Not Recommended Pass and Also Not Recommended Pass

Long day. Got moving reasonably early. Just as I was crossing the grassy open area to reach the bigger Your Creek, I saw a cabin nearby, so I went to investigate. To my surprise, hunting guides are allowed to have permanent structures in the Refuge. The door was unlocked but I didn't go in. It definitely was stocked, and a bear had gotten in to the other cabin storage area, so that was a mess. Anyway, good to know if I were to get injured, as there was an airstrip as well. 

I quickly reached the bed of Your Creek and then it was good walking most of the day. Nice and wide, with plenty of backchannels that had tons of game tracks. Part of the creek still had snow, but the flat hard kind that happens on flat slow water (there has to be a word for it). It's great walking. (There was also a third, smaller, cabin building there.)

I saw at least three rabbits, a half dozen ptarmigan, a Canada Jay, and bear, wolf and moose tracks (but no live big game). It was a nice balance--enough brush to make animals happy, but not too much to make bushwhacking nasty.

I passed up two easier passes on the Divide and finally headed up one just shy of the source of Your Creek. The drainage turned into a bit of a narrow gorge, which was tricky, but snowbridges over the creek helped, and just plain walking in the creek cascade got it done.

I reached my chute to the pass and found a mostly rock way up, avoiding snow. Right as I finally got to around 6100 feet, I saw mist rolling over the ridge just a few hundred feet away. Wow that looks cool! Oh wait, shit, that's weather coming, we better boogy. I looked at GPS and realized CRAP I'd summited a gully or two too far down the drainage and needed to climb the ridge because the pass I was at wasn't on the Divide, just a bowl I'd passed beneath earlier this morning. I scrambled up the ridge, and contoured, and finally made it to the right ridge, if not where I'd initially planned to be. The slope angle shading showed no cliffs, but as I was doing the finally bit of ridge traverse, the mist became a near whiteout, and small hail or graupel started falling. 

Fuck! Am I gonna have to bivy on this stupid ridge, because I can't see down? 

It cleared briefly so that I could see a rock way down (there was plenty of snow I wanted to avoid). I went for the somewhat controlled rock and mudslide way down, and after 1500 feet or so, I was able to stop on level ground and gather myself. Of course, as soon as I was down, the sun came out. 

The drainage was very rocky but I was able to stay out of the snow and avoid getting cliffed out. I found a nice bench at 4,000 feet and set up camp. I'm now on the north side of the Divide, and should I choose it, there's a very easy pass back to the south a few miles away. The high point (6100'+) is done, hopefully the hardest part with it.

Four full days left!