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| Hiking | 11.10 Miles |
1,183 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.10 Miles | 5 Hrs 30 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 1,183 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | | I've done this one a half-dozen times or so. Problem is, I'm better at hiking than making triplogs . . . but here goes. Started kinda late, around noon, heading in a clockwise direction and starting from the Dow Spring trail head. The weather was fine at mid 60's with a 5 mph wind. Not bad for late Feb! Anyhow, the trail was muddy for about half the distance, so that slowed me down a bit. Not only did it make for insecure footing, but added a pound or so to each boot. I might recommend getting an early start (sunrise) so that the muddy parts are frozen over for the most part. Overall, the scenery was fairly bland and washed-out due to the lack of any new growth on the plants. My favorite part about this hike is that I can bring my dogs and let them run off-leash most of the way as there are usually so few people (and dogs) to share the trail with. All of the creeks and pools were full, and Sycamore Falls actually had some water going over it. There were a few female rock climbers basking in the sun shining on the columnar basalt at the falls. Did I mention that the trail was muddy? Also, there was snow covering the trail in many of the shaded areas. Bring some water proof footwear this time of year for the mud, snow and multiple stream crossings. Walking stick helps too. Another poster mentioned what he/she thought was a lot of elk sign on the west side of KA Hill. Actually, over the last couple years, there have been domestic sheep grazing there, which leave bounteous scat and have virtually denuded the hillside. There are also a couple of very large and aggressive sheep dogs (Great Pyrenees?) accompanying them, so beware, especially if you have your dogs off-leash. Thankfully, neither the sheep nor their dogs were present for this trip. One final note: there have been timber sales in the area which have thinned the forest growth considerably. This thinning is probably necessary, and it appears as if the crews have been conscientious about doing a good job. However, in a few places, the trail has been obscured by forest litter, so keep an eye out for the cairns that dot the trail all along the way. Well, that's it until next time. Happy hiking!! |
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