1-2-3! (Hiking 3-2-1 in Reverse)

This was practically the perfect hike! I got to the trailhead around 8am, and I was very surprised to see that the parking lot was almost empty. I was expecting to see more people on a sunny Sunday morning! It was pretty chilly, though, (around 42 degrees to start) so maybe that kept people away for a while. I didn’t see any other humans for about 2 miles into the trail, just a coyote who seemed a little too comfortable with humans… I went over and tagged Mount Pinos first. (I know, I know, it’s supposed to be the other way around for the “3-2-1” hike, but I wanted to say I had done it if I got tired and needed to make an early exit.)

On the first part of the Vincent Tumamait Trail I saw an actual human hiking back from Sawmill! We stopped and had a quick conversation about the weather and trail conditions (no other people or wildlife in sight!), and then wished each other well. I continued on to Sawmill with beautiful, crisp, sunny fall weather the whole way. I made the turn to go to Sawmill, and stopped and took some pictures at the giant cairn. I then took out some snacks and a protein bar to rest for a bit before continuing on.

On my way back to the Vincent Tumamait Trail, I came across another hiker who was looking for Sawmill. She said she couldn’t download the map, and she wasn’t sure where it was. I confirmed that it was just ahead. She asked if I could go with her to take her picture, and I of course agreed. After chatting for a while, she asked where I was going, and I told her that I was on my way to Grouse Mountain to do the 3-2-1 hike. She asked if she didn’t mind her tagging along with me since she didn’t have a map and she hadn’t seen anybody else the whole way here, either. I said sure, so I ended up making a new friend along the way. 🙂 We walked to Grouse Mountain, where we ate lunch and chatted some more, and then we took pictures with the summit sign and large pile of sticks at the summit.

On our way back to the trailhead, we decided to take a detour and check out Sheep Camp on the trail between Sawmill and Grouse mountains. It’s definitely a nice little place to go backpacking! However, it seems like for most of the year, you’d need to bring your own water, as I didn’t see a water source nearby.

As we made our way back to the trailhead (stopping to catch our breath and have some extra snacks), we did see one other hiker who had gone to Sawmill. After getting back to the Condor Viewing Area, we finally started to see a bunch of other hikers enjoying the sunny afternoon.

Overall, it was a perfect day with great weather, a great new hiking buddy, and lots of nice photos and videos to remember the day by!