(+12.6 miles up & over Sawmill Pass)
I again awoke at 4 AM, after having slept very little for the second night in a row. Exhausted, I decided to backtrack and exit via Sawmill Pass, instead of pushing on for three more days as we had all planned. My tramily delayed their day to encourage me to continue on with them instead of taking a relatively unknown trail by myself.
For me though, the lack of sleep and the thin air, coupled with the technical descents and water crossings, meant a lack of fun. I was just pushing through the day, occasionally taking obligatory photos, without the enthusiasm I have when backpacking at a lower elevation.
Sawmill Pass turned out to be a beautiful trail I would have probably never hiked. There were still about half a dozen water crossings, but there were also beautiful blue-green lakes. I could tell this trail was not regularly traversed. At times, I doubted my decision to go on alone, especially given my exhaustion. I messaged Tom regularly to keep him apprised of my location and status.
When I reached the top of the pass, it was devoid of the crowds of hikers, and I imagined I was the only one for miles in any direction. Unfortunately, when I peeked over the edge at the descent in front of me, it was steep snow as far as the eye could see. I strapped on my crampons and began the descent with pretty decent traction, and not too much slush.
The descent was looooong, but enjoyable. After awhile, the terrain began to remind me of the desert, which I didn’t realize I had missed (although not so much the desert heat!). I pushed on to the trailhead to meet Tom, in desperate need of water. I had hoped there would be water on the descent, and had forgotten how hot the lower elevations currently were especially since it was so cold where I had just been!
