark, which meant paradoxically it stayed a little warmer than night and we didn't need to bundle up so much. You'll have to ask the meteorologists why that is! 
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