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| Run/Jog | 10.32 Miles |
4,438 AEG |
| | Run/Jog | 10.32 Miles | 4 Hrs 18 Mns 19 Secs | | 2.40 mph |
| 4,438 ft AEG | | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I wanted a little bit more adventure than the standard Gorge hike, so I opted to follow the Rock of Ages Loop.
I started just after 3pm and it was overcast and drizzling off and on. Sunset showed to be at 7:30pm, so I figured I had just enough time to do the loop. My plan was to hike the uphill section as fast as I could, then jog the return trail down Oneonta back to the parking lot.
I met a couple of other hikers at the Rock of Ages Window, then passed them a short while later when they took a wrong turn on one of the many side trails that litter the ridge line. After leaving them behind, I had the upper sections of the trail all to myself. It was windy and cold, with sporadic rain. I was completely drenched by the time I arrived at the Horsetail Creek Junction. I filtered some water from the creek, and took off downhill- racing the sunset.
Just before arriving at Triple Falls, I came upon a group of 3 girls that were headed uphill. They flagged me down, so I pulled out my earbuds to see what was up. The girls were looking for directions, specifically they wanted to know "how far to the bottom"!?!?! I was completely dumbfounded by the question- seeing as the girls were walking UPHILL, AGAINST THE FLOW OF THE RIVER ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") Surly they must understand that the "the bottom" as they referred to it- was in the direction gravity was pulling the river.... Turns out they were trying to find their way to the Horsetail Falls parking lot- which I kindly explained was behind them (downhill, the direction from whence they came). At this point there was only about an hour of light left and the girls had a solid 2.5 miles of trail to cover. I asked if they had a flashlight, which the did not, so I loaned them one of my spare lights. I explained that I would finish my run, and wait for them in the parking lot to make sure they made it down safely.
I arrived in the parking lot about 20 minutes before sunset and took a break. But I wasn't entirely confident that the girls would make it off the trail ok- so I headed back up to look for them. Turns out they were making pretty good time and I ran into them at Ponytail Falls, right as the rain began to pick up. Together we walked back in the dusk to the parking lot, where I collected my flashlight and made sure to give them a little speech about always carrying a map and flashlight.
I love all the waterfalls and trails in the Gorge, but I often fear that they are too easily accessible to the general public. Had I not ran into these girls when I did, I wonder how far they would have kept walking and where they would have ended up. They did not have enough gear to spend the night, and the trail they were following leads towards Larch Mountain and the Bull Run Watershed. They would very quickly have found themselves in the middle of the forest in the dark, in the rain, with little to no cell service. And all because they thought "the bottom" was somehow uphill ? Whatever happened to common sense? |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
