Vesper Peak — Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023

Ahh, nothing like hiking! Just cruising along watching your random thoughts and daydreams float by with the ever-changing scenery...

THIS IS NOT THE TRAIL FOR THAT EXPERIENCE!

Every inch - up and down - of this trail is earned because it is either rocky, root-ridden, steep, or hard to navigate at any point in time. It demands concentration on every step. Case in point - Garmin calculated that I was “moving” for only 38 minutes on this activity that spanned 7 hours and 23 minutes. An average of 1.1 miles an hour. You will not cover a mile in 20 minutes on this trail*.   

HOWEVER!

This is an epic adventure with lots of variation in scenery as you climb out of the woods, to a fern-laden hillside, up the basin towards Headlee Pass, through the Sperry/Vesper basin, above Lake Elan, onto the granite, and up to the summit. Just remember to stop, pick your head up from where you are placing your feet and look around (not hard to do once above the lake and the air starts getting thin). 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Distance 7.34 miles (The scramble is very direct this year with no snow – I did this 9 years ago and had to get around a larger snow patch)

Elevation Gain 3,953ft

Average Temp: 84.5 F

Time: 6:33 Elapsed 7:23 (good hang at the summit)

3 liters of water consumed + 28oz Gatorade (ran out of liquid 2 miles from end)

2 Energy Gels + 1 Almond Butter Packet + 6 Handfuls Trail Mix + 1 Summit Sandwich

5 Parties encountered (including the rock climbers who arrived at the summit from the north-ish face of Vesper that faces Copper Lake)

115 Pictures Taken

1 Pika Spotted (countless more heard)

WHATABOUT THE ROAD?

I’ll take the 2-mile gravel road over the 10+ mile gravel roads needed to approach other hikes (I’m looking at you, Cascade Pass!). My 2004 Honda Civic handled it fine by driving with two wheels near the center and the others near the edge of the road. One needs to take it slow anyway on this road since it is narrow and oncoming traffic could cause problems. BONUS! When I reached the infamous pothole (.2 miles from the trailhead), I stopped, lined up my tires with the high parts of the hole, put it into 1^st, got over the hole without a bump, and WHOOOSH a (spotted?) owl flew out of the bushes right across my windshield and into the forest. I would not have had that experience if it weren’t for that pothole!    

*OK maybe YOU will if you are in crazy good shape, have incredible balance, and are acclimated to high altitude.