A Better Than Expected Bedtime Story: The Mountain Goat, the Draft Horse, and Cloudripper

Once upon a time, Mountain Goat said to the Draft Horse, "Let's climb a mountain together". 

"Which one?", replied Draft Horse.

"Cloudripper. It is the highest peak in the Inconsolable Range. I have wanted to climb it for the longest time". 

"Oooh, it sounds scary", responded Draft Horse. "Is it perfectly pointy? Fearfully far? Horribly high?". Draft Horse was uncertain as Mountain Goat, was, well, mountainy. She could skip from rock to rock in perfect balance with nary a hair out of place, looking graceful and stylish. Draft Horse was excellent at lumbering but not so much skipping. And as for style, well... 

"It's horribly high and fearfully far but there's an easy, secret way up to the pointy bit. You can do it, Draft Horse, I just know it".

Draft Horse was not convinced but as Mountain Goat was her friend, she agreed to try.

And so it was that in the light of a late August dawn, Mountain Goat and Draft Horse set off up the trail. Very shortly, however, the trail started to descend. It wound down steadily along the forested hillside.

"Oh no," said Draft Horse. "Shouldn't we be going up?" 

"Quite right," replied Mountain Goat. "This will be uphill at the end of the day and it's going to hurt. But please just wait while I adjust my hat. I am a smidgen too cool and need to put on my beanie." 

 After a time, the trail indeed began to climb and Draft Horse and Mountain Goat played the game of "Ask the other person lots of questions so that they will have to reply and I can breathe". It was an excellent game. It passed the time exceptionally well. Halfway up Mountain Goat paused to remove a layer as she was a smidgen too hot. 

Soon enough, they reached first Brown Lake and then Green Lake. "What imaginative names!", cried the two adventurers, wondering at the creativity of the namers. They faced a big decision at Green Lake - should they scramble up the short but steep ghastly gully, or continue along the long but languorous twisty trail? "I'm really not very scrambly like you, Mountain Goat".

The gully above Green Lake leading to Vagabond Peak. No thanks!

And so they continued on up the twisty trail up the slope above the lake. First there was a long ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig. The "g" was a large black rock. Then there was a zaaaaaaaaaaaag, followed by a little ziggy, and a tiny zaggy. The zigzags had looked horrendous, but turned out to be better-than-expected. That brought them to a wide open flattish expanse. It was barren and covered with rocks. This was the land of Grunion Plateau, pop. 3 or maybe 5 jackrabbits (and now a Mountain Goat and Draft Horse), elevation 12 067, founded in 1979.

"Have we walked to the moon?" asked Draft Horse. 

"It certainly looks like it. Boy, I am really feeling a teensy bit cool again. Let me put back on another layer", replied Mountain Goat. 

"And I am really feeling a teensy bit thirsty," commented Draft Horse, who at that precise moment realized that she had forgotten to filter water at Green Lake which was now far, far below. "Bugger. I only have a little bit of water, Mountain Goat!" 

Mountain Goat reassured Draft Horse, "You can share mine because you're my friend. I even have some Exceptional Electrolytes". And so off they went again.

Wildflowers so it can't be the moon

A little later, they came upon a post, standing like a lonely sentinel on the high plateau. 

"Our guidebook says to turn right at the post," exclaimed Draft Horse. "Do you think that this could be the right post for the right turn?" She pulled out a photograph of the post. They both stared at it intently. They looked around. The post was the highest point for a long way.

Mountain Goat scratched her pretty head, thinking hard. "I think it just could be the one! Let's turn right. But first of all, it's getting just a little bit too warm. I think I need to put on my sunhat."

The Mountain Goat in her sunhat contemplates whether the post is The Post. Tricky navigation!

Off they trotted together, away from the trail and over the horizon, Mountain Goat skipping and Draft Horse lumbering across the sea of rocks. , Fortunately, they were not tippy rocks and the pair sauntered speedily along. It was better-than-expected.

Better than expected, not too tippy rocks suitable for a Draft Horse

But there was a mountain in the way. "Vagabond Peak? What a boring name. Let's go around it," proposed Mountain Goat. And that seemed like a perfect plan until the pair came to the edge. They looked down. It was very steep. They looked up. It was very steep. But it was the only way. "Bugger," groaned Draft Horse, whose lumpy legs were beginning to feel fatigued. But Mountain Goat, being very mountainy, found a way up. It was better-than-expected.

Not going that way, up over Vagabond instead. But there is Cloudripper!

At the top, they finally gazed out at their destination. Cloudripper was living up to its name. Some disagreeable, dark clouds had been threatening but they were no match for this peak and had scurried away surreptitiously before being ripped apart. One last descent and one final scramble lead our intrepid team to the summit. Or at least, a tall pointy bit. It seemed a perfect perch for lunch. 

The Draft Horse definitely sitting and not standing on the pointy bit

And for another costume change for Mountain Goat. They admired the view. It was better-than-expected. Far below on each side were strings of lakes like precious jewels on a necklace. Lofty sawtooth ridges connected other peaks as far as the eye could see. It was a magnificent spot.

The Palisades. Palisade glacier, the Seven lakes, and Temple Crag to the south

View to the northwest, in from South Lake

Draft Horse decided to celebrate by eating her one special treat - a delicious, crunchy, sweet, and juicy apple. There was not much water left, and her sandwiches were particularly dry. She set the apple on her lap but was momentarily distracted by the jaw-dropping vista. The Naughty Apple sensed its opportunity for escape and dove down into the depths of the summit boulders. "Bugger," swore Draft Horse. 

 After a rest and a costume change, Mountain Goat suggested scrambling to the actual summit further along the sharp ridge line. As usual, she danced across daringly, not at all bedazzled by the air beneath her feet.

The Mountain Goat pauses in her frolicking along the ridgeline

Draft Horse, followed with some trepidation, grasping her poles tightly. But they were more of a hindrance than a help. 

"Oh Draft Horse," exclaimed Mountain Goat, "those truly are your security blankie!". 

Poles are not helping the Draft Horse here!

But eventually, the two stood (or rather Mountain Goat stood In her usual elegant way and Draft Horse half sat, holding on tightly to the rocks) at the tippy top of the pointiest part of Cloudripper and felt exceptionally pleased with themselves.

But of course, the summit is only halfway up, and they had yet to get down, and sometimes it was hard to find a way, and Mountain Goat almost forgot that they needed to go back over the top of Vagabond, and they completely ran out of water, and Mountain Goat needed three more adjustments to her wardrobe ("Oh Mountain Goat, perhaps you should consider garments made from the wool of our friend, Merino Sheep? They will keep you both warm and cool", suggested Draft Horse), and Draft Horse just went on lumbering, and they conversed about many matters, both big and small, and they stopped at the lake to dip their fetid feet in the cool water, and there was the final uphill bit at the very, very end which turned out to be better-than-expected, but finally, after an age, they reached the end. "Hurray, we made it!" they rejoiced, drinking some tasty refreshments and eating sweet, juicy pineapple. "It was definitely better-than-expected", they thought, but then again, it usually is with friends.

Thanks to Wendy Schneider for an exceptional day in the hills. Hoping for many more to come. 

Cloudripper (4122m/13,525ft) from South Lake: 

24km/15 miles, 1585m/5200ft elevation gain, 10.5 hours.