5/22 – Day 45 – Chicken Springs Lake
Today I started near Bell Camp Meadow, mile 727, and hiked to Chicken Spring Lake, mile 748. Most of the hiking was above 10,000 feet. Chicken Spring Lake is at about 11,500 feet. The hiking was beautiful but difficult at such altitudes. I saw a couple people camped in Death Canyon and a couple day hikers who came out of the Cottonwood Lakes area. I think the trail will be lonely for the next few days. I saw New Army Pass which my sister, brother-in-law, and the Newcombs hiked in 2006 on the way to Mt. Newcomb. Tomorrow I will get to Rock Creek, the same creek we camped on that 2006 trip. The lake is gorgeous, many frogs are chirping. One more relatively hard day, and then comes Forester Pass, the highest on the PCT.
