Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
Celebration Lake to middle of nowhere, along Skyline Trail
CT Section 26.
Highlights: Blackhawk Pass
14.8 miles
“Wrong Way” packed up and headed out about half an hour ahead of Greg and me. We struck off with a steady pace on a beautiful trail, which wound around ridgetops until the final switch-backing climb up to 12,000-foot Blackhawk Pass. I was tempted to shoot up the ridgeline to neighboring Blackhawk Peak, but thought it better to save my energy. We spent some time here, admiring the views along with one of many bikers we would see today.
That highlight complete, we began the steep, but once-again well-switch-backed descent to Straight Creek. We had read and heard about a long dry stretch of trail ahead, so I’d been chugging water all morning. I filled up once again at the headwaters of Straight Creek, before finally arriving at the creek proper about a mile later. This, we’d been told by everyone, was the last reliable water source for 14 miles.
It was a busy place. Greg and I sat and talked with a couple of guys: one hiker, one biker. We spent a whole hour here, each eating a Mountain House breakfast and chugging water before finally doing our last water fill-up for the foreseeable future.
Funny note: there were about six minor streams over the next mile or so, which would have also worked as water sources… though it has been dry as promised, since then.
The sun’s heat assaulted us as we moved on. We were mostly walking on old roads for a while, but eventually turned uphill to join the Skyline Trail. The sun was brutal here, and by the time we finally entered the shade of the giant pine forest on the crest of the ridge, we were both ready to wind down for the day.
The ongoing views to the east were beautiful along this skyline stretch, but not something that could be adequately captured by camera.
Eager to set up camp, we found a perfect spot on the far end of this stretch—about 14.8 miles into our day, and 42.5 miles for the trip so far—over halfway!