[Note: I did not write a journal entry at the time, so the notes that follow are based on the photos, any data I collected, and what faded memories I retain from years after the fact.]
The day started slow. Low clouds made for a ceiling not really conducive for flying a plane in, so we weren’t entirely sure when the float plane would arrive with Lily and Peggy and were in a bit of a holding pattern waiting.
I spent the morning looking around and made observations along the lake and a nearby meadow before packing up gear for the overland trek we would start after the rest of our group arrived.
While packing, we experienced some friction. Kitty recognized that we had more stuff than we could easily pack. Had she been more involved in trip planning, I suspect there would have been some different choices made up front. However, at this point, we had what we had and would need to pack it all out. She managed to get some of it (including a large plant press) packed up to return to Sitka on the float plane. Even so, it became clear that I would need to carry more than just my stuff, as it seemed no one else had the capacity to carry more.
I had packed my stuff expecting to be basically self-sufficient. I was carrying all my personal gear and food, plus trip equipment like a computer and camera for the data collection Kitty and I were doing. I managed to barely get all of this into my backpack, which was not an especially large model (sometimes they are called day and a half packs).
During our first two days I didn’t eat any of my food, as Andis and Kitty ended up making more than they could eat, and I ate what was left. As a result, I was still fully loaded and had basically no room in my pack for more.
Andis was a bit frustrated with my (lack of) pack size. I think in his mind, I could reasonably be expected to help carry group gear and should have planned accordingly. In my mind, I was already doing that by carrying a computer (for the survey work we were doing), and I had packed food and camp gear for myself, as I wasn’t planning to eat from the group supply, nor was I sharing a tent.
In the end, I wasn’t opposed to helping carrying some of the other group stuff, but I was a bit frustrated when I saw a glass jar of peanut butter (which I packed all the way to salt water) and other heavy/bulky items which seemed like a bad idea to have on an extended bushwhack. As it turned out, there was a duffle bag which in which I carried the overflow group stuff separately from my pack.
We left Rust Lake around midday. The hike from to the upper smaller lake where we would spend the night was just over a mile, but it felt grueling and took me most of 2 hours. I don’t know how much the combined weight of my pack and the duffle bag was, but I had to go slowly and take plenty of breaks while schlepping it all up the hill. (I do know that even after eating two more day’s worth of food, when we arrived back in Sitka, the combined weight of my pack and the duffle bag was 55 pounds – so I’m guessing at the start it was more than 60. Andis’ large pack was the same 55 pounds back in Sitka, and when he saw that, any lingering frustration about how much I had carried seemed to dissipate quickly.)
After we picked a spot near the upper lake and got camp set up, we headed out to explore.
Initially I thought we were going to explore the upper valley of Rust Lake creek, however we ended up turning east and exploring an upland area that included a band of limestone. This resulted in some miscommunication between Andis and I when he didn’t come along at the start. Eventually we rejoined, though he wasn’t thrilled with the side trip I had inadvertently sent him on.
We split up a bit with Kitty and I together, and the others staying at least loosely together before coming all together at the top of the limestone band. From there we made our way back down to our camp to have dinner and settle for the night.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
