It took me an hour to get to this spot, about two-and-a-half miles from McGarr Spring. I’ve named this hollow ‘Camp Hollow’ because, surprise, surprise, I’ve camped here a couple of times. There is no water anywhere near (that I’ve found) which is a pain, but I do like this spot, even if it is a bit near to the edge of the wilderness, along with the accompanying sound of barking dogs and the occasional truck.
It looks (and is) pretty overgrown, but I consider that a good deterrent to stop people from disturbing me when I camp here.
The hike out was uneventful, and I’ve already hiked all these trails. Climbing up the ridge out of Mary Hollow back to the McGarr Ridge Trail, I met the group on horseback again. This time there was an inquiry as to where I was from. I resisted the temptation to give my usual smart-arse response of “Springfield.” Given the time and direction they were headed, they must have started off at the Collins Ridge Trailhead. This makes sense thinking about it, as the spur trail linking the McGarr Ridge Trail to the Collins Ridge Trail is probably impassable on horseback since the flood a few years ago dumped a load of trees down there. I’m guessing when they left me at McGarr Spring, they went down to the North Fork River and then came back along the McGarr Ridge Trail and headed down towards Mary Hollow. Whatevs, after a quick chat, we went our separate ways.
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