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| Hiking | 14.17 Miles |
2,423 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.17 Miles | 7 Hrs 14 Mns | | 2.20 mph |
| 2,423 ft AEG | 48 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | With the wind forecast looking slightly questionable, but the need and desire to get outside, we decided to head out to the Mormon Grove TH to have a look at the views from the other side of Saddle Mountain. We passed sevaral folk camped out along the main road, and found one other vehicle already at the trailhead when we arrived.
Temps were nice...and there was a slight breeze as we headed out. When we hit the junction with the AZT, we did a short detour, heading over to the saddle that overlooks the Marion Spring area, enabling J to mark that section of the AZT as completed. After a brief stop to take photos, we made our way back to continue on our way along the Saddle Mountain Trail.
Aside from an easily bypassed deadfall, the trail remains the same as I remember it from the last time we were in the area about a year ago, though I'd managed to forget how steep that descent is down into McFarland Canyon. After a brief break amidst the pines, we continued on our way, shaking our heads at the sticks that had been placed across the Sheep Creek Trail at the junction with the AZT as it peels off to head towards Thicket Spring. The section of trail out to Squaw Flat was mildly brushy, with a couple easily negotiated deadfall (both new within the last year).
The further we got from Squaw Flat, the conditions of the trail deteriorated with encroaching overgrowth - especially within the burn region. There are cairns placed to help guide the way, and we were able to stay on track for the most part. Eventually, we climbed to a region that wasn't affected by the burn, and the trail opened up and became easier to follow - as we hit a small saddle before the trail was set to start descending, the path seemed to disappear into thickets of scrub oak and manzanita, with no apparent rhyme nor reason to the cairn placement that we could discern. We spent some time pushing through the scrub to find an area to take in the views before making our way back.
While the hike back was uneventful, it definitely seemed warm with the winds completely disappearing. While my legs took on plenty of superficial scrapes, I was spared any blood letting - the local flora having decided that J had provided sufficient blood sacrifice to cover both of us  .
Wildlife: Plenty of birdsong along with a decent number of butterflies.
Other People: none! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
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