9/1 - Day 1: McKee Draw to East Park Reservoir (4.48 miles, +1150' / -340')
9/2 - Day 2: East Park Reservoir to Manila Park (7.94 miles, +1385' / -539')
9/3 - Day 3: Manila Park to Leidy Peak TH (14.05 miles, +2420' / -1244')
9/4 - Day 4: Leidy Peak TH to Sharlee Lake (14.13 miles, +2122' / -2450')
9/5 - Day 5: Sharlee Lake to Painter Basin (19.2 miles, +3186' / -2775')
9/6 - Day 6: Painter Basin to Paradise Lake (17.65 miles, +3291' / -3285')
9/7 - Day 7: Paradise Lake to Ledge Lake (11.96 miles, +2804' / -3110')
9/8 - Day 8: Ledge Lake to Hayden Pass TH (14.49 miles, +2657' / -3138')
Day 5: Sharlee Lake to Painter Basin
(19.2 miles, +3186' / -2775')
We woke up at Sharlee Lake cold and damp. The layer of frost covering our tents and campsite glistened white in the 8:00 AM sunlight. It was the coldest night of the trip so far, with a low of 36-ish degrees per my Thermodrop thermometer. We packed up slowly, putting on our wet socks and frozen shoes, then began our ascent towards North Pole Pass.
I complete “preparation” of my daylight meals in my tent as I pack-up. Various granola bars and a liquid IV to start the morning, then a cold-soaked PackIt Gourmet meal with crackers for lunch. Snacks/junk food for the afternoon.
Morning at Sharlee Lake.
We enjoyed the sun as this was the first blue-sky morning of the entire trip. Although we had a taste of sunshine the day prior, we were finally hiking above the meadows and treeline, so the views, finally not obscured by fog or clouds, really started to open up. After stopping for a quick break at a rocky outlook, we pushed to the base of North Pole Pass.
Climbing above the treeline towards North Pole Pass.
My reliable ULA Ohm 2.0, contrasted with my (unreliable) Hoka Torrent 2s.
Hiking-wise, North Pole Pass was my favorite on the UHT. The elevation gain was extremely gradual and pleasant, and Taylor Lake to the south provided a constant view. There were proper switchbacks up the pass itself, with numerous passings over a stream - no water carry required!
Taylor Lake, though slightly off trail, looked like a beautiful place to camp. If you’re searching for a 2-3+ night section of the trail, North Pole Pass via Chepeta Lake entry seems like a great choice.
Taylor Lake from the base of North Pole Pass.
The North Pole climb itself. No false peak here.
The top of North Pole Pass was spectacular. Snow-capped peaks lined the horizon, framing the trail as it disappeared into the lake-dotted valley below. A strong flow of water descended adjacent to the trail, forming short waterfalls out of the rock. For some of us, this was best vista of the trip. Like the ascent, the descent was gradual. Unlike the ascent, it was filled with shale-y and fist-sized boulders/rocks. It was during this descent that my Hoka Torrent 2’s really started to fail. I was experiencing full-blown separation of the tread. I figured that as long as the sole fully didn’t delaminate, I’d be OK.
Looking at Brooks, Fox, and Crescent Lake in the valley below.
Barney on the descent.
It was good we soaked in the views at North Pole Pass, because we were about to start my least favorite part of the trail: the forest following Fox Lake Dam. From noon to sunset, outside of a quick gear dry-out and meal break at 2:00 PM, we navigated the rocky forest. We’d occasionally lose the trail and have to check our GPS, but the path was well defined for the most part. The terrain was somewhat challenging and taking a wrong step often meant your foot would slip into deep mud or marshy standing water. Barney was starting to feel pain in his ankle, and morale felt lower as we realized we still had many hours of hiking ahead of us. From a meadow clearing just past Fox Lake all the way to Gilbert Creek, no more than 25 words were spoken (all of which were along the lines of “is this the trail?”).
The McKee Draw “dry” section has nothing on this part. Maybe it was the cumulative mileage adding up, but this section seemed far harder in all aspects. Horse tracks really helped me maintain orientation of the trail.
Target acquired.
The single photo I took during this section. The trail wasn’t exceptionally hard to follow, but it did disappear into the trees often.
We finally reached Painter Basin at sunset. It was windy and cold with temperatures creeping towards the 40s the moment the sun started to dip. We experienced the ‘best’ sunset of the trip here, an intense yellow-orange glow illuminating the clouds above Anderson Pass and Kings Peak. We were tired and searching (poorly) for a flat campsite. We had hiked almost 20 miles, which ended up being the longest day of the trip.
We struggled to find an ideal camp, so we chose a relatively flat, off-trail area underneath some trees on the south side of the meadow. The wind picked up, there was some rain that night, and the ground was lumpy, but I slept well. I knew the 3 passes of the next day were going to be tough.
Sunset over Painter Basin. I was really hoping for some splashes of pink.
The group was really spent.