{"id":5876,"date":"2022-08-08T23:56:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T05:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/?p=5876"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:56:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T05:56:09","slug":"upper-ouzel-creek-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/2022\/08\/upper-ouzel-creek-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Upper Ouzel Creek 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 5, 2022<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Friday was a short day. We were all packed up and ready to go by 8 am. We could have hung out up there for an additional while, but, frankly, I was looking forward to a shower. Sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray would make a terrible cologne. And did I mention the mosquitoes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was a bit amused by questions from many of the hikers we encountered on our way out. At least three times I was asked if we camped. I think it’s pretty obvious that we camped: if you’re not camping, why would you be carrying a big backpack?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My other favorite type of question is along the lines of “Did you make it all the way?” or “Did you make it to the lake?” All the way to where? To which lake? There are a number of destinations on this trail: Calypso Cascade, Ouzel Falls, Ouzel Lake, Bluebird Lake, and some more beyond the trail’s end. I guess people get focused on where they’re going and assume everybody is going to the same place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I keep track of when I get to each navigation point, I always have a pretty good idea of how long it’ll take me to get back to the trailhead. Sometimes, the last half hour of the hike out can be a mental struggle. Time seems to stretch. Particularly on the third day of hiking, I’m pretty fatigued. I just keep telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. This time, thinking I’d just about gotten back to the parking lot, a large group of young kids was hiking in. They were singing 99 Bottles of Beer<\/em>. I’ve hated that song since junior high school, but it cheered me up. They were on 71, so I knew I only had 29 bottles of beer to go before I was finished!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Visuals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t take any pictures on the hike out. So here are a couple more slideshows. The first is some of the flowers I came across over the three days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n