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| Hiking | 17.11 Miles |
4,864 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.11 Miles | 9 Hrs 5 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 4,864 ft AEG | 44 Mns Break | | | |
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| Partners |
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| partners | | We (Joe, Katie, and I) got started from the Kendrick trailhead around 0720. Temps were refreshing, breeze was light. Steady hike uphill while we chatted. It seemed to me that one lower portion of the trail was rockier than I remembered, but overall still in great shape.
Took a quick break at the cabin, then continued up to the summit. Took another break to enjoy the views. Crystal clear air today, no haze in any direction. There was a “you’re doing better than I expected” comment made, which was funny because I then made the assurance I would lower my performance back down to expectations on the second uphill.
After the summit, we headed down Pumpkin trail. Steep at the top, lots of grass obscuring the trail in places, but the nice views make up for it. All of the aspen are about prime right now, of which there are a lot more of them along this trail than I had realized. Saw one deer or elk off through the trees. There was one patch of deadfall lower down that hides the trail for a short stretch, it’s easy to get over/around, but you do have to search for the cairns. After that, Pumpkin opens up and is an easy walk down to the Connector trail.
East on Connector which is mostly easy walking, although a little vague in places. Quite a few flowers still blooming along the trail. Joe knew most of the varieties, or he’s an expert of making up plausible names on the fly, I sure wouldn’t know the difference. Had lunch not too far before reaching Bull Basin trail.
Headed up Bull Basin, which I really like now that most of the deadfall has been cleared. Excellent and plentiful aspen color along the trail, which was one of the highlights of the day. A summer and fall of traveling, eating, and drinking, combined with elevation caught up to me and I really felt like I was dragging on the uphill, my legs felt like lead. At least I slowed us down through the prettiest part of the trail. Saw a family of superhuman freaks run by, I was both impressed and wanted to knock one over. There’s a little bit of deadfall, mainly near the top, but easy to get over or around. We finally made it to the cabin, chatted with another trio of hikers for a few minutes, then headed down the main trail.
The final four miles were a relief and went by pretty quickly, and I think we finished up around 1630. Overall a great day and hike. Nice trails, good fall color, great views and clouds, and excellent company. The weather was about perfect for an October day—nobody froze, and nobody complained about being hot. Joe, good to see you again and catch up on things. Katie, good to hike with you again, and great job on your biggest hike to date. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Aspen are mostly around prime |
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| Stop crying and just go do the hike. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
No water or the signature cowpatty waft associated with the spring on this trip
. I was a little later leaving the valley in the morning than I'd planned, and Google Maps tried to route me through private property on the way to the trailhead, so straightening that out delayed things a little more, but I got on the trail ~8AM. This was my first time hiking Kendrick, and the plan was to (mostly) follow a Joe/Eagle 2023 loop combining Kendrick/Pumpkin/Bull Basin.
Since I didn’t have a device not sure how long it took me to get tot the top, but I made good time, passed 29 hikers (going up or heading down). The trail was in very good shape for the most part. It looked like one section had work done to it as runoff had caused some major erosion. Had the tower to myself; which was nice. Air quality seemed pretty good allowing for some nice views. Forecast had called for rain, but you couldn’t tell it at the time, with blue skies and a few puffs of white clouds. 
Bull Basin is actually a nice trail trail. Easy to follow and the downed trees that had been so prominent in the earlier hike had been minimized. (Still counted 40+ plus trees that I had to negotiate, but most of them were a simple step over). Wish I was a little fresher to enjoy this trail more. Took a handful of breaks to recharge. One was at the saddle that offers great views to the east and a more narrowed view to the north. Great breeze! Love the aspen and the large rocks that make up the mid section of this trail. Glad to see Kendrick juncture….all downhill from there.
