I had a bit of trouble getting up onto the ridge. The bottom of the trail was very overgrown and I couldn’t spot the trail heading up the ridge. I quartered the area for a short time, I checked the GPS, and then I decided that rather than waste any more time I’d just bushwhack up the side of the hollow, and pick up the trail on the ridge. Bushwhacking out of the hollow was tough. Not only was the brush dense, but the hollow is also steep. But sure enough, once I got up on the ridge I found the trail and got on my way. I stopped on the top of the ridge to take the above picture, I’ve taken several pictures here before, but the late afternoon sun made the lighting different.

I’d left the pool below The Falls around three-fifteen p.m. I reckoned I’d be back at the trailhead between half-past five and six p.m. Bushwhacking out of the hollow had slowed me down, but I was at the cairn at the junction of the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail and the Pilot (Tower) by four thirty-seven. There I looked to see if I could find the stones I’d place there in April, and I think I did. The Cairn is only half an hour from the trailhead so my timing was good.

There are four hills to climb between the cairn and the trailhead, and I was rapidly losing steam. Even with a few stops to catch my breath, I got back to the parking lot by five-thirty p.m. Hike over!

Well almost. I noticed a big poster on the noticeboard, so I headed over to read it. I found I could see what it said from a fair way away, it was just a standard ‘No Fireworks’ poster. But, I hadn’t been thinking, and I’d crossed and stood on a load of grass. There must have been a lot of hungry chiggers in that grass, as I had loads of bites – 50 to 100. The bites didn’t stop itching for a week, and I’m still covered in scabs.

Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.