The temperatures were a little warm and the humidity was a bit high to call this a perfect time to do this trip, but all things considered we had some great weather for the unpredictable monsoon season. On the drive there I learned of the disturbing and unearthly history of the "mystery box".

I am not sure if the General Crook Trail deserves the name "trail" as it appeared to be wandering through the woods with occasional sight of a tree blaze, but the woods were pleasant enough for strolling. We stopped for lunch at a great view over the rim and headed onto the Houston Brothers trail where we finally found the fern filled valleys and great trail system that make up the majority of the cabin loops. I was under the impression that the west loop was a bit longer than it turned out to be, so we made it to the cool, spring-fed luxery of the Aspen Meadow earlier than expected. After finishing our gourmet dinners, we bird watched and did a little reading until the sun set. Finally, with partly cloudy skies, I mostly listened to the expert astronomer, Madame Butterfly herself, point out a few of the visible stars, without being able to see the full constellations. I hope some of the night photos turn out!

After a very pleasant and warmer than expected night, we solved a minor backpack strap issue and completed the west cabin loop, including the side trail to Fred Haught Cabin. This included some toad-chasing good times and finished under darkening monsoon skies, but before any rain.

All in all a great weekend on an easy 2 day loop with some great company!