photos coming soon
Hall Ranch 6/2016
photos by Sigrid Freese
photos by Sigrid Freese
Sigrid -
7 of us had a nice hike of just over 4 miles this morning. Very glad we met at 6 because by the time we hit the trail at 7:30 it was already warming up. We took advantage of the pockets of shade along the way to rest and cool down. By the time we final 4 got to the overlook with bench, we were happy to sit down. Lots of flowers, very active prairie dogs at the turn around point, but we were happy to adjourn to The Stone Cup for cool drinks and Ann Weaver's birthday cake. The 4 miles with about 1,000 ft of elevation gain took the slowest hikers 3-1/2 hours so we were home before 2. Some very courteous mountain bikers on the trail...how they climb over the rocky steep places is amazing. One lesson - while we were resting and getting ready to start down, a young couple arrived and asked us if we were familiar with the trail. Their goal was to do the 9 mile loop so we told them most of the steep sections were behind them. Then we asked how much water they had, noticing their lack of packs. Turned out they had about a pint left between them, with 5 miles to go. So we filled up their bottles from our supply and they set off with maybe a quart and a half between them. Hope they didn't run completely out before they finished. Take at least 2 qts in really hot weather, even on a short hike. You can always use the extra to pour over your head or on a neck scarf to cool off. |