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| Hiking | 19.58 Miles |
4,371 AEG |
| | Hiking | 19.58 Miles | 11 Hrs 4 Mns | | 1.95 mph |
| 4,371 ft AEG | 1 Hour 1 Min Break | | | |
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| partners | | I'd been wanting a longer hike...and this one certainly fit the bill. When I was much younger, I'd done the Half Moon/Rock Creek/Divide/Barnhardt loop...so that was under consideration, until we eyeballed the total AEG  As it was, we were anticipating a finish after dark (spoiler alert: the last mile and a half were completed with headlamps).
We got to the trailhead with the sun imminently popping over the horizon - saw a couple vehicles parked along the road in, but no one else at the trailhead. We weren't really certain what to expect from a water-flow perspective, but were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of water around along with some ice and snow for variety. There were a couple sections along Barnhardt (especially past the falls in the contoury bit to the saddle where it hits the Divide Trail) where traction aids might have been welcome, but they didn't last very long and we were able to negotiate them carefully.
We stopped to check out both Hawaiian Mist and Big Kahuna as we passed - and also slowed to admire Jacob's work along Sandy Saddle. There are some sections of Barnhardt where the plants are reaching out to get a little friendly, though the path is still clear enough. With all the moisture on the ground, there are sections that are soft and muddy - they'll probably continue to be that way for a while as long as there's still snowmelt to keep things damp.
We hit the junction with the Divide Trail / AZT and continued on - the initial descent was a blend of rocky, muddy, and submerged...tried to walk carefully to fling the least amount of mud as possible while also trying to keep my feet dry by stepping on larger rocks amidst the mud and water. There were a lot more grasses than I remembered as we descended towards Chilson Spring and Camp. The hike out towards Sandy Saddle provided some nice views of the cliffy bits of the Deadman drainage. We made it to the hop-off point and dropped into the creekbed to have a look at the twin falls. Both were flowing beautifully - and the canyoneer in me was wishing I'd had the gear to drop the falls and explore below. Alas, another time perhaps - after the trip, while reviewing other previous triplogs it looks like there's a non technical way to have a look at things via a loop - I'll have to give my feet some time to recover and forget their ordeal - they were rather sore at the end of the day after all the rocky trail walking.
After taking in the views and taking some time for a refuel, we headed back down to the car. No other people out, and while we didn't see any wildlife, there were deer prints along the trail and we definitely followed the footsteps of a cat (or two) for a bit. It was a bit odd to see butterflies flitting around shortly after crossing sections of snow and ice, but there were some looking around for flowers (which were definitely in short supply).
A long, but beautiful hike. Was super glad to catch things with fantastic flow!
As an aside, I'm somewhat fascinated now about how different algorithms calculate mileage and AEG - I ran RS and my watch in parallel and got some very different numbers. Exported and imported both to check what stats they give me via different tools and all I've managed to conclude is that I need to decide which one I want to go with to stay consistent with how my stats get calculated.
Method: Miles/AEG
RS: 19.58mi / 4371ft
Apple Health (via apple watch/workouts): 18.9mi / 3821ft
Strava (auto import via watch): 18.97mi / 5937ft (yeah, something has gone strange lately with how Strava or my watch is calculating AEG - I've noticed this on several hikes)
Strava GPX imported into HAZ: 21.38mi / 3464ft
RS GPX imported into Strava: 19.61mi / 3148ft |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Garden Seep |
Quart per minute |
Quart per minute |
| | | Water flowing across the trail | | _____________________
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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As it was, we were anticipating a finish after dark (spoiler alert: the last mile and a half were completed with headlamps).
