Bao and I had a bright and early start right before sunrise. The air was thick with wildfire smoke , but it was an incredible day. As soon as we started up the trail towards the first peak , the vertical gain was quite noticeable. We pushed hard and continued forward , enjoying the epic views in between clouds of smoke. There was a lovely length of flowing trail through stands of old growth, that felt magical with sunbeams peaking through dense foliage. After going through Marmot Pass , the backside offered stunning views and beautiful ridgelines. We continued on past a sweet young family camping at a creek. We climbed upwards and were greeted by lovely Home Lake, where we happened upon a bro weekend campout. (naked dudes skinny dipping!) We continued past, onwards and upwards to endless stunning views. The trail merged into a flowing creek section where I slipped and made communion with the earth, water, and stones. I was reminded to,"Be careful!" Eventually we descended towards the Dosewalips, where we spent what felt like endless miles, working our way east towards the trailhead. We passed the camping area, the Lake Constance TH, and coasted to the finish. Sparkling water and Ramen have never tasted so good! This was a magical journey and I am excited to return.
We carried a lot of calories. We brought homemade sourdough bread, along with Macro Bars and other fare; cashews, rice balls, mango, and delicious coconut buns rounded out our pack buffets. We filtered water from the many creeks and rivers along the way. It was a perfect day, but by the end, we were both a bit dehydrated. I should have used more electrolytes during the run. On the drive out, there was a huge herd of elk.