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| Hiking | 13.41 Miles |
3,185 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.41 Miles | 8 Hrs 34 Mns | | 1.66 mph |
| 3,185 ft AEG | 28 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Wally and I got started around 6:15 from the Peralta TH in the dark. Just past the 1 mile mark we didn't need headlamps anymore and soon after the daylight was upon us. We got to Freemont Saddle before seeing other hikers, but I could a group catching up to us. Once we were on the other side of the saddle we were back in the shade and the hikers weren't on our heels anymore. Near Freemont Saddle there were several spots with ice on the trail, either from frozen puddles or the trickling water across the trail that froze.
The Peralta Trail is nearly half this hike, which I forgot. I've done this twice before and it's been at or over a decade between each time, so my memory fades with age. Along Peralta near the camps the hikers caught up with us again, but they were actually climbers, and soon got off the trail and headed up to summit Weaver's Needle. Saw a few more hikers along Peralta before making the turn onto LDT and heading up another hill.
At the junction of LDT and Terrapin we took lunch. The hike up Terrapin in this direction is mostly uphill, with a couple valleys to walk through. The first climb to Terrapin Pass is the worst, steep with loose rock. After that, the uphills are a shallow slope and solid footing, which I don't mind. Along this trail I heard a yell, which I think was the climbers as they summitted Weaver's Needle. At first I thought it might a bird or an animal, but when I looked at the summit, I spotted a sun reflection off of a camera or phone or something, so I knew the climbers were there. I called out to Wally and he spotted them too. I managed to get a couple decent shots of them for as far away as we were.
The downhill parts of the hike after Bluff Saddle were as bad the uphill parts, or worse. Part of getting older. None of it was that bad, it's just that uphill isn't as bad anymore for me, and downhill hurts the joints and feet. Talked to a hiker who passed us who had just flown in from Pittsburgh and was in for the weekend.
got back to the TH after 2:30, making for over 8 hours for the day. I remember this hike taking that long 13 years ago, it didn't take too much more time this many years later, which is good. Temps were very cool the entire time, which helped pay off the gamble I made to pack less water. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
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The forest service guys at the trailhead mentioned recent big horn sightings but none were seen.
