Imagine, if you will, a lousy winter that ended early. No great snowshoeing, no epic adventures. Just ho hum. Oh well, at least we'll be able to get some early Spring hiking, right? Yeah. Not so much. Winter's back, baby. And I'm not too keen on it. It means TNAB has to stay low. At least last week we got a summit (or three) and even a lame summit was better than just going half way up a mountain.
Ah, but there's a bright spot and it's called the Sitka Spruce trail. It's unofficial (imagine that: TNAB on an unofficial trail) and really cool. Through wet spongy marsh and over logs within earshot of the Middle Fork the trail winds between some amazing Sitka spruce trees. When it does start climbing it's a sloppy mess, but at least we could kick steps in the mud.
Leaving the valley bottom behind we climbed through young forest and along little ridges. Too soon we left the pretty little trail and were on the roads leading ever up. Sadly, the roads don't lead to the summit of Green Mountain, but to the Last Chance Promontory below a bunch of cliffs and then finally to the Absolute Last Promontory below a dirty talus field.
The views across the valley would have been great, but it was too dark, too rainy, too cloudy, too cold to enjoy. Blech. Oh, well. At least the company was good. Group shot, ready to head home, but where were Scott and Jo and Joseph and Victoria? Just as Eric and I were about to head back they arrived for a quick photo and then down the trail. Eric showed off his mud glissading skills. The green mossy goodness was all spooky now, but somehow we made it out in one piece.
I chose the wise path and headed home instead of to the Pour House so I could get some extra sleep. It wasn't as much fun, but definitely a smarter decision. See? I can learn. It just takes me a while. Maybe someday I'll discover that hiking at night isn't exactly a genius move.
Total distance was 7.3 miles and an anemic 2,300 feet of gain.
