After a good night’s sleep I was ready to wake up energized and ready to take on the second day of my trek. Unfortunately, I woke up stiff and incredibly sore. It was a struggle just to stand, let along walk without feeling pain in every muscle. Given that I was already miles out in the wilderness there really wasn’t much I could do but keep going though. I figured it would be just as hard to continue on and summit the last two peaks as it would be to turn around and go back over the two I had already climbed, so I set out to do just that.
I packed up camp and made my way north to Mt. Guyot. The summit was less than impressive, but did offer a very nice view. I stopped just below the top to have a nice hot breakfast before heading on towards South Twin. The climb up the east side of South Twin went alright, but the summit was completely covered in clouds. What followed was the most difficult descent I have ever had to do. My soreness from the previous day combined with the weight of the pack and the steepness of the trail down to the Galehead Hut took a real toll on me.
After resting up again at the hut and seriously considering buying the $100+ pair of hiking poles they had on sale, I continued on down. I took another break at the Thirteen Falls Campground where I was able to dip my feet in the water and relax in the sun. It felt great. With that all that was left was a gently descending 8 mile hike out along the old railroad beds past a number of river crossings and small ponds. It was a relief to be off the steep grades, but I can’t say it was easy given the condition I was in at that point. I can say however that I made it out, and in the end I had a great time.
