It was an epic 20ish mile hike to Mt Sizer from Coe Headquarters under glorious weather conditions, not a cloud and never got too hot. I went with fellow Six Pack Hiker Mike (who introduced me to this challenge), and we parked at headquarters parking lot just as the sun was peeking over the ridge. We had several goals for the hike, this Six Pack bagging being preeminent. We also are hiking/running geocachers so there were several of those to pick up along the way, including one appropriately name Hardcore Hiker, it's Higher than you Think. We also wanted to generally enjoy the views and challenge of this great park. We ended up completing the out and back (with a few spurs) in 9 hours 8 minutes, almost exactly sunrise to sunset. The extra distance was due to some jaunts on Blue Ridge and to Skeels Meadow for a few bonus caches. We started on Flat Frog in the frosty morning, jogging the 2.5 miles to the frog pond where we ran into some campers. Trails were in good condition, with only a few muddy patches. Then came the deep descent down to the creek crossing on the wide Hobbs Road. At the crossing – which required a backtrack upcreek about 150 feet to find a good spot to cross the rushing creek – we ran into fell Six Packer Don. We chatted for a moment, but it was clear he was on a mission, so he (literally) ran on up The Shortcut past us. We took about 45 minutes to ascend the shortcut, where Don was waiting to join us for the final (at this point, anticlimactic) ascent on the pristine and panoramic Blue Ridge trail. We chatted for the mile, sharing hiking stories, then paused at “the peak” for a selfie, and soaked in the awesome views. Don returned at that point, having completed all 6 peaks already for the year! We lingered to pick up a few caches, then returned back the same way, except using Hobbs Road all the way on the return (plus the Skeels Meadow jaunt). An excellent, long day that pushed me to my limit. I'm quite sure it was my longest hiking day by distance. Doing about 5 miles in jogging mode helped push the total out from my usual pace. I was concerned about the ability to pack enough food and water in my small running pack but it worked out well, me draining the 3 liters just as we returned to the car near sunset. Thanks for the inspiration to get us out to Sizer today!
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Responses
Congratulations Scott. Great to share the journey to/from Sizer with you. Looking forward to the next one.