10-05-08
I had a chance
to preview a brand new trail on Sunday. It will be pretty popular when
it officially opens. About 9 miles round trip with 2300' of gain to a
peak with nice views. At least I'm pretty sure the views are great
though we had clouds all around us. The grade is very steady all the
way with about 500' of gain per mile. That is just fine for older and
younger hikers. The first 1 1/2 miles is on an old road. The first half
mile is recently open road and a bit rocky. The next mile has been
closed for some time and has become mostly dirt and grass tread. The
last 3 miles are new trail.
Kim and I took our time on this route. The old road section has a fair bit of fall color, especially at the end at an old logging landing. Should be some good views out to peaks as well. The new trail is all in older forest. Lots of snags, moss, and darkness but not a lot of underbrush. The grade is both very gentle and very soft. Only near the top did we find any rocky areas and there are virtually no roots. Most of the old logs are mostly decomposed. The forest should be as much a draw as the summit.
After the deluge the day before we had pretty good weather. It did drizzle a few times and even snowed a little but not for long. With many photo opportunities we took 2 1/2 hours to reach the top. At a steady pace it would have been much less. On the summit we went from zero visibility to breaks that allowed views to nearby peaks. The views did not last long though. I'll need to return after the opening to see the vistas.
On the way down Kim noticed some steps leading off trail. Inspection showed the remains of an old cabin. It is a strange place to see one. Last year we were the first to hike the new Circle Peak Trail. Now this one. It's nice to see a few new routes being built in these times of limited Forest Service budgets. I'm not a big fan of many of the features of what I consider "over building" on new trails but this one gets a sterling rating from me. I will probably get up the route at least once a year for many years to come. In the mean time there is no trailhead, no parking, and no facilities. I won't be giving out any info until the trail is officially open.
Click on thumbnails to get larger pictures.
Trips - 2008
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Kim and I took our time on this route. The old road section has a fair bit of fall color, especially at the end at an old logging landing. Should be some good views out to peaks as well. The new trail is all in older forest. Lots of snags, moss, and darkness but not a lot of underbrush. The grade is both very gentle and very soft. Only near the top did we find any rocky areas and there are virtually no roots. Most of the old logs are mostly decomposed. The forest should be as much a draw as the summit.
After the deluge the day before we had pretty good weather. It did drizzle a few times and even snowed a little but not for long. With many photo opportunities we took 2 1/2 hours to reach the top. At a steady pace it would have been much less. On the summit we went from zero visibility to breaks that allowed views to nearby peaks. The views did not last long though. I'll need to return after the opening to see the vistas.
On the way down Kim noticed some steps leading off trail. Inspection showed the remains of an old cabin. It is a strange place to see one. Last year we were the first to hike the new Circle Peak Trail. Now this one. It's nice to see a few new routes being built in these times of limited Forest Service budgets. I'm not a big fan of many of the features of what I consider "over building" on new trails but this one gets a sterling rating from me. I will probably get up the route at least once a year for many years to come. In the mean time there is no trailhead, no parking, and no facilities. I won't be giving out any info until the trail is officially open.
 First Color |
 At Logging Landing |
 Orange and Yellow |
 Single Leaf |
 Red & Green |
 Red But No Berries |
 Evergreens & Color |
 Onto New Trail |
 Clouds All Around |
 No Footprints Yet |
 Close Up Moss |
 Droplets On Leaves |
 Forest Opens |
 Ferns & Color |
 Blazing Slope |
 Smooth Soft Tread |
 Kim On Summit |
 View Through Clouds |
 Brochen Spectre |
 Happy Hiker |
 Devils Club |
 Remains Of Cabin |
 Back To Landing |
 Low Clouds |
 Cathedral |
Trips - 2008
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