Mt Gould
30 August 2017
I drove up to Bishop a day before my family arrived for our big North Lake to South Lake hike to grab our permits. I intended to climb the north ridge of Mt Tom but was stifled by a wild river crossing right from the start. I schwacked along the waterway for a while and came to an old rope draped across the creek.
I hopped on it but unfortunately the rope sagged all the way to the creek banks. Realizing this would put me in the raging rapids I called it a day on Mt Tom! With threatening weather overhead it was clear the mountain gods were laying their traps again… something easy and less committing was in order…
I remembered from our Mt Brewer trip that Mt Gould was right above Kearsarge Pass and began driving south. I drove a grateful California-only PCT hiker up to the trailhead from town and soon was booking it up the trail, sharing my loaves of Erick Schat’s cheesy bread with all the thru-hikers coming off the trail.
Caught some rain and hail at the pass and was about to call it a day, but instead I took a nap on a rock during the storm, hoping it would pass.
The storm blew off and I ran onto Mt Gould to catch the always beautiful, transient light left in its wake.
On the way down I ran into a hobbled hiker, an older gentleman who was too spent to make it to his truck at Whitney Portal. With nothing better to do I drove him all the way back to the Portal. Turns out he lives up in Eureka and has hiked the Lost Coast Trail numerous times. He gave me gas money, and offered to help me plan a trip down the Lost Coast. We also shared a few warm beers out of the back of his truck. No good deed goes unrewarded!
