Day 2 – Hot Platinum?!

I woke up today to a cool morning and snow still on the ground from yesterday. Starting the morning at the Hidden Pond Lodge, I fueled up with some coffee and food. During the bustle of breakfast, I had my photo taken for the guest book of the hidden pond.

The girl who took the photo was looking for the name of a trail, since she didn’t like the one she was thinking about. Since he did a good job with the image, I suggested getting a trail name related to photography. I dismissed the idea of ​​being called «Snapshot» and she seemed interested in the idea. After a while, she accepted the name of the trail and I offered to formally bestow it on her through a knight ceremony with my sword as a wooden staff, which was a fun scene. I’m not sure if the name will stick (it didn’t) because I feel like she just didn’t want the pressure of the other trail name to persist. But it was pretty fun anyway.

Loose packaging

I had a ferry ready to take me back to Three Forks and pick up where I left off yesterday. Today’s plan was to get to Gooch Gap, about 12.6 miles away, where I was going to pack it up (not bring all my gear, just the stuff I need for a day hike) and stay at Hidden Pond again tonight. A little more Platinum Blazing (luxury hikes) than I wanted, but it was still pretty nice.

The walk started off cold with me bundled up in my waterproof pants and puffy jacket with temperatures around 20 degrees, but otherwise mostly sunny. I started the day with a moderate climb that over the course of the next mile and a half I ended up stripping down to just my shorts and hoodie. The hike started pretty quickly with the ground frozen since yesterday and I was able to keep a good pace. But as the sun went down throughout the day, the trail in some spots became quite wet and muddy from yesterday’s rain and snow melting from the mountains. Another fairly quiet day with very few people seen along the trail, mainly passing some people while having some snacks. Overall, I feel pretty good with only mild leg pain and no foot issues to report yet, which was my biggest concern going into it.

I finished my hike at Gooch Gap and while waiting for my transportation back to Hidden Pond, I received my first Trail Magic! A guy just arrived and was preparing Trail Magic for the next few days and while I was preparing it, he offered me a banana and a coke, which I duly accepted.

Day 2 stats:

12.6 miles

2907′ ascent, 2605′ descent

Three Forks to Gooch Gap

2 days without cathole…

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.