![]() To the west were The Sinister and Mokelumne Peak. To the southwest were Mt Reynolds and Peep Sight Peak. To the southeast were Silver Peak and Highland Peak. There were two high points, and it was not clear which was the summit. We wrapped around to the northwestern side of the peak and made our final push. A use trail emerged that cut underneath the north side of the rocky face in front of us. The route became more interesting as we approached the top. The Sinister, a possible bonus peak, looked very intimidating to our west. After a thousand feet of climbing we heard the other’s voices and connected back with them shortly after. For a while I carried Asaka’s backpack to make the climb easier for her. There were few downed trees and the slope was covered in dirt instead of loose rocks. It was very steep, but the cross country was easy. It was a bit warm, so I tried to hike uphill in the shade as much as I could. The others planned to check out the lake and meet us later on. With a quarter mile remaining to the lake, Asaka and I left the trail and began heading up the northeastern slopes of Raymond Peak. ![]() The trail we were on led to Raymond Lake. I felt relieved to get away from the crowds. We took a right at the junction, leaving the PCT. Wyoming’s state flower is probably my favorite paintbrush. Wyoming Indian Paintbrush covered the drier eastern slopes of the peak. To me the idea of walking for so long seems kind of boring. I hope they find whatever it is they are looking for. We passed many through hikers as we wrapped around the mountain. She stopped at the creek for a sip of water. With her size and coloring, I could see how other hikers might mistake her for a bear. Mia was probably the best tempered dog I’ve ever hiked with. The Tamarack Fire had scorched the entire area just a year ago, however it appears that the wilderness is recovering quite well. Forget-me-nots lined the trail as we emerged from the forest.Īt the first switch back, we paused for a photo opportunity with Pleasant Valley in the background. We dropped into another creek drainage, ending the easy downhill section. This was the last hike we had done with Brian. The time of year, location and the gear was a dead giveaway. He seemed curious to know how I could make sure a confident declaration. I told Brian that they were walking to Canada. We passed a few PCT through hikers from the get go. A short spur trail leads through the forest, across a small creek, and connects with the PCT. The road definitely requires high clearance, and most likely 4WD as well. I had not read about the road conditions leading up to the trip, and I’m thankful we chose to bring my Jeep instead of Brian’s Tesla. We drove a short distance further along unmapped dirt roads to the trailhead, just beyond Wet Meadows Reservoir. Asaka prepared cereal and I methodically repacked the car. We agreed that the hike was easy enough, so there would be no rush the following day.īeams of sunlight woke us up the next morning. Asaka and I retired to the back of the Jeep after 11pm, but the others would hoot and holler well past midnight. We built a fire and had a pre-celebration, as this would be Chad’s Ogul list finish. We arrived just after sunset and found a flat spot to set up camp a few miles from the trailhead. In addition to Asaka, I invited Brian and in parallel Chad invited Ian and Mia, the dog. We instead settled on Raymond Peak, which ended up being a wonderful choice. I have a rule that I must hike every Ogul peak with my wife Asaka, and now that she was 6 months pregnant, it seemed cruel to bring her on a long bushwhack. He was pushing for Snow Mountain, but I did not like that option because it was too difficult of a peak. ![]() Chad and I planned to hike a peak on the Tahoe Ogul list. ![]()
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