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| Hiking | 4.20 Miles |
1,254 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.20 Miles | 4 Hrs 8 Mns | | 1.02 mph |
| 1,254 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This started out as an exercise hike up and back on the highly popular Tom's Thumb Trail. But I decided to make it more interesting by making a counterclockwise lollipop loop using the climber's trail past the Lost Wall to reach the top of the ridge west of the Thumb. I've taken this route twice in the past but that was eight years ago and always in the clockwise direction. If I'd planned on taking this route before leaving home I would have downloaded my gps track from the last of those treks just to make sure I didn't get lost in the maze of large boulders on the south side of the Thumb. But I figured the route finding would be obvious helped by my memory of those past hikes.
Once leaving the Tom's Thumb trail on the climber trail I didn't encounter another person until reaching the east side of the thumb. The climber's trail is easy going at the beginning as it crosses the small valley to reach the ridge. But it quickly becomes difficult and somewhat hazardous as it starts the steep climb up to the ridge top due to an abundance of slippery loose gravel. The frequent boulders blocking the trail forced me into a scramble on all fours and some high stepping that was hard on my ancient knees. But going up was definitely less hazardous than going down. Once reaching the ridge top there is a fairly well worn trail heading towards the Thumb. The astounding views both north and south, the solitude of this section of the route and the challenges climbing the steep section are the highlights of this hike.
The ridge line trail headed towards the south side of the first large granite formation in front of the Thumb but at a fork in the trail in the large boulder field my memory of the route failed me. In fact I wasn't sure whether my previous treks had gone on the south or north side of the Thumb. The upper fork soon faded as the users started walking/scrambling across the boulders. The lower fork could be seen for about 50 yds before disappearing in the boulders so I decided to take that route - Wrong! WARNING, don't use my track from this hike to find your way around the Thumb! I soon found myself lost in the maze with frequent backtracking as each attempt got blocked by a vertical wall of boulders and I was forced to attempt a route lower on the hillside. After many blocked attempts and struggling over boulders I finally reached the east side of the Thumb and started down the well maintained Tom's Thumb trail to return to the trailhead. However my progress was slowed by my now protesting left knee and I got to meet and greet the many other hikers passing me in both directions. Still, it was a much more enjoyable hike than just another up and back on the main trail. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Only a few isolated patches of poppies. |
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