Always a good day for Strawberry! I went later in the day, making for a lovely sunset view on the stretch between Strawberry and Lawlor and the last couple miles in the dark (had a headlamp!)
The trail was in good condition, although there were a few downed logs, and on the portion of the aforementioned stretch, it was more narrow/precarious than usual next to a steep drop-off, but nothing problematic. There was also some water trickling across the trail and over rocks in a few places, a testament to the weather this year. You could even hear roaring water down in the valley shortly before the final ascent. Up top, meaningful snow was gone, but where there was shade, you could still see small patches off the trail. Super neat to see snow-capped peaks in th edistance!
One note for any hike up Strawberry, step carefully around the Yuccas, especially near the summit, where they are plentiful and often poking right on the trail. Last year, I fell on one and got pretty cut up, with one needle actually bruising a bone. Not a hazard folks usually pay attention to, but I learned my lesson.
I've done Red Box a few times now. Next time, I want to try the mountaineer's route out of Colby Canyon — the scrambles look super fun!
Responses