We awoke at Kidney Lakes to a very dramatic sunrise! We made coffee and then packed it up to hit the trail. We had partly cloudy skies which were on and off again sunny! This section was loaded with trails that went through boggy grassy sections, and you crossed three creeks including Gilbert Creek. We then climbed a very steep ridge, only to top and and drop all that elevation again as we entered the "Valley Of The Kings" which is named for Kings Peak which was just above Anderson Pass which is the destination we are shooting for this day. after winding our way through this valley, it put us up on a ridge and we came to a junction where we stopped for a water and snack break before pushing for the pass.
After filling up our water, and fueling up on lunch, we made out bid for Anderson Pass. We had done eight miles to this point and I am not going to lie I was not running on all cylinders. I made my way, slowly up the first switchbacks. It leveles out somewhat but then climbs again. It took me about an hour but I was standing on Anderson Pass our biggest pass of the Highline Trail! The views of both Painter Basin and Yellowstone Creek were amazing and we were able to get our wives via Facetime on Anderson Pass! There was full Cell Reception! After a quick chat and check in we descended into Yellowstone Creek to camp for the night! It was a long walk, passing a whole herd of sheep, and then dropping into a beautiful valley surrounded by peaks. We settled in after our 13 mile day and were in bed shortly after dark. I did manage to snap a Milky Way shot on my iPhone 13 Pro which was the first one I have ever tried. Its not my Nikon D810, but for a cell phone it was pretty sweet! After that it was to bed for much needed rest.
Day 4 came with a beautiful alpen glow on the peaks and mild temps to start the day. I few pesky skeeters were in camp, but not enough of them to warrant any bug juice. We had breakfast and coffee, and packed it up. We had originally planned to just move it up to Tungsten Lake, but as we found getting to Tungsten Pass was pretty easy and a very nice walk with a treat of views if you would just stop and turn around. When we got to the pass we had lunch, and we could see Porcupine Pass. We had clear skies and all felt good enough to go for it, so we pushed to Porcupine Pass! It was a steady climb, not to hard, as it weaved its way upward. The last few switchbacks were not too difficult, and we eventually topped out on the pass! What a view! You can see Tungsten Lake and Pass behind you, and all of Lambert Meadows in front of you! Mind blowing! We dropped the packs and just took it all in for a bit. I am not sure how long we were up there but we took out time! Eventually we made our way down the sketchy switchbacks that had a couple of spots where no fall was the rule. We bottomed out in Lambert Meadows and the longest meadow I have ever crossed was under my feet. We eventually came to a creek crossing and we stopped to fill up our water.
After our water break we dropped back into the forest which dropped into a valley that was so pretty! We thought about camping here but Lambert Lake was our destination and we pushed on because we wanted our start for Day 5 to begin there. We passed some beautiful scenery which kept us motivated after a monster 13.5 mile day. We evetually came to the turn off or Lambert Lake. There were a ton of deadfalls to navigate, but we made out way through them and found a nice camp. We set up shop and settled in for the evening. We had a nice fire, dinner, and shot some night photography before turning in. A great couple of days, 26.5 miles and three Mountain Passes! Check out the YouTube Video below, and look for my Day 5 & 6 blog entry for the continuation of this adventure!
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