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| Hiking | 5.23 Miles |
1,100 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.23 Miles | 2 Hrs 20 Mns | | 2.24 mph |
| 1,100 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Peak #3 for the day was far more adventurous than the first two (Pole Knoll and Rose). We drove in 3/4 on the way to the Blue LO Trail, finding a very nice campsite perched on the edge of the rim. We threw up the tent, put Tanya inside so she could nap and enjoy the cool weather while I set off with Rincon for Blue Peak at 2 p.m. I walked the final mile of road to the TH and the fun began.
Now, I knew Lee's triplog and others indicated that the trail was in rough shape. I've also taken some flack over the years from certain HAZ members about always wearing long pants. This will show them. Thinking that I could evade downed logs and a faint trail with shorts on was all that was on my mind. Short version of the story: trail isn't hard to follow if you pay attention. Do not wear shorts. Doing so was a hilarious mistake. If you like raspberries, this trail is for you!
The bushes aren't that bad at first, in fact the first half mile is just a little scratchy, but not bad. Easy going. Then you contour on the north side of the ridge before starting the final climb, the trail making its way through the first of an endless sea of raspberry patches to the top. By the time I felt the sting in the legs, I'd already gone down a couple thousand skin cells and a few rivulets of blood were already showing. The lookout was also tantalizingly close. If I turned around now, I'd still be scratched up and itchy. Further, Rincon was just able to duck under the tall bushes with ease: he was watching me curse and thrash with confusion since nothing was blocking his way. I threw my chips on the table: all in. Of course, the bushes just grew taller and thicker as we went up, culminating in a jungle right before the summit that seemed almost impenetrable.
The best part? I could snack as I cursed and thrashed! I must have eaten 500 raspberries, and kept feeding them to Rincon, who had to have been inwardly laughing at the spectacle. Found the register: Lee was the last one to have signed in with Cup and Blanco. Put Rincon and I's names up there too and thrashed, cursed, and snacked on raspberries back down, weirdly enjoying it. |
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Route Editor
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