I carpooled out with Heidi, Erica, and Arthur the dog. We avoided parking in the mud bog of the trailhead and used the large road cut across the road which was much drier.

The day was overcast and cool but it made for perfect hiking weather! Unfortunately the trail was not in great condition because of the mud. Normally I don't like hiking in the mud because of the erosion damage it can cause, but this follows an old jeep trail so there is no trail engineering to really worry about.

The mud on this hike is super sticky and piles up on the boots. I highly, highly recommend poles both to keep from slipping, but also to pick mud off of your shoes. Gaiters are also recommended – the legs of my pants were quite muddy at the end.

But regardless of the mud, this is still a great hike with fantastic views of central oregon. It's nice to have a non-snow option in the Six Pack to hike at this time of year.

Patches the ranch dog met us on our way down. He wanted to follow our car, so keep an eye out for this handsome dog in the road.