I encountered the second and last person I met during my three-day sojourn at Hercules Glades, here at the junction of the Pilot and Devil’s Den West trails.

I had just arrived at the cairn marking the junction when I heard someone approaching. I resisted the temptation to hare off down the trail towards the bluffs to avoid being sociable and stood my ground. After exchanging some pleasantries, Kevin told me he was looking for an area of the glades he’d seen a picture of but never visited. I immediately guessed it was the bluffs and said so. I was correct. I also suggested he had probably seen one of my pictures (I’ve not seen pictures by anyone else taken from the bluffs). We shared our GPS maps. I warned him about the lack of water on the bluffs and filled him in on my plan to get down to Beaver Creek to the north.

I decided that I would hold back and have a snack to give him a head start on the trail. I didn’t see Kevin again. I hope he got to the bluffs and had a chance to enjoy the view.

Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.