I had a quick breakfast and shot several photos, then packed my things. The plan was to hike to the end of the High Divide Trail, cross the Catwalk, and continue to Eleven Bull Basin for the night.
I loaded up my pack with plenty of water, not knowing if I would encounter any at Boston Charlie's Camp.
Despite the trail only being about four miles to the Catwalk, I found myself tiring. I felt warm in the midday sunshine. The pack seemed heavy, with all that food and water. I reached the end of the High Divide trail. I took a quick break, then began the 200-foot ascent to the west end of the Catwalk.
I reached the ridge in several minutes and gawked at Mt. Carrie. I had remembered how green the foliage was on its slopes. The autumn colors were strikingly different.
The Bailey Range could be seen clearly now. The ridge was quite dry. Most of the snowfields were melted out. The high slopes were littered with the red, orange and yellow.
I sat on a log, ate some food, and enjoyed the morning. Just about the time I was preparing to head across the Catwalk, a party of two caught up with me. They stopped for a rest. We spoke briefly.
Dave and Dan were their names, and they were headed into the Bailey Range. They would proceed west from Bear Pass, then follow the ridge toward Mt. Olympus, descend via the Blue Glacier, and hike out via the Hoh River. It sounded exciting. I bid them a good trip and proceeded to tackle the Catwalk.
The crossing took about 45 minutes. As expected, it was a little nerve-racking at times, with impressive exposure down into the Hoh Valley. Some simple route-finding was necessary, but nothing too difficult.
Boston Charlie's Camp was a welcome site. It looked nearly the same as I remembered it, except that there was no snowfield on the hillside nearby.
I found a shady spot to sit down. I enjoyed the cool air. It was a welcome after hiking in the warm sun, while crossing the Catwalk. I refilled a water bottle with water from the tarn. Despite its small size, the water was quite cool!
As I sat, I began to wonder just how much (or how little) water I would encounter on the traverse to Eleven Bull Basin. I also was concerned about being out in the sunshine. It was only about 1:00pm and the temperature would continue to rise for a few more hours. Would the creek at Eleven Bull Basin even be running? Would I need to continue all the way to Cream Lake for water?
After considering all these questions, I decided to delay my departure. I would spend the night at Boston Charlie's and make a decision in the morning. With little water along the route, I did not want to risk getting heatstroke!
Dan and Dave caught up to me. Again, we exchanged greetings. They thought I would have been long gone. I chuckled and said I had modified my plans and would spend the night at Boston Charlie's Camp. They stayed for several minutes and continued on their trek.
After some time, I closed up my pack and grabbed my camera. I climbed up the hill, squeezed through the trees and followed the trail south to wander the meadows.
The foliage was dry, the colors were stunning and the sun was still warm, though it felt good to be without fifty pounds on my back! I wandered along the trail for about a half mile. At this point the trail drops a few hundred feet and crosses a gully. I ran into Dave and Dan again. They were resting in the shade, also weary from the heat and concerned about the water situation. We could hear no water running in the gully below. We saw no high snowfields either. The had intended to hike all the way to Cream Lake. Eventually, they too, decided that the heat and the water situation might not be optimal for proceeding.
I hiked back to Boston Charlie's and Dave and Dan followed me back. They would spend the evening there in camp with me.
