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| Hiking | 7.70 Miles |
1,146 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.70 Miles | 3 Hrs 15 Mns | | 2.51 mph |
| 1,146 ft AEG | 11 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | My MT friend extended her stay so we got together for another hike. We met at Lucky Lou's/Thai Patio and then drove to the TH so as to pay one fee. When we told the ticket charger where we were going he put the fear of God in us and suggested the route was in really bad shape from the rains and there had been numerous rescues. WHAT?! In disbelief I continued to the TH parking and off we went. There were a lot more cars at the various lots than I thot there would be for a Tue afternoon.
I think we (Deborah and Duke) got started around 1:30. I like being able to hike in the afternoons and am taking advantage of that while I can. This time I didn't miss the turn to do the loop counterclockwise. I just like the view hiking east where you have the view of the western Supes. I guess I should try it the other way around but I also think it's better to hike up the rocky part of the trail rather than down it. I really do like the desert scenery out here.
We started to run into people around the Cat's Peak turnoff. I didn't realize that's where Cat's Peak was so hopefully one of these days I'll give that a spin. The peak looked very green. As we continued I would soon remark how surprised I was to see so many hikers out. This area is where we ran into most of the hikers for the day. Near here I asked a couple hikers about what the guy in the booth said about the condition of the trail and they laughed, said it was just fine. A little later one couple suggested we got a late start but I assured her we would be done before 5. We also had a nice breeze for most of the hike except for when starting north up the valley.
I love the views across the valley of all the saguaros; reminds me so much of Barkley Basin. However, you really had to stop to enjoy it because the trail is pretty darn rocky. We made our way up to Bulldog Saddle. I think whoever laid out the trail to there really did a great job as it's a nice grade and other than that slightly dicey part just before you get to the saddle, it's fairly easy. We took our second water break for Duke. He didn't drink much water though. We headed down the hill and the nicer trail. It was shady and thus why I had a long sleeve shirt as I remembered from last time that it was nippy on this Northeast side.
We enjoyed the views  as we descended; it's a longer descent than one realizes as you contour the side of the mountain in and out. We finally got to where the sun was shining for the last bit of the descent. I really like the hike from where you start heading south because the desert flora seems more numerous and intense; especially as the trail goes thru the little gullys. We stopped for one more water break for Duke where he finally drank a decent amount of water; and a photo op for me to take a picture of them with Pass Mountain in the background.
I'm a little nervous when Deborah is behind me because I keep remembering she was a pre-Olympic qualifier back in the 80s and then somehow it came up that she doesn't like to hike fast, ha! She also struggles a bit with the rockiness. It's nice to know that now. I actually thot I was keeping a faster pace than I was, even though that's difficult on a lot of this trail.
We got back to the TH and grabbed the Huckleberry Lager and two purple glasses and enjoyed the beer sitting under one of the Ramadas, so that was nice. Deborah had also brot some beer and clamato but we opted to go to the restaurant. We went back to the area we had met (Power and McKellips) hoping to eat outside at Lucky Lou's but they were full. However, the Thai Patio had outdoor seating right next door so we ended up eating there. Luckily, they did have beer and wine so we ordered a couple Bud Lights. The restaurant let us bring in our Clamato juice so we could have our Red Beers. The service and food was excellent. I was surprised Deb ate the whole thing; reminded me of Kelly. You runners can sure put the food down.
WATCH: 7.43 miles (high point 2710, low 1938) avg bpm 131, max 165 (9% at Zone 4 Anaerobic, 35% at Zone 3 aerobic and 56% at Zone 2 weight control burning 1295 calories. Starting temp 68 (just right) 13% humidity finishing at 4:39PM |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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