Labor Day Weekend was my last backpacking trip of the season. I simply don’t have the gear to go out when it’s getting well below freezing at night. I mean, I guess I could go backpacking somewhere warmer, but it’s the mountains I love, and they are getting quite cold at night now. As I count it, I did 6 trips this summer, some bigger than others, and I’m really happy with that number.
I went with Ambrose for a Memorial Day Weekend trip in the Queens River area, and we also went up to Johnson Lake in there on another trip. We did the Chamberlain fly-in trip together with Bill, and then Ambrose was my support for some additional ICT sections above Dry Saddle. Finally, I took a friend up to Stump Lake and then went on an ITA women’s trip the following weekend.
As far as total miles go, this wasn’t a particularly big season, but I like having lots of trips and the variety of trips. It used to be that I would only backpack with Ambrose; then I branched out to solo, and then we invited friends together, and I finally took a friend out without Ambrose last year. Getting to see all the ways other women do their gear and food was very cool on that last trip.
Next year’s big trips are already planned, though not completely formalized at this time. Ambrose and I want to get back to the coast, in part so he can see how much his fitness has improved since he’s been on his weight loss journey, and in part because we both love it so much. And the other big one will be my next ICT segment, which, fire permitting, will involve me going from Lynx Meadows trail head to Warm Springs Bar on a day hike, and then backpacking out from Warm Springs Bar up to the Moose Creek Air Strip, where Ambrose and Bill will meet me with some resupply and we’ll all hike out along the Selway. Fun!
But now it is time to enter recover season, get back into regular CrossFit and breathe.