Well this one was definitely a “one and done”. We hated it. Great training hike? Absolutely! Fun? Nope. Beautiful? Not really.
This one was a real butt buster. We are not fast hikers with an average of 28 mm. This one took us 7hr 15min, a 37mm.
It’s mostly steep and long ups and downs, a real roller coaster. There is very little flat. Lots of rock scramble and loose gravel too. Some switchbacks in the beginning but most of the time we were ascending or descending. Usually downs are easy for me as I don’t have knee issues, but this one was so steep that the downs were as hard as the ups. My knees, thighs, hips and feet were killing me by the time we made it to the car.
All that being said, the weather was really overcast and a bit of sprinkles, which was our saving grace. Also, this trail has the best signage we’ve experienced, including mileage markers and “here you are” signs. I wish all trails had these.
I’m quite proud of myself and my hiking partner that we finished it.