Saturday, May 4
Summits: Carrigan
Start/Finish: Sawyer River Rd TH
Miles: 13.65
Elevation gain/loss: 4039′
After sleeping the night at Dry River Campground, opened early for the season, I headed out from the trailhead by 5:15am. The water was spring-level high, so nowhere near what it had been when I hiked Carrigan in April though I did decide to go upstream at the biggest (knee-deep) crossing to use logs to keep my feet dry.
I was able to bareboot for many miles until the climb finally started around 3200′ and I needed to put spikes on to deal with the decaying monorail. The snow was mostly stable and I stashed my snowshoes after a mile of climbing; by the end of the trip, I postholed to my thighs perhaps 6-7 times, almost exclusively in the ledges’ deep drifts. It had been clear skies when I started but by the time I was part way up the climb, I was into the clouds. It was damp and a bit cold but the wind was minimal and the small views were pretty spectacular. I made good time to the summit and enjoyed a quicker pace on the way back down.
I encountered 5 hikers on the way back out; two of them carrying 60L packs for a day hike dismissed my information about the water crossing which they had asked me for; two of them were maybe 22, didn’t have traction, and were open carrying handguns on their thighs; and one was pooping 3′ off Sawyer River Road in full view of anyone walking. I guess the tourists have arrived…
