SpencerVT
Member
I stayed at the time capsule Blue Ridge Motel to relive 1965 before heading over to Elk Lake to embark on this long-ass hike Saturday morning.
The parking lot was full, so I had to park 2 miles back on Elk Lake Road in the overflow section. NOT HAPPY.
Once I got on the trail though, everything went smoothly, except it was unseasonably hot and I had to haul like an industrial 60 foot water tower behind me to stay hydrated all day because there is no water on Pinnacle Ridge. So I was carrying a lot of weight. Now I know how Octomom feels when she has to carry all her kids at once.
After being on the trail for a couple miles, I whacked from the trail leading out of Elk Lake to Pinnacle Ridge South peak. An easy whack with some surprisingly open fern glades. Then I whacked to the Pinnacle which was easy, except the last 200 feet which was brutal steep thickness. I felt like a fly caught in a spiders web of misery trying to free myself from Gargamel's conifer clutches of doom.
Once I got up to Pinnacle it was smooth sailing across the ridge to Pinnacle South and then Pinnacle North. Lots of up and down, but the trail was impressively well maintained and in good shape. When you get to South Blake you realize you are only a stone's throw from Blake and I began to kick myself profusely for not just taking the seemingly like 15 steps from Blake to South Blake when I was up there doing Blake and Colvin in the first place.
Started to get late and I cooled off. I couldn't whack back the way I came because there was no water, so I took the ridiculously round-about 3 mile trail which goes down and around Pinnacle South and then back down the trail to the Elk Lake trails near Lightning Hill. I found an awesome mini waterfall where I took a shower and treated water on this three mile stretch coming off of Pinnacle Mountain while headed back to Elk Lake.
Total hike time: 10 hours. Great fall weather, killer views from the ridge and the smell of dying leaves is the best man. Pinnacle North was my 100th peak climbed this year on the 770 list.
The parking lot was full, so I had to park 2 miles back on Elk Lake Road in the overflow section. NOT HAPPY.
Once I got on the trail though, everything went smoothly, except it was unseasonably hot and I had to haul like an industrial 60 foot water tower behind me to stay hydrated all day because there is no water on Pinnacle Ridge. So I was carrying a lot of weight. Now I know how Octomom feels when she has to carry all her kids at once.
After being on the trail for a couple miles, I whacked from the trail leading out of Elk Lake to Pinnacle Ridge South peak. An easy whack with some surprisingly open fern glades. Then I whacked to the Pinnacle which was easy, except the last 200 feet which was brutal steep thickness. I felt like a fly caught in a spiders web of misery trying to free myself from Gargamel's conifer clutches of doom.
Once I got up to Pinnacle it was smooth sailing across the ridge to Pinnacle South and then Pinnacle North. Lots of up and down, but the trail was impressively well maintained and in good shape. When you get to South Blake you realize you are only a stone's throw from Blake and I began to kick myself profusely for not just taking the seemingly like 15 steps from Blake to South Blake when I was up there doing Blake and Colvin in the first place.
Started to get late and I cooled off. I couldn't whack back the way I came because there was no water, so I took the ridiculously round-about 3 mile trail which goes down and around Pinnacle South and then back down the trail to the Elk Lake trails near Lightning Hill. I found an awesome mini waterfall where I took a shower and treated water on this three mile stretch coming off of Pinnacle Mountain while headed back to Elk Lake.
Total hike time: 10 hours. Great fall weather, killer views from the ridge and the smell of dying leaves is the best man. Pinnacle North was my 100th peak climbed this year on the 770 list.
