Day 3. Backpacking Day 2.
Siberian Plateau to Lower Crabtree Meadow

Up early, I hit the trail and hiked down off the Siberian Plateau 2.8 miles into Rock Creek Canyon on a fairly easy trail. After following Rock Creek downstream for a mile, the trail crossed the creek and climbed out of the valley at a pretty steep clip. There was a camp area at the creek crossing, which was empty, and I stopped for a rest and snacks.

I crossed Rock Creek and hiked north climbing towards Guyot Pass. I stopped for lunch at Guyot Creek and did a little bird watching. The area was pretty dry, so birds came from a wide area to drink here.

After lunch, I continued up towards Guyot Pass and passed a small crowd coming down without packs. It turns out that using mules to haul your gear is a popular mode of "backpacking" these days. They were heading for the campsite at the Rock Creek crossing.

I arrived at Guyot Pass, but with two strings of pack mules arriving from the other side, I stepped aside into a crowd of about 10 hikers (an extended family) coming south. In chatting with them, I learned that they were hiking out tomorrow, so I asked if they had any extra batteries they could give up. They did and generously gave me more batteries than I would ever need. I didn't want the extra weight, but they really wanted to help me out.

From the pass, I continued north and dropped into and crossed Guyot Flat, eventually arriving at Lower Crabtree Meadow where I stopped for the night.

I spent a fair bit of the afternoon and evening chatting with the guys next door. I'd realized by now that hiking in this area was a wild experience, but not a wilderness experience, so engaging with the neighbors was the best option. I forget their names, but they were interesting characters and generous with their snacks and hot beverages.