Mt Carrie, Cat Peak, Cat Lake,  Olympic National Park,  Sep 21, 2009 - Sep 25, 2009     page 14 / 80

Dan and Dave caught up to me. Again, we exchanged greetings. They thought I would have been long gone. I chuckled and said I had modified my plans and would spend the night at Boston Charlie's Camp. They stayed for several minutes and continued on their trek.

After some time, I closed up my pack and grabbed my camera. I climbed up the hill, squeezed through the trees and followed the trail south to wander the meadows.

The foliage was dry, the colors were stunning and the sun was still warm, though it felt good to be without fifty pounds on my back! I wandered along the trail for about a half mile. At this point the trail drops a few hundred feet and crosses a gully. I ran into Dave and Dan again. They were resting in the shade, also weary from the heat and concerned about the water situation. We could hear no water running in the gully below. We saw no high snowfields either. They had intended to hike all the way to Cream Lake. Eventually, they too, decided that the heat and the water situation might not be optimal for proceeding.

I hiked back to Boston Charlie's and Dave and Dan followed me back. They would spend the evening there in camp with me.