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| Hiking | 13.20 Miles |
3,500 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.20 Miles | 7 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 3,500 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | After arriving in the park I knew I would want to do something besides the more touristy hikes. I started to research Mount Washington, but little came back of use. One source mentioned something called, "the magic grove". The name intrigued me.
Back at the visitor center on GBNP day 3, I let the ranger know I did not use the permit I got for a cross country trek to Washington due to the weather and a high storm risk. It rained and there was lightning that afternoon, so I made the right choice. While talking to the ranger, Steve, and asking about the grove on Eagle Peak, and Washington, I asked where was the grove known as the magic grove, but I called it the Magnificent Grove, forgetting the name I read online. He said, "you mean the magic grove?", and took out his phone and showed me the photo of the same pine that appears on the park map. Yes, that was it. He filled me in on the Snake Divide Trail, it being under construction, and that there are some old roads and lots of easy to follow ridge to get to the grove, and so I knew that Friday I was headed for magic, I mean to the Magic Grove.
Everything was really easy to find and follow, save for one section of trail being built, but it has flagging for most of that area, except I couldn't see some in a small part, and so headed to the ridge. Continuing on, I ran back in to the flags, and then I ended up following the easiest path, which by coincidence was the flagged route where the trail will be. Nearing the grove, I spooked a small heard of female and young bighorn sheep, no one else was out here.
I entered the grove and began looking for the tree. Storm clouds were light, and nothing threatening was close, so I had time. After locating the tree, which was easy to to do, I went on to Mount Washington, since it got me out here and interested in this grove in the first place. It is an interesting summit. The day was waning, so I went down and back through the grove. A storm was starting to the north, and there was some cloud to ridge lightning about 3 times, so I didn't linger and hang out as much as I wanted, but that was OK. I made a pretty good descent time, back by 7 PM, despite leaving the grove nearly at 5.
I may have done Wheeler the day before, but this was the highlight of Great Basin National Park. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Route Editor
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