Gothic Basin, Del Campo Peak — Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025

Sammy the Salmon Sushi here!
Today I got to see Foggy Lake, it was very nice.
I wonder why they call it Foggy Lake though - there was no fog, just a bright sunny day!
Names should describe something well, like my name, Sammy the Salmon Sushi.
It makes sense because I'm a Salmon Sushi.

Anyway, someone left a nice Sammy size flag marking the trail - thanks!
I also got to see some GIANT MUSHROOMS!

Sammy signing off!

P.S. Notes from Sammy's human:

-Road to the trailhead was good. There is one spot on Mountain Loop Highway that is loose gravel and there's a bump when transitioning. It's right after the 25 mph Speed Limit sign.

-Parking area notes that it's a High Prowl area and there was some broken glass on the floor.

-Lots of water on the trail and a good number of small water crossings. I managed fine with waterproof trail runners (although on the way out at the last big water crossing, a rock shifted and I did get a little wet).

-Snow started around 3600 ft. Lots of areas with a mix of rock and water/snow/ice, but no major obstacles. Pretty good boot pack up until Gothic Basin. But forecast to be a bit warmer tomorrow (11/9/25), so might be a bit slopper, especially by the late afternoon.

-Around Gothic Basin, started postholing, so gaiters were helpful. In that phase of the shoulder season where snowshoes may or may not have been helpful (I brought them, but the straps ended up breaking when I went to put them on. Good reminder to check your gear if it hasn't been used in a while...)

-Went up to Foggy Lake, but that last steep section was a bit tricky because sometimes I punched down quite a bit. An annoyance on the way up, but more of an issue on the way down, especially if you're trying to plunge step down.

-Was considering a scramble up one of the peaks, but as I was having lunch by Foggy, heard and saw small bits of snow melting off the rock, so decided against it. Brought an ice axe, but don't know how useful it would have been given the patchy snow. Also realized later that I forgot to bring a helmet.