Drenched in a heavy downpour, my hiking companion and I braved against the world and quested out to investigate the valley of Sky pilot. We knew this trail would not be entirely a walk on the beach-- but oh boy did the rain surprise us.
We started out from the gondola hoods up, and prepared for the rainy day adventure. The valley trail technically resides in the back country, where only part of it is marked and for the rest theoretically you must brave on your own. There are a few places where the branches have started to creep onto the trail, and one might wonder why only in those particular places? Well, remember how I mentioned the rain will surprise us? During a long downpour the runoff from the mountain simply claims the trail to itself.
At first we had the mindset of true adventurers, where this was our first obstacle (and source of entertainment).
Hopping from one rock to another, steadily we progressed upward. Naturally taking breaks every now and then to see if a view has crept through the clouds. The first little stream turned into another, and another. Eventually it felt like we had veered off trail. Luckily our hiking boots were prepared for the intense amount of submersion. However, I cannot say the same for my raincoat-- it failed me about 2 hours in.
There is one intense river that needs to be crossed (Shannon creek). It is a couple of meters wide with a few thin logs scattered about. My hiking partner managed to take a few long strides across while I nearly crawled from log to rock attempting not to fall in. Shortly after this, a smaller creek followed with which I had better luck with.
From here the trail enters the forest in a series of switchbacks, and one might wonder how this trail is maintained. Well, the heavy stream occupying the switchbacks made the climb eventful. We splashed our way up on the steeper ascent, trying not to submerge our feet too much. I am amazed my shoes somehow took the beating of water without an issue.
Arriving at a fork in an alpine meadow we turned left hoping that we were picking the correct path. With the amount of people commenting about missing junctions we really did not expect to have the luxury of such a choice. Having chosen correctly we arrived at the boulder field marking the junction of Sky pilot and the Sky Pilot Habrich Traverse. If one goes on a slight diagonal upward straight across the field there is a trail to follow with orange flagging tape. Scrambling up the boulder field apparently follows the traverse.
Here is where we stopped, entirely content with how far we came. In the distance we could see a more menacing river and glancing at maps indicated we may have to cross the waterway. Deciding not to push out luck, we returned to the small alpine meadow which was the junction we encountered. Ducking under a sturdy branch for feeble shelter from the rain, we sipped on our coffee to warm up. From there we managed to snag some views of sky pilot or copilot in the distance creeping through the clouds.
The trek back was a lot quicker, we encountered a few people making their late attempt at the trails. Overall, it was a nice little journey. I would return on a day with better weather.
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Photos:
1.) Junction for the traverse
2.) View from the junction for climber's access
3.) The final stretch up to the ridge from a distance
4.) View from the traverse junction (where we stopped)