I started out on the burned out (from the 2008 fire) Recreation Trail #201 and hiked it for about 1.5 miles to the Horsethief Canyon #30 for 2.2 to the Algonquin for 1.5 to the Big Dipper and out for 2.7 more. The problem wasn't the mileage, it was that the trail has not been maintained in way to long and completely disappears for long stretches and is overgrown in others. The first part was easy but ugly since it was a total loss from the fire. Because of that, it did afford great views all the way out past Lake Pleasant below. I won't bore you with too many details but I had an adventure especially getting down a steep hill just before dark to try to make it to a creek to camp by. The camping was the best part until I met up with Jon on Sunday. I had a quaint little beach on the water all to myself.
The next day I pretty much gave up on finding any remains of the trail and just rock hopped the creeks. It was prettier down there anyway. At one point I did have to back track because of a large waterfall.
I made it to my meeting place with Jonathan early so I napped under a rock outcropping for a while and then made my way down to a large pool to swim and read in.
Boss Stache's voice crackled on the 2-way around 2pm and shortly we were all hiking downstream together. And when I say all, I mean only Jonathan and his Mentee kid. No one from church showed. It was still cool because they hadn't been so we went to the Big Dipper and hung out in our tubes for a good ol' time until we needed to beat the sun to the hill out. Halfway up we switched on the flashlights until we made it to the truck to drive home.
My beginning
A teasing road to nowhere
Trail disappears but you know you have to go up
I want to go to there - Horsethief backed by its Pleasant desert brother
Well there was one good thing about the trail in the burned area...
Well I reckon I'm still on a trail
Crossing the first creek
Night's humble lodging with private bathing amenities
Hey these lead right to...my camp
Gotta go around it
Creek hopping keeps it pretty
Old mining shack being eaten by the hill and flora
Thorn rape time! Yes that's the trail
Poland at its lowest
Where I read and dipped
Climbing out of The Dipper you can see a little turtle head pokin' out
Want some slightly used socks?
That trail be so emo
