@InkedElkSlayer is he going to get to go again?
Well my trip started off a little rough- 30 minutes into my drive I realized I forgot my phone, figured not a giant deal- no photos but I know the area pretty well so can do w/o the gps. Get to the trailhead and realized I forgot my trekking poles- that's not good as this area is very steep and the two basins I wanted to get into drop off very precipitously.
I started climbing and it starts to drizzle, I look up towards the top and it's absolutely socked in- great that's right where I'm headed. Get to about 6800' and I'm in the clouds and it's still drizzling. At about 8000' I start looking for where I want to drop off, no visibility and no gps so this makes extremely difficult. Drop off in the wrong spot, they'll find you next Spring! Some how I manage to find the right finger ridge and start down, not fun w/o trekking poles and everything is slick from the rain.
Get down into the basin and rain lets up, find the spring I had seen from above on my last trip and get camp setup. Go to setup the tent and realize that the main (and only) pole is supposed to be my trekking pole! Get an idea and break out my tripod, not perfect but will work. It's in the clouds above me, but below I can see so start glassing right from camp. Starts raining again, hard enough, I break for the tent. Lets up an hour later and I start glassing again, the clouds actually lifted a bit and I could glass the upper reaches of the basin above. Clouds roll again, now can't glass anything. Start a fire and get supper going, clouds lift and I glass until dark- nothing.
That night it starts raining and then sleeting. The wind really picks up which always makes me nervous in a lightweight tent, but the tent held fine (with the tripod as a support). Get up an hour before daylight and start breakfast, too windy for a fire. Looking to the east I can see a faint orange glow, only to be snuffed out by dark clouds. I get camp loaded up just as it starts to drizzle. I head up for the dividing ridge between the two basins and find a spot where I can glass into both. I see some movement in the "new" basin, smaller mule deer buck, see more movement in front of it and see not a smaller mule deer buck- just then the clouds come in thick and they disappear. I wait an hour or so (in the drizzle) hoping the clouds lift- no luck, looks like an exact repeat of the day before. I make the steep climb out (no trekking poles) and finally hit the trail again- again in the clouds, visibility maybe 50'. I head down, the trail is steep (and slick, it's still drizzling) especially so w/o trekking poles.
At about 6500' I finally break out of the clouds, do some glassing- nothing. I get a great idea as I see a longish meadow on top of the ridge and decide to take it down instead of the trail. Well there is a really steep drop off to get to the meadow. I slowly clamor down, slipping and sliding on the wet brush. Move through the meadow not seeing anything and then have to drop off again to hit the trail, this time it's even steeper yet. Eventually make it w/o breaking any bones and get to the trailhead soaked (and sore).
I'd post some pretty pictures of the country, but I forgot my phone.
The silver lining- that buck I saw if he wasn't big enough this year, I'm pretty sure he will be next year
19 miles and 4500' of gain (and descent).
