Base of Knapsack Pass to Sapphire Lake
Distance: 30km Elevation Gain: 1,172m
I went inside the hut to check it out. It was almost completely dark inside and water dripped from the ceiling here and there. About 30 seconds after I walked in I heard a noise and realized there was another person in the hut with me.
His name was John and he was inside his sleeping bag laying on the perimeter seating. John had been hiking but during a sunny break he walked off the trail to have a break and spread out his tent to dry. Afterwards he walked back to the trail and continued hiking for about an hour until he realized he had forgotten his tent back in the woods. John hurried back but couldn’t find the spot where he had left the trail. He searched until he felt his only option was to hike up to the hut and wait until the weather improved thus allowing him to sleep under the stars as he hiked on. He had lots of food, clothing and a satellite messaging device so he would manage but how unfortunate for him, it could happen to anybody. The rains continued on for the next 3 days and I wondered how things went for him.
Leaving the hut I walked away but was struck by a feeling of paranoia. Did I put MY tent back in my pack after that break today? I had to check. Yep, there it was. Feeling comforted I carried on to finish another 7km before camping and having dinner beside Sapphire Lake.