5 Mile Campsite (North Loop) - 6/2/22

The Sun rises on the North Loop Ridge

Old Trough at Cave Spring

Down Kyle Canyon from North Loop

Morning on Trail Canyon Trail

Three pastel ladies set off from the Trail Canyon Trailhead early in the morning (around 7:20am). There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot so we knew we would be alone on the trail until later in the day. Our plan was to hike at a slow and steady pace all the way up to our destination. We started in the cold shade then, slowly, climbed into the morning sunshine. Trail Canyon is most beautiful at this time of day as the light filters into the canyon and the sun rises on the ridges above. We stayed together at our steady pace and arrived at the North Loop junction saddle about an hour and 10 minutes after our start below. A little slower than usual but we knew we had further to go and we needed to conserve a little bit of energy. We took a small break, the first of five, at the saddle having only passed one couple of hikers who were on their way down. They were the last hikers we would pass until we were almost all the way back down to the saddle on our descent. We had the mountain to ourselves this morning. It was beautiful! Returning to our slow and steady pace, we headed up to Cave Spring. We took a quick visit up the hillside to see the state of the spring then came back down to the old water trough. The spring is barely trickling up top but flowing into the trough just fine.

Waking up at the Saddle

Charleston Peak

A Visit to Cave Spring

Long Switchback through Aspens

This was our second small break. Onward, we climbed through the aspens on that very long switchback past the 3 mile log and the Wall Corner. We took a photo of the old M Tree carving and sat on the log near the Mummy Mountain junction. We were in no hurry. As we said, "The point today is not to get there fast ... but, to get there!" At 3.5 miles up from the trailhead, we were happy that the hardest part of the climb was behind us. The next half mile would be easier as we climbed above one large cliff band and at the base of another. Here, the views were tremendous! Kyle Canyon and the South Loop ridge are there to behold. We had passed through the brightly leafing aspens. Now, they lay out below us to add to the photos. As we gained elevation, we saw the bristlecones growing on the pines in early to later stages of development. We passed a bird's nest with 4 eggs inside and didn't notice it until we were on our way down. It was just off the trail below eye level. I hope the little birdies grow to be big and strong! We arrived at our next small break on the ~4 Mile Cliff Overlook. At each small break, we took the time to sit for just a minute. Our pace was still at the same steady slow speed. Upward from there, the next half mile was a bit more challenging. 

South Loop Ridge

Small Break at Mummy Junction

"M Tree," Baby Bristlecones, Nest with 4 Eggs

Cliffs next to North Loop

In the next half mile, we were either climbing a steeper grade or hiking a fine line of scree between the cliff bands and the very steep scree slope. All the snow was gone (with the exception of a nice big pile at the first campsite later) so the narrowness of the trail was still somewhat safe. We came to the ~4.5 mile mark and wandered down the slope for a look-see at the Big Falls Overlook. Way below, we saw Big Falls and it appeared there was absolutely no water ... but then, we were very far away. Above the waterfall, the rock in the cliff appeared scrunched and wiggly. This is evidence of the fault movements. Very interesting if you are into geology. So, we had arrived at our original destination ... however, it was decided that, since the next half mile was easy, we would go all the way out to the 5 Mile Campsite. It overlooks the Lee Canyon side of the ridge, whereas, we had had much the same view of Kyle Canyon up until this point.

Rita arrives at the ~4 Mile Overlook

Hiking at base of a large Cliff Band

Big Falls Overlook View

Switchbacks on Charleston Peak

While we plodded along, we took note of the North Loop Trail side of Charleston Peak where the daunting switchbacks reside. We also got a view of Lee Peak where we intend to climb in a couple of weeks. After passing the first campsite (with the weird pile of snow), we continued on to the 5 Mile Campsite. This is a large saddle area where you can view down to Lee Canyon and the west side of Mummy Mountain. We noted that we were exactly above (way above) Foxtail Spring. We took our big break, group photo and started our descent with Charleston Peak watching down on us. As expected, the down part of the hike was more challenging to the body. We kept our speed down and tried protecting our knees and feet as best we could. From experience, we know that how you treat the descent defines whether or not you will be hiking comfortably again in the next couple of days! The mountain was still quiet until we were descending Trail Canyon. It was then that other hikers appeared. We also passed the trail workers. Trail Canyon trail maintenance is a never ending job. We felt good that we got one step closer to the higher peaks today.

Stats: 10 miles; 3000' gain; 6.25 hours

Three Pastel Ladies

Steep Scree off of North Loop

The Descent