Surgery to fix my hip was originally scheduled for October. It would have greatly impacted the last few days of a lingering summer so even though the pain kept getting worse I was taking advantage of mobility for as long as I could.
This is one of my favorite trips close to home. The first few miles are a very popular trail leading to an easy creek crossing packed solid in summer and then a couple of gorgeous waterfalls upstream. Most people turn back after the lake, but I pushed past it and the upper lake into the valley.
The trail fades pretty much to nothing, but it's open so not hard to figure out where you want to go. Tinkham had no issues with rock hopping and I followed gamely to the pass and views down to another lake and the mountains beyond. I started in the dark (as usual) so I saw no one until I turned around.
Now that my hip's been fixed I'm on a limited activity regimine. This hike, always one of my favorites, feels even more special knowing I can't go back any time soon. It probably shouldn't be such a big deal; the snow has locked the valley in winter's grip as usual and most of the route is in avalanche terrain. It's not like I was likely to go back until the snow consolidates in spring, but having that decision closed off makes it seem like forbidden fruit.
On the upside, I have quite a bit of loveliness to look forward to once I'm released from bed:
