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| Hiking | 9.27 Miles |
2,505 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.27 Miles | 6 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.55 mph |
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| 2,505 ft AEG | 52 Mns Break | | |
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| partners | | Finding the trailhead was half the adventure, and I had made a driving route to follow. The hike details on the Natl Forest webpage were partial at best. Got to the start of the trail just after 0630. Cool temps to start, but no clouds and we knew it would warm up. Luckily the first mile was completely shaded. Four downed trees to negotiate, but only one required any real effort.
Coming around the first saddle, the views opened up. This was a very pretty section of the hike. Got some shade again at the next saddle, then sun again through the next meadow.
Passed an old mine, which had a pile of snow at the bottom. The kids ran down to it, but I told them not to step on it. I didn’t want to blindly assume it was solid ground under the snow in a mine.
After that, there was a mile of road walk. Warm in the sun, but got shaded pretty quickly as we were once again heading uphill. Passed a spot that caught my eye, but nothing really indicated the trail was there. I should have looked closer. Once the road reached the next saddle, the Forest Svc maps indicated the trail would turn north again, away from the road. In person though, there was no trail to be found. I knew the spot that I noticed a ways back must have been the trail. Did I want to make the kids head back downhill, just to go back uphill again? Anyone with kids knows the answer to that. Luckily the slope was not very steep and was fairly clear, so we headed offtrail up the slope, knowing we’d hit the trail at some point. Sure enough, we found it and continued to the peak.
One steep section going around 6805, then the trail turned to talus, which the kids loved. A fair amount of snowdrifts along the top half mile, but only one on the trail. The final climb to the summit of Granite Peak is very pretty, with views all around. Sat in the shade of the giant summit cairn, had a snack, took pictures, and watched the kids chase ladybugs.
The hike back was fairly easy. Managed to stay on the trail the whole time. Saw where a tree was obscuring the trail sign that I missed, so I moved that a little bit. There were a few complaints about that mile walk on the road, and the big (400’) gain in the final stretch, but once we were over that, the final mile was a breeze in the shade.
Saw nobody else all day. No wildlife but elk tracks. Fun trail with nice scenery and nice to have it all to ourselves. Finished up with a late lunch at City Limits Brewery where the road gets into Wallace, we’ve eaten there a few times and it’s always good. |
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