Day 6 began with a truly magical, if challenging, experience. A staff member, dressed fittingly in wizard robes, led us in the morning up a scramble of rugged rocks to see the sunrise. She easily scaled the rocks while the rest of us huffed and puffed (me in particular), struggling with the elevation and the technical climb. It was far from simple to reach, and even harder to climb to the very top of the rocks for a good view of the sunrise, but we persevered and made it.
Our primary goal for the day was Tooth Ridge, which we knew would be a dry camp, making water management absolutely critical. A few factors changed our tactics right away. Both our Ranger (who imparted some wisdom before he left) and another Scout parent advocated for using our water early for cooking. This meant having dinner (which typically uses a lot of water) for breakfast or lunch. We decided to have "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) at Urraca while we still had running water, a smart move to conserve.
The journey to Tooth Ridge felt precarious because we were now carrying all the water we’d need for two days. This heavy load had to be balanced with the concern of having enough energy to make the long trek up the incline of Tooth Ridge and then, ultimately, to the Tooth of Time itself. Fortunately, one of the Scouts was celebrating a birthday, and our Ranger had given him a pound cake and canned cherries – a much-anticipated treat we planned to eat at lunch.
Unfortunately, life on the trail had other, more serious plans for us. One of the boys began feeling unwell at Urraca and visibly worsened. It quickly became clear that we would have to move on without him. After ensuring he had transportation back to the infirmary at base camp, we resumed our hike, a little heavier in spirit. In retrospect, this was a blessing; if he had gotten sick while we were halfway up the mountain, we would have had to split up our troop to bring him back down, dampening the odds we would make it to the mountain peak in time.
We made an unscheduled, but very welcome, stop at a fort-like structure known as the Stockade. It was a small fort, closed to the public, but it had a spigot and what looked like a shower head! We weren't sure if the water was potable, so we used chlorine tablets, but it was a much-needed reprieve nonetheless. There, we ate our hard-earned lunch, sang "Happy Birthday" at the top of our lungs for the Scout, and then finally set out for Tooth Ridge.
From the Stockade, it was a long, arduous slog up to Tooth Ridge. This was, by far, our biggest climbing day, with a massive +1,740 feet of gain over 5.5 miles, and a descent of -1,432 feet. It required frequent breaks for me as we wound our way slowly up the ridge via endless switchbacks, testing our endurance to its limits. When we finally reached the beautiful camp, exhausted, all the campsites seemed to blend together. We struggled to find a place to settle down, but eventually found a spot in a peaceful meadow surrounded by trees. Given the high elevation, we knew we'd face cooler temperatures and stronger winds; as a dry camp, water management remained absolutely crucial.
Despite our exhaustion, we agreed to push ourselves further: we'd get up at 3:30 a.m. the next morning for the final scramble up the Tooth of Time to catch the sunrise from atop the mountain. Of course, we were about to learn that nature always has its own agenda.
Our primary goal for the day was Tooth Ridge, which we knew would be a dry camp, making water management absolutely critical. A few factors changed our tactics right away. Both our Ranger (who imparted some wisdom before he left) and another Scout parent advocated for using our water early for cooking. This meant having dinner (which typically uses a lot of water) for breakfast or lunch. We decided to have "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) at Urraca while we still had running water, a smart move to conserve.
The journey to Tooth Ridge felt precarious because we were now carrying all the water we’d need for two days. This heavy load had to be balanced with the concern of having enough energy to make the long trek up the incline of Tooth Ridge and then, ultimately, to the Tooth of Time itself. Fortunately, one of the Scouts was celebrating a birthday, and our Ranger had given him a pound cake and canned cherries – a much-anticipated treat we planned to eat at lunch.
Unfortunately, life on the trail had other, more serious plans for us. One of the boys began feeling unwell at Urraca and visibly worsened. It quickly became clear that we would have to move on without him. After ensuring he had transportation back to the infirmary at base camp, we resumed our hike, a little heavier in spirit. In retrospect, this was a blessing; if he had gotten sick while we were halfway up the mountain, we would have had to split up our troop to bring him back down, dampening the odds we would make it to the mountain peak in time.
We made an unscheduled, but very welcome, stop at a fort-like structure known as the Stockade. It was a small fort, closed to the public, but it had a spigot and what looked like a shower head! We weren't sure if the water was potable, so we used chlorine tablets, but it was a much-needed reprieve nonetheless. There, we ate our hard-earned lunch, sang "Happy Birthday" at the top of our lungs for the Scout, and then finally set out for Tooth Ridge.
From the Stockade, it was a long, arduous slog up to Tooth Ridge. This was, by far, our biggest climbing day, with a massive +1,740 feet of gain over 5.5 miles, and a descent of -1,432 feet. It required frequent breaks for me as we wound our way slowly up the ridge via endless switchbacks, testing our endurance to its limits. When we finally reached the beautiful camp, exhausted, all the campsites seemed to blend together. We struggled to find a place to settle down, but eventually found a spot in a peaceful meadow surrounded by trees. Given the high elevation, we knew we'd face cooler temperatures and stronger winds; as a dry camp, water management remained absolutely crucial.
Despite our exhaustion, we agreed to push ourselves further: we'd get up at 3:30 a.m. the next morning for the final scramble up the Tooth of Time to catch the sunrise from atop the mountain. Of course, we were about to learn that nature always has its own agenda.
