Monday, 31-May-2016 (Memorial Day)

 

What’s the best way to celebrate Memorial Day?  How about doing a long hike with a heavy pack?  Especially a day after doing an even longer hike, but with a much lighter pack.

 

Yeah, I think that’s a slightly nuts way to spend Memorial Day too… but what can I say? I’m slightly nuts.

I didn’t get up early, as one should expect from me, but I did get up and get myself moving. I loaded my pack with a standard kit… not light, but not excessive or training weight or anything. Just enough to keep it interesting, you know?

 

Then a drive, a hunt for a parking spot. A short walk from the spot I finally found, and the start of the trail.

Soon enough, a test appeared.  A split, with one arrow pointing toward the “less difficult” section, and another one pointing toward a “more difficult” section.  Obviously I took the more difficult… I figured that I’d do it as a loop, and that tackling the more difficult section first would make life a bit simpler… right?

Meh, I can’t say much toward ascending the less difficult side, but the more difficult one wasn’t anything special.  The hard part was (opposite to most Gorge trails) near the end, after the two reconvened.  That part was steep.  But the payoff was worth it… Wildflowers!  

 

The trail dumped me into a steep meadow, going as far as the eye could see… even onto some of the other peaks and ridge lines in the distance.

It. Was. Glorious!

 

So I rested up top, read a bit (until the bugs got too much), and headed down the “less difficult” section.  Really… the pictures here are the story.  Not the writing.  So enjoy!