Veteran's Outward Bound Mountaineering, Day Six

September 28^th, 2013

I didn't write yesterday due to the weather.  It was shitty.  We had stayed at the same camp after our failed attempt on Broken Top.  When we got up in the morning it was cold and clear.  After several days on the trail pack up was smooth and quick as we are all getting it pretty good at it.

The trail was nice and easy with some good views of the Three Sisters and plenty of good conversation.  We stopped for lunch at Green Lakes and the wind started to pick up.  We had found out the previous evening that Sammi had two career choices, one Navy Nurse, the other was an opera singer!  So through lots of prodding we got her to sing for us during lunch.  There is nothing like a punch military guys with five days of trail smell on them being serenaded while sitting on the edge of a mountain lake eating lunch.

After lunch we dropped down towards the trailhead and it started to rain.  It rained the rest of the evening and into the next morning.  Our tent was on its last leg and leaked.  I had to cut open a large plastic bag we had been given to waterproof our gear and tape it to the outside of the tent.  I’m glad I made the decision to bring my own down sleeping bag, which is covered with Gore Dry Loft (a waterproof fabric that was made for sleeping bags).  We built a fire and everyone stood around it for the usual evening talking.  I had no real desire to do that since my 20 year old Marmot jacket was now soaked through and not giving me much water protection.  Jake, a former Marine and now a cop, slept under our dinning tarp which ripped with the weight of water on it and soaked him in his sleeping bag.  Most of use had little sleep that night.