We climbed Evans 6/4/00: Donna, Jake and myself, David and Robin, Craig with his two huskies, Molly and Kayla. After some confusion whether we were to meet at the Echo Lake lodge or the picnic area, we found each other at 09:30. We drove up to Summit Lake and started the hike around the north end of the lake. We reached the head of the Chicago Basin and again I thought how nice a backpack up that valley would be.

Foto ©2000 by John C. Maki

Evans is a fine peak, even with the road and the tourists. Steep ridges all around, notches that drop straight down cliffs to the lake, nice solid rock. The granite is coarse and sharp, making for great footing but it's tough on the doggies' feet. After circling around the ridge above the Summit Lake bowl, we started up the steeper section of the Evans' west ridge. We made our way below the ridge on the south side, and the hike turned into more of a scramble. We had to help the dogs in a few places, sometimes they just needed encouragement, sometimes a boost. Poor Molly cut one of her hind feet, and we wrapped it up with a piece of t-shirt and medical tape. It was plain to see that this was going to slow us down, since Craig would have to carry her over many rough spots. Good thing she is lighter than Jake's 65 lbs! We decided that someone should go ahead to the summit, head down to the cars, and drive up to the summit to pick up Molly. We didn't really talk about who would go, but since I had been ahead of the group much of the way, Jake and I started walking, and I soon lost sight of the group. Now I had a reason to hurry besides the weather!

Thick clouds were rolling in to the summit, and though it didn't look like a storm was coming, visibility dropped down to 50-75 feet. Crowds of people started appearing, and I put Jake on his leash. We climbed up to the summit, where I had stood many times before, but always within a short distance of my car. We walked down to the parking lot, and wandered over to the edge where the trail down must be. I've never noticed a trail there, and wondered where it started. Two other hiking groups that had passed us earlier were also trying to find the trail, and one person asked a forest service employee where it was. He said that it wasn't really much of a trail, it just turned into a scree slope, and he didn't recommend that we try it in the fog. The other groups started hiking down the road, but I knew it was 5 miles down that way, and 1 mile down the slope. I decided to try the slope, and walked around to the north end of the ruined building, and started down. I soon lost sight of the parking lot area and all the people, but there were burned up pieces of wood, glass, and other garbage heaved down from the parking lot. Nice. I got out my compass and we headed northeast; my guidebook said when in doubt, head more to the east, so we did. After a while the scree ended and we were walking on talus, then on grassy slopes mixed with boulders. It was a surreal scene, like something out of Sherlock Holmes, on the moor. It actually became pleasant walking down on the grass, seeing only 50 feet ahead, no sign of civilization. Eventually we heard cars off to the east, and we walked that way and came out on the road, after wading through a small snowfield. Walking down the road, I took off my glasses since the mist was covering them, and my hair was getting wet. Cars were slowly making their way up and down the road - it was thick.

When I saw swampy ground on our left, I knew we were getting close, then suddenly there was the parking lot. I put Jake in the car, got out of the boots and into my sandals, and slowly drove up the hill to the summit. I passed the two groups of hikers, and noted they still had a couple miles to go. I found Donna right away, and all 5 of us piled into the car, with the three dogs. Molly was on the back seat floor, with her jaw up on the console, tooth hooked on the edge, and she looked like she was snarling. We passed the hikers again on the way down, and I was glad I didn't take the road. By the time we reached Summit Lake, Kayla was snoring. Everyone piled out, Craig brought me a beer, and we sat in the cars with the heaters on drinking the beer until we were ready to go.