| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 12.34 Miles |
3,246 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.34 Miles | 8 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.52 mph |
| 3,246 ft AEG | 15 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | Headed up to Flag to escape the heat for a 2nd weekend in a row - slightly longer drive this time, with a bit of dirt involved. The roads were smooth, as if they were freshly graded. Parking for the traihead is a bit further down the road than was indicated on tracks that I had downloaded for reference - so as long as your vehicle can make it, continue onward until you see the trailhead sign, complete with map and information about the 2000 Pumpkin Fire.
After gathering our things and putting on our trail shoes, we set off on the Pumpkin Trail, which begins its climb shortly after leaving the trailhead. The trail is easy to follow, and quickly enters the burn area following a drainage to a saddle before skirting along a wide open cirque-like basin and the junction with the connector trail. Once on the connector, the trail tread disappears and reappears periodically in the vegetation, though routefinding is relatively straightforward with a downloaded track in hand. The route contours around the basin, heading for another saddle on the other side with views of Kendrick in the distance.
After hitting the second saddle, views of Kendrick become more prominant, and the trail drops into the upper reaches of bull basin before beginning a gradual climb to hit the junction with the Bull Basin trail. We found a nice shaded spot to grab a quick bite to eat before continuing on with our ascent.
The Bull Basin Trail was well established and mostly easy to follow (a few sections required searching for the tread and partially obscured cairns, especially in sections with deadfall) - for the most part, it's a nicely graded, gradual climb up to the kendrick fire cabin. The trails thus far have been predominantly unsheltered from sun or wind...the fire having taken all the tree cover. Eventually, the trail enters some sections thick with aspen with occasional pines interspersed. As the trail continued to climb, I realized that the large plume and cloud to the north was the Dragon Bravo Fire, which has been continuing to grow with high winds and plenty of dry fuel. Kendrick with its Fire Tower also continued to feature prominently in the views when not obscured by aspen trees.
After steadily climbing for a while, we arrived at the clearing with the Kendrick Cabin and stopped for a brief break before continuing on to the summit and the fire lookout. On the way up, we passed 4 folk heading back down via the Kendrick trail. Views from the top were wonderful - unfortunately the lookout has a couple broken windows that need tending to. After getting our photo fix in, we headed down via the Pumpkin trail.
Trail conditions were fairly good, with the trail descending steeply. There were some deadfalls that required negotiation - and a few spots where the trail was faint enough to require some work to stay on it. While the connector trail stayed low, the Pumpkin trail follows the ridgeline around the cirque basin to eventually descend to the trail junction where we split off for our lollipop loop.
We were lucky with some cloud cover and winds to keep us cool during the mostly exposed hike. The winds at times were quite strong, triggering the environmental noise warning on my watch on the descent when they were the strongest. Definitely glad that I reviewed previous trip reports to opt into doing the loop in a clockwise direction - dealing with the worst of the route finding earlier rather than later combined with the more gradual ascent was appreciated. Definitely a nice escape from the low valley heat! |
|
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
|
|
| _____________________
Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
