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| Hiking | 16.98 Miles |
2,823 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.98 Miles | 8 Hrs 17 Mns | | 2.49 mph |
| 2,823 ft AEG | 1 Hour 28 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | With temps in the uncomfortable range and the higher elevations either a longer drive than preferred or closed due to fire danger, I thought that we could get a few miles in the 8000-foot range. I really enjoy the southeast ridge approach to Hutch, though the last hundred yards before the tower is a little bit dense. The northwest ridge has more deadfall and mess but also some old track to follow.
If fire should ever come to this area, there'd be no stopping it. Ample ladder fuels and dense canopy provide the ingredients for a disaster. For now, it's lush and green with plenty of shade.
As we headed downhill toward Pine, the character of the forest changes quickly with just a few hundred feet of elevation. It also ended up being the warmest part of our day. By about 2pm however, cloudiness had provided full relief, and a few stray sprinkles pretended to help.
I hadn't been up Pine before, we found some old two tracks on the south ridge that brought us to within a couple hundred feet of the summit. The forest adjacent to the summit ridge was quite enjoyable and we took a nice break here. Reports of the north slope and official track being very steep and overgrown with oak and locust encouraged us to test a new route down the ridge heading due north. This was a delightful descent through nicely spaced pondo and just a little bit of oak before reaching the AZT. I would recommend this ridge for anybody accessing the peak from this side.
We made quick time through Bargaman and instead of a road walk, explored up a parallel drainage toward Schell Spring. This was unexpectedly narrow but we were pleased to find a very rough old two track, which was perfectly suitable for foot travel.
My frozen water bottle helped keep my thermometer in the 50s, though for a brief sunny spell it notched 90. Mostly it was in the low 80s when the sun was out. |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
