What a day. This route was everything that I hoped it would be.
I really lucked out with the weather. Between work and fall plans, I had a limited window to do this – Thanksgiving weekend. That late into the fall, access to the trailhead is not always possible due to snow. But despite the snowstorm raging at home in Colorado, I was able to make it to the trailhead and had an ideal weather day for the run.
I started around 5:30 in the morning, and the trip down to the river went relatively smoothly. I made a few wrong turns in the dark and butchered the route along Shinamu creek, but the sunrise was spectacular, the trail was engaging, and I made it down to the river faster than anticipated.
Considering the river crossings comprised only 4 minutes of the almost 16-hour day, I agonized over how to tackle the swim when I was planning this out. I knew I could handle the distance and the current, but the cold and potential shock really scared me. I never came up with a great solution and ended up just hoping that the adrenaline rush would get me through. And it did - standing naked on the side of the river with the canyon walls towering above me was WILD. Nothing gets me more excited than that feeling of smallness in the presence of the magnificence of nature. I went for it and made it to the other side without issue. What I did not anticipate (and should have) was the difficulty of the climb out of the riverbed (on both sides). The climbs were steep, and once the adrenaline of the swim wore off, the exhaustion kicked in and it took work for my muscles to start moving normally again.
The south trail was just as spectacular as the north. It was much easier to follow, but still remote and engaging. I was able to move fairly well while taking in all of the views. I saw two people backpacking on my way down, which ended up being the only people I saw all day.
I made it back across the river and thought I might be toast after the climb out. But I kept moving and nailed the trail along Shinamu. I was so excited that I kept going and missed the turnoff by about a quarter mile. And this is where the mistakes really began. As soon as the sun set, I made so many dumb decisions going in and out of the wash. I learned a lot of hard lessons about navigating in this type of terrain. And somehow, I was able to laugh off most of the mistakes and kept moving. I didn’t realize I had finished until my headlamp reflected off my car parked just off the trailhead. Surprised, I stopped my watch, grinned, and tried to take in everything that had just happened.
It was a fantastic day, and I couldn’t have asked for much more. Other than a couple of sandhill cranes and some green eyes in the dark, I did not see any wildlife. The scariest thing I came across was a machete sitting alone on a rock in the middle of the north bass trail (I hoped it belonged to a rafter).
Thanks to Sunny, Christin, and Lexi for putting this route on the map for women, and thanks to Ella for the massive inspiration to do this solo and her beta and encouragement. And to all the ladies out there interested in this route, there is still a lot of time out there – get after it!