Day 8 - Peublano, Spar Pole Climbing and the Stream of Dreams

The hike to Pueblano, which is the home of the Continental Tie & Lumber Company, was a relatively short hike today.  Kyle now with his brother back at base camp, moves a little slower and it's obvious he misses him.  We filled our water bottles at Miranda and David checked us out of camp which is standard procedure at all staff camps.  The long gradual but grueling hill leading to Miranda is much nicer on the way down. We can look back in the clearing and see Baldy Mountain with admiration, yesterday's challenge met.

When you don't have Siri, you have David.  He explains the true story behind Famous Amos Cookies.

Baldy Mountain.  Been there, done that!

"There is an easier path over here..."

Now that's some high quality H2O

Our route took us back to Head of Dean which included some uphill switchbacks but in the morning when its cool it wasn't bad at all.  We of course had to stop and take a rest at Head of Dean and Julia was again there to greet us.  It was only early morning by then so we decided to keep moving so we can eat lunch at Pueblano and hopefully get a good camp site.  

Welcome to the Continental Tie & Lumber Company

When we arrive at Pueblano we see someone come around the cabin wearing a black knee brace.  It's Sean and everyone is happy to see him.   He explains the rigors and boredom of the base camp infirmary and he's clearly happy to back with 621S01. Thankfully with a little rest his knee recovered enough to get back on the trail and once again our crew is back at full strength.  We have to make some arrangements to get the food and tent we left at Miranda but by dinner everything is squared away.

Spar pole climbing demonstration

Up we go!

Kyle paying close attention to his climber

Chillin' on the porch

The early bird gets the worm.  We're first in camp and get the best camp site.

Best campsite by far, the stream just a few feet from our tents.

Logger Ball actually resembles baseball

The Pueblano staff camp puts on a good show.

Sean as Bachelor #3 in the Pueblano Dating Game.

Day 7 - Baldy Mountain

The day is overcast and cool but not a bad way to start our hike up Baldy.  We heard that our sister crew was unable to make the climb a few days earlier due to bad weather so our hope is that the clouds will break up by the time we near the summit.  We don't have to tear down camp but we do need to bring two empty packs that can be filled with our next supply of food which we will pick up at the Baldy Town commissary on our return to Miranda.  We leave camp by 5:45 as we are told that we need to be at a certain point by 8:00 am as they don't want hikers going up late in the day when weather can change quickly.  Each person is to take four liters of water as this climb is challenging, especially if you are not accustomed to the elevation.

Final water refill at Black Horse Camp

Along the way to Black Horse Camp we realized that we missed the sign-out sheet at Miranda.

Turning back would easily add an hour to our hike which might jeopardize the Baldy hike all together.  Since we had Sean in camp resting his knee and staff checking up on him, we decided to push on as our whereabouts could be easily tracked.  We also had to borrow water purification tablets from an Illinois crew on their way down to Miranda.  Fortunately water tablets are available at every staff camp so they could easily replenish their supply.  

Mining building

Panoramic view

"11" 11,000 ft

As we clear the mining camp and continue the accent on Baldy the skies clear
and we are left with a picture perfect day.  We started the day at Miranda which is
8920 ft and we stopped at the 11,000 ft mark to take a picture.  

Bundling up before the final accent.  Very windy and cold!

Slow and steady wins the race

Dylan takes in the view

We did it!

Crew 621S01 on top of Baldy Mountain - Elevation 12,441 ft

                        http://www.philmontexplorer.com/campsite-information/baldy-mountain-peak

Westward view

Panoramic view

Southern View - Note the smoke from the small forest fire at Pueblano.  

Decent down the north side of Baldy

The Ridge and our way home

Off the mountain top but still very windy

Baldy Mountain looking south from the Ridge

Chatting with a crew from Virginia

Lunch after getting off the ridge.  No wind here.

Baldy from the east

One tired crew leader

Downhill switchbacks

We stop at Baldy Town to get our food for the next few days, the load fills our two packs and a couple of bear bags that we brought along just in case we needed more room.  There are showers at Baldy Town so the adults came prepared and enjoyed the first shower of the hike.  From Baldy Town it's a manageable hike through Black Horse Camp and then downhill to Miranda.

Captivated by mountain streams

Back to Miranda after being gone for almost 12 hours

Mountain Ball - A game with no real purpose

When we return to Miranda, tired and hungry we find that Sean has gone back to base camp for further evaluation. The accomplishment of today's hike feels amazing but it's bittersweet now that one of our crew members could not make the journey and now he has left the trail.  Perhaps with some luck he can recuperate and rejoin us somewhere down the trail.  The night concludes with a rousing game of Mountain Ball while the adult advisers enjoy hot drinks and cookies on the cabin porch.  Sleep should not be a problem tonight.