September 15: Off trail at an unnamed lake in the New Fork area.

I woke up this morning and found that I was actually quite warm in my sleeping bag, which is not what I was expecting. I quick glance outside, however, and I was a bit worried, as everything was covered in frost! Once I managed to pull myself out of my tent, the morning became a painful process. As I was packing my wet and frost-firm tent, it was cold that I couldn’t feel my fingers!

This is about as cold as I have ever camped out in, and it is supposed to get gradually colder throughout the week. Just as I put the last item in my pack and was getting ready to head up the trail, I got a couple of early morning visitors: two bull moose. We stared each other down for a few minutes before they started to run towards me! Well, OK, not AT me, but in my general direction before dropping down into the river and coming back up on the other side without missing a beat. Interesting way to start the day.

This morning there was more, good cruising as the trail really wasn’t gaining much elevation yet. I bailed on my planned ascent of Squaretop once I looked at the map closely and realized that it was a 3000 foot climb and mostly a bushwhack. My legs are going to be tested enough between the heavy pack and the elevation of this place (which starts at 8000 feet) without killing them more on the first full day.

After passing by the Triple Fork Park (a park is an open meadow, not an actual park) the trail started its first ascent into the heart of the mountains. The climb was nice, it felt good to be heading up, and there were several nice outlooks along the way. Once I reached the New Fork Park, however, the joyride was over. I turned off on the New Fork Trail and it quickly climbed to an elevation of 11,000 feet. The views were amazing, but the steady climb was taking its toll on my unacclimated lungs.

Near the top of the climb, the trees began to disappear and I found myself standing at my first mountain lake, Clark Lake. I paused here for a while and took in the view from the shore while enjoying a snack. It was this type of stuff that I was out here for, and I was truly impressed. Color was everywhere, the sun was out, and I was happy. I shouldered my pack and headed out for the last bit of the climb up into the New Fork area.

Once I reached the top, all the effort was worth it. There I was standing in the middle of a barren land, lakes everywhere, and a fantastic view back on Clark Lake and the divide. Since the time was still early, I decided to do something a bit interesting, so I turned south off the trail and headed into open territory. With compass and map in hand, I went in search of the perfect, hidden mountain lake to camp next to for the night. At first, I was regretting my decision since there was a lot of climbing involved and I was having some trouble figuring out exactly where I was. The terrain was not unique enough to pinpoint my location, at least until I stumbled upon Thompson Lake.

After clambering over a small ridge, I found myself staring at the Thompson and Hidden Lakes, tucked nicely in-between a couple of mountain ridges. Wow, THIS is what I was looking for! It was absolutely amazing, and even more so when I climbed down and walked along the shore of the bigger Thompson Lake. Still, it was not THE lake that I was looking for, and there was lots of time left, so off I went for another mile or so, looking for an unnamed lake on my map. With careful navigation, I found it right away, and shortly I was descending to it shore and scoping out a campsite for the night. The lake, and my campsite, is over 11,000 feet and I am right on the shore of just about the more picturesque lake that I could ask for. The only thing that could make this night better is a good sunset. This place clearly doesn’t suck.

-Chomp

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