The final hurrah!

This was our final hike and it was a great finish.

It was mid-October, the day was overcast and 46 degrees when we left the house. Be sure you can read a map, because Google sent us to someone’s driveway. After a little backtracking and we were back on course. Driving the final part to the trailhead reminded me of northern Wisconsin where I grew up. It was a very relaxing drive through the forest. At the trailhead, there were only 3 other cars.

Starting out, the temps still hadn’t hit 50 degrees. There wasn’t any real signage for, or on the trail, but it is well used and easy to follow. The forest doesn’t have much underbrush and you easily see 100 yards or more. It was broken up with open meadows every so often, offering nice views as we climbed up. This was a longer hike for us (9+ miles) compared to our other hikes (6-7 miles) but not all that difficult. It was a steady climb the entire way, but the trail is wonderful. It was not very rocky, mostly dirt so it was easy on my knees. We only saw 5 other people the whole day.

Near the top, there is an old cabin that was used as a fire lookout long ago. At the top there is a more modern fire tower, but it is unmanned. This peak sits inside a wilderness area now, so no roads or motor vehicles allowed.

The weather was only so-so this day. The winds were 15-20 mph the whole time with bigger gusts at the top. Overcast and a couple of sprinkles on the way down. At the top, we added extra layers of clothes, had a quick lunch and headed down. Near the bottom we saw 2 mule deer.

This was one our best hikes. I would like to thank everyone who helps put on this challenge.