fall 2022 my friend, Cam, and I decided to squeeze in one last Fall backpacking trip. We took Friday off, drove a few hours to the trailhead and headed up! We had absolutely beautiful weather on the hike up…( & a torrential downpour on the way down).
after the first night I woke up early and summited Matterhorn Peak which was quite the experience! Lots of route finding and about half way up I got stuck behind a couple of mountain goats, with no way to pass them! it was a scree- slope, so lots of loose rocks and really steep. Thankfully, i was pumped full of caffeine and had no problem talking (loudly) at them until they decided to run off.
of course, i felt kind of bad running them off but… i had to summit before the rain clouds rolled in!
once i made it to the top of matterhorn peak, 9826 ft i ate a sardine taco, took some photos, and yelled at the top of my lungs.
being on top of a mountain in the absolute middle of no where is a feeling that will never, ever get old. it is so rewarding to wake up early, hike your butt off to the tippy top of a mountain, and do it all by yourself, no less!
after i fueled back up, i was ready for the decent. my knees aren’t in too great of shape, so i was a bit worried with how steep it was- but i did fine with my hiking poles!
once i got back to camp, i gave my sweet pup some love (yes, he goes backpacking with me & even has his own backpack) and ate a second lunch!
cam and i went to explore a “magical valley” she found (see photo at the very bottom of the page) & then settled down for the night.
it was a very rainy night, which was a struggle since piñon typically sleeps outside. He isn’t allowed (inside) my tent because he likes to “dig” his bed whether he is in the dirt, in the gravel, or on an ultra light sleeping bag.
so we came to a middle-ground, and he slept under my tent fly, with my hand reaching through the doorway all night for comfort.
the next morning it was hard to wake up, but we powered through and started the very-wet hike down the trail. you know me, i tend to laugh my butt off in unfortunate situations, so i had a jolly good time! Fun fact, when hikes are dragging on (due to incline, blisters, heat, rain, hail, WHATEVER) I just sing the ” I would walk 500 miles song” over and over and over again. NO JOKE. Listen Here, if you need a reminder!
once we got back to the truck, we rewarded ourselves with the heater on full blast & made a stop for some french toast sticks & hot coffee!
this was a super rad 20 mile adventure, check it out: All Trails Link
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