Hell for Sure 2022

Wilderness: John Muir Wilderness
Trail system: Blackcap Trail to Hell for Sure Trail and Mosquito Pass Trail
Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 76 F and a lows of 45 F to 50 F. One thunderstorm on the afternoon of day 4.

Day 1
From Courtright, take the Dusey-Ershim 4×4 trail to Voyager Rock campground. Park your vehicle at the back and find an old metal gate laying on the ground. Follow the trail/road to Chamberlains camp where you meet up with the Maxon trail at the wilderness boundary. Leaving from Voyager shaves about 2 miles off your hike. If you are unable to drive to Voyager, you can park at the Dusey trail head and hike the 4×4 route until you meet up with the trail.
The trail from Voyager to Fleming lake is about 10.5 miles. In the beginning, you will hike up the mountain until you hit the fork that goes to Hobler lake. Stay right and continue down the trail another 4 miles until you come to the Post Corral creek. From here you are at the half-way point. It’s all uphill from here and contains the hardest part of the trail. Once you reach the top, you will find Fleming lake.
Due to my recent back surgery, I was not able to make the whole 10 miles and had to stop short at about 6. The boys went ahead and I caught up the next day with them at Fleming Lake.

Day 2
After getting to camp, we unpacked and setup for base camp. It was a beautiful day about 72 F as we just relaxed and repaired our legs from the previous days hike.

Day 3
Day three is lake day. We find all the lakes in the area and then come up with a plan to visit as many as we can. This year, we hiked to Rae lake, up to Lower Indian Lake and then Upper Indian Lake. Rae Lake wasn’t that good for fishing but we struck gold at Lower Indian Lake. Bright blue skies, little fluffy clouds and a gentle breeze through the evergreen meadows.
We took our time getting home and ended the days with a nice cooked meal and relaxation.

Day 4
Peak day is really my favorite day during the trip. There is nothing more exciting than climbing up to 12,000 feet and looking down at the world. The expanses are never-ending. On our way to Red Mountain via the Hell for Sure pass, we visited Disappointment Lake and then Hell for Sure Lake. Afterwards, we started our long climb up to Red Mountain. After taking a break and eating a snack we decided to head out as the skies were filling with thunderheads. About a mile from camp, it started raining and hailing. When you are in the heart of that thunder, you really feel it vibrating in your chest. After spending some time drying off, we called it a day and hit the sack.

Day 5
Kike-out day is always bittersweet. We are definitely missing our families but a large part of us knows we could just stay out there forever. After getting some breakfast and packing up camp, we started the long hike out to head into civilization.