Dugan
New member
Or - I can't believe I hiked 25 miles and still have energy to write a trip report
The day got off to a bad start as Cantdog and I both got to the meeting place late. We both got misplaced and had difficulty finding parking for the Route 20 trail head at the Cow Tunnel. If one were to actually *read* the guidebook, one would have no trouble finding the parking. Apparently neither of us was quite that bright. We piled all our stuff into one car then drove north to 122 (30 minutes to drive north, 10.5 hours to walk back). Along the way we saw thick black clouds massing in the west and saw some rain drops. We both figured this would turn into the 40% chance of showers of the last section, where we were rained on for most of the day. We got to 122, got everything organized, donned shoes, and Cantdog opted for a rain jacket. We crossed 122 and began the hike.
Within a couple of miles the rain jacket was off. Overcast but warm, no rain yet. We met a man at a shelter with a liver spotted Dalmatian. He (the man, not the Dal) hiked the entire mid-state a few years ago. Other than the roadwalks, the only other people we saw all day were a troop of Boy Scouts in the Treasure Valley area. Most of the trail was largely unremarkable. Typical woods trail. Some mud, some tricky footing areas, fished for blazes in a couple of areas, some nice spots too.
Upon beginning the climb of Moose Hill we began to notice there was enough light to cast our shadows. Moose Hill was nice. The guidebook states that it one of the trail's best views. I think Watatic and Wachusett are better, and there were several pasture-like hill tops in this stretch that had similar good views. We stopped for lunch before crossing for route 9. I was much relieved to see that I'd remembered to pack my sandwich this time. Just after route 9, the trail runs through a very pretty section of an Audubon sanctuary. Had we realized, this would've made a nicer lunch spot. The trail ran around the edge of a field dotted with wild flowers. Then began a road walk. A looooong road walk. My feet were very happy when the trail turned back into the woods at the Four Chimneys Wildlife Management area.
We eventually reached another bit of road walking on Wheelock. By now, the ugly black clouds were entirely gone. We had mostly blue skies and sunshine. As we stepped into the road, Cantdog noticed two large dogs (with humans) coming toward us. The dogs were a pair of friendly male Leonbergers. The larger was 185 lbs. Had Dugan four-legs come along, the large dog would've dwarfed him. His paws must've been about 5" wide. We stopped and chatted for a bit, then continued on toward the Cemetary. On a later road walk, we saw the antithesis to the Leonbergers - a 14 pound short haired miniature Dauchshund.
Walking through Fay Orchard was my favorite stretch today. The trees were in bloom, the sun was shining, the fields felt so nice and soft underfoot.
Somewhere along the way we found a Mid-state hiker registration box. Tramper Al, if you're out there, we saw your alleged signature on 09/14/2002. Could you send a writing sample for authentication?
Enough! I need pizza, beer, and a couch. Hope everyone enjoyed the unexpectedly sunny skies today.
The day got off to a bad start as Cantdog and I both got to the meeting place late. We both got misplaced and had difficulty finding parking for the Route 20 trail head at the Cow Tunnel. If one were to actually *read* the guidebook, one would have no trouble finding the parking. Apparently neither of us was quite that bright. We piled all our stuff into one car then drove north to 122 (30 minutes to drive north, 10.5 hours to walk back). Along the way we saw thick black clouds massing in the west and saw some rain drops. We both figured this would turn into the 40% chance of showers of the last section, where we were rained on for most of the day. We got to 122, got everything organized, donned shoes, and Cantdog opted for a rain jacket. We crossed 122 and began the hike.
Within a couple of miles the rain jacket was off. Overcast but warm, no rain yet. We met a man at a shelter with a liver spotted Dalmatian. He (the man, not the Dal) hiked the entire mid-state a few years ago. Other than the roadwalks, the only other people we saw all day were a troop of Boy Scouts in the Treasure Valley area. Most of the trail was largely unremarkable. Typical woods trail. Some mud, some tricky footing areas, fished for blazes in a couple of areas, some nice spots too.
Upon beginning the climb of Moose Hill we began to notice there was enough light to cast our shadows. Moose Hill was nice. The guidebook states that it one of the trail's best views. I think Watatic and Wachusett are better, and there were several pasture-like hill tops in this stretch that had similar good views. We stopped for lunch before crossing for route 9. I was much relieved to see that I'd remembered to pack my sandwich this time. Just after route 9, the trail runs through a very pretty section of an Audubon sanctuary. Had we realized, this would've made a nicer lunch spot. The trail ran around the edge of a field dotted with wild flowers. Then began a road walk. A looooong road walk. My feet were very happy when the trail turned back into the woods at the Four Chimneys Wildlife Management area.
We eventually reached another bit of road walking on Wheelock. By now, the ugly black clouds were entirely gone. We had mostly blue skies and sunshine. As we stepped into the road, Cantdog noticed two large dogs (with humans) coming toward us. The dogs were a pair of friendly male Leonbergers. The larger was 185 lbs. Had Dugan four-legs come along, the large dog would've dwarfed him. His paws must've been about 5" wide. We stopped and chatted for a bit, then continued on toward the Cemetary. On a later road walk, we saw the antithesis to the Leonbergers - a 14 pound short haired miniature Dauchshund.
Walking through Fay Orchard was my favorite stretch today. The trees were in bloom, the sun was shining, the fields felt so nice and soft underfoot.
Somewhere along the way we found a Mid-state hiker registration box. Tramper Al, if you're out there, we saw your alleged signature on 09/14/2002. Could you send a writing sample for authentication?
Enough! I need pizza, beer, and a couch. Hope everyone enjoyed the unexpectedly sunny skies today.
