Up and Over Silver Pass

Phyzio takes it all in.

Going up to Silver Pass.  Four years ago, I went over Silver Pass in October and it snowed a lot.  The snow caused met to leave the PCT that year at Lake Edison/Vermillion Valley Resort.  The landscape looked totally different without all the snow; i tried to figure out where I got lost 4 years before, but it was disorienting.  There are photos and a blog post on that 2010 experience here.

El Brujo gazes at the scenery.

"As would become the norm, the round pills would wear off by mid-afternoon when the pain set in, my ankles looking like red tennis balls. We somehow, got up the valley, admiring the chrystal clear high elevation lakes, and summiting Silver Pass, up at 10895 ft. A short while more put us in a meadow for supper and sleep as dusk turned to night, having put in 15 miles on the day.

Made my signature early morning dash from camp the next morning as we veered towards Vermillion Valley Resort. Eventually J Bear and Phil flew ahead, chasing the vision of VVR beers. As I got to the junction, I knew I couldn't go for another stop in civilization. My injury and the hustle and bustle of a big group had left me ornery, wanting of true freedom. Or perhaps my natural instincts were kicking in the same way animals separate from the herd and scurry into the wilderness when they're ready to die. Either way I kept it going on the JMT letting KHaas know I'd catch them a couple days later at Muir Trail Ranch (MTR), where we'd sent our food resupply." -Taun Taun

Deepak Chopat