Stafford Creek #1359,Navaho Pass #1369

The fear of continued cold and rain drove us east of the crest. We were rewarded with sun and heat aplenty. The Stafford Creek Trail is dusty and poopy thanks to horse riders and a few illegal motorcycle riders. We camped in a swampy, bug infested meadow at the junction with Standup Creek Trail, about four miles in. We had passed a nice camp twenty minutes back, but darkness was closing in. My experiment with no sleeping bag camping left a lot to be desired. The next morning we left for the final two miles to Navaho Pass. The views of the rock guardians of the Enchantment basin were stunning. I felt compelled to finish the climb up Navaho Peak, but was dissuaded by my companions. This is really just a dayhike we turned into an overnight. I recommend sucking it up, and doing the six miles, 3000' gain in one day. (It's an additional one and a half miles, 1200' to the summit of Navaho Peak.) The only thing more maddening than the wimpy ten percent grade was the mosquitos! They ate us alive! We did see an abundance of flowers, and even more wildlife. The highlight was the 10,000 butterflies that seemed to be following us. No snow anywhere.