We broke camp at sunrise and hit the trail in good spirits, knowing that the hardest day of our trip was behind us. After another hour of route-finding through the forest, we were happy to finally find another trail.
We arrived at Wheeler Peak Campground at 10 a.m., where we refilled our water and made use of the fantastic facilities – okay, it was only an outhouse, but it had been four days!
Relaxed and refreshed, we set out for the day’s destination, the intimidating Wheeler Peak. A few hours later, we dropped our heavy packs on the ridgeline and began the final mile – and 2,000 vertical feet! – to the summit. That is, for all you non-hikers, ridiculously steep. In comparison, the trail up Mount Timpanogos is less than 500 vertical feet/mile, making Wheeler Peak four times as steep!
We enjoyed a quick lunch while enjoying the endless view from the summit, which, at 13,063 feet, was the highest my two feet had ever taken me.
The descent was easier (duh!), and we collected our packs before once more leaving established trails behind. We topped Bald Mountain late in the afternoon and, after hitting the geocache at the summit, dropped over 3,000 feet into the valley below.
As we stumbled clumsily through one of the most beautiful forests I have ever seen, we were taunted by the scat and tracks of deer, elk, bear and even mountain lion, while the animals that left them eluded us completely.
We made camp near the stream at sunset after 11 miles and as many hours over this incredible landscape.
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