Wagon Wheel Lake by bus - white wall of death day

Homalothecium megaptilum moss

A short video trip report:


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Driver jumped out just for a moment at Staircase to listen to the river and take a pit stop

I took the bus again today, Mason Transit does not go out to Staircase very often and both drivers really seemed to enjoy this change from their daily routine.  Scott delivered me to the trail and Shauna took me back home.  One driver enjoyed the sounds of nature, while the other driver enjoyed the sights near the causeway.

scaber stalk mushroom

 

 

The weather forecast was dire, tons of snow up high and pouring rain down low.  The forecast was wrong.  I had a nice hike.  I made it up to the lake in just two hours and fourty five minutes and there was hardly any rain or snow.

I had lunch at the big campsite above the lake, but first I had to scrape away a human turd that I found right after I sat down.  YUCK!!

You can see the scrape marks where I removed the turd

Chai mate tea, expired feta cheese and pepperoni for lunch
the expired Luna bar was just to hold the lid down.

First hike in my new boots.  My feet will have to break into these boots, there was some pain but no blisters. My feet stayed dry, happiness is dry feet in the rainforest in November. These boots (and Patches flea pills)  even at 50% off blew my budget for the month.  So please
buy a calendar or follow the Amazon link and buy something.  Consume something.. :)

Cross the outlet stream under this log to reach the main campsite and cub peak

Avalanche chute on the only flat part of this trail

Mount Lincoln in the fog from the avalance chute

some frosting near the avalanche chute

Pistol butted trees from all the snow

Pink shrooms, purple poles, green grass

I took me two hours to hike back down to the bus stop.  On the way down I found a Matsutake mushrooms.  This might have been the last one I will find this year.  Mushroom season is starting to wind down.

 

Matsutake

 

Perhaps the best bus stop ever

at 4.8 miles with 3,200 feet elevation gain
this hike is even steeper than the sign claims

According to this hiking 2.4 miles on a 24% grade is the same as hiking 9 miles on
a flat trail.  But going down hill on a trail like this is difficult too and is probably
worth more miles than a flat trail.