Hike #34 2021

June 26th, 2021

Finding unnamed and unmarked trails is one of my favorite things to do in my free time. I can spend hours searching for new trails that the boys and I have never done before, digging deep for those that have amazing views and don’t get a lot of foot traffic. The trail we went on today isn’t outlined on most trail maps and apps, so finding it last winter made me really excited to try it out. Today we finally did it and we definitely weren’t disappointed!

The weather has been very unpredictable recently, so when I saw that the area we were planning on going was expecting a mix of snow, rain and wind, I thought we might have to postpone this hike and do it another weekend. I was questioning whether or not this weather report would actually hold considering the past few days deviated so much from what was predicted. We decided we would still plan to do this hike but would check the weather before heading out the house and depending on that report, we may change our hiking location. Fortunately when we woke up this morning, the weather report changed to rain starting at 10am, and no snow fell overnight either. We weren’t expecting phenomenal views due to the possibility of low-lying, thick clouds, but we tried to remain optimistic. Ultimately we just wanted to get out of the house for a nice hike despite the weather conditions.

We left home at 4:15am. As it started to get brighter we could see the low-lying clouds all around us and things didn’t look promising view-wise. Yet, we continued driving. Typically we wouldn’t climb a mountain if rain is expected, especially earlier in the day, but when we arrived at the trailhead the clouds didn’t look too ominous or like they were about to release any time soon, so we decided to give this hike a shot!

We began our hike at 6:10am. While we walked, we would catch glimpses of blue sky every now and then which was encouraging. The clouds also weren’t just sitting in one spot but instead continuously floating by. This created a different ambience than what we’re used to, which usually ranges from partly cloudy to blue skies, but these clouds made it very unique and Scott and I both loved it!

Our first stop was at a lake which we had all to ourselves!

After spending a short amount of time at the lake, we then continued on to find our trail connection. As I briefly mentioned, this trail is not marked on maps and finding it in person isn’t exactly obvious, especially when there were several downed trees blocking and covering the entrance route. Nevertheless we found it and we were off on our new trail!

We began to steadily climb through the trees, but the higher we hiked the steeper it got. We couldn’t complain about the steepness too much because the views got better as we hiked up. We took a quick picture break at an overlook (see below). It was still cloudy here, but beautiful regardless!

Don’t worry about the boys being close to what looks like the edge of a cliff, the ground actually continues behind them but the camera tricks you into believing it’s a big drop off.

From here we had just a bit more uphill to conquer before making it to the top of the ridge.

We made it! We reached an elevation of 11,224 feet, and although it was still cloudy, the views were incredible. Pictures don’t do it justice!

We took a long break here to admire the views and watch the clouds float through the valley. It was so peaceful and pleasant up here with just a slight breeze. After about 15 minutes, the clouds started to break and the sun came out, giving us a chance to better see the surrounding mountains - though not for long.

We were fortunate enough to get a small break in the clouds, even just for 5 minutes, before the next storm began rolling in.

Unlike the earlier clouds, the clouds moving in now were darker and more storm-like. We were only about 100 feet away from tree line so we had a quick escape from the storm if needed. Since we couldn’t hear thunder, we knew we had at least a few more minutes to enjoy ourselves up here before heading back into the trees.

When the dark clouds made their way overhead, we then hiked back into the trees and down the mountain. The views became nonexistent due to the surrounding clouds/fog.

Back down in the valley we had small glimpses of the mountains around us.

Those little red flowers near the dogs feet (pictured above) are called Indian paintbrush. They are just starting to bloom now and I can’t wait to see the mountains and valley’s covered in them!

It started to rain just as we got back to the lake. Luckily the hike back to the car isn’t too far from this point, but we still got soaked.

The dogs were very wet and dirty once we got back to the car, as were Scott and I. The perks of having long-haired adventure dogs means there’s a little bit of extra clean-up after hiking, but that’s all part of the fun! It’s safe to say the dogs got a wash before being allowed into the house.

Overall it was a great hike and one we will definitely do again. We hiked 5.53 miles with 1411 ft elevation gain.