Empty Parking Lot – The empty parking lot probably says more about the weather than I can.
Wilderness and trails
Time spent hiking and backpacking generally well away from the madding crowd.
Gary, back at the trailhead. Trip total, twenty-one miles and 2,000 ft. of elevation. I hiked a lot further this weekend than I expected.
Follow the trail – Nearly finished, just one last climb up to the trailhead left. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Three. 2 pictures
Another Gray Day.
Isolated – Some trail-side plants and I find some water. 2 pictures
Gary by the cab on the Pees Hollow Trail (October 2020) – A detour along the Pees Hollow Trail, lunch by ‘Cab Creek’ and another ‘Cab Selfie’ One-minute read
Camped in ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ – I’ve not camped in this spot for a while. Recently I’ve been bushwhacking further down the hollow where the sides are not quite so steep. But the views here are much nicer, and I like the little rock-shelf tables I can use as mini kitchen tables. 4 pictures
Cooking Breakfast – Using my Firebox Nano wood stove to heat water for my breakfast and morning cuppa. 2 pictures
When is a trail not a trail? When I think I’m on the trail and I’m not. At least I realized my error before I was too far off course. Two-minute read
Thwarted in the last few feet – I had hoped to get access to the creek here. The feeder-creek stopped some eight feet or so above the level of Beaver Creek. Two-minute read, 5 pictures
The gate at the end of the trail – It’s exactly what I imagined, but still a bit of a letdown. No pot of gold or welcoming streamers. I can, at least, say I’ve hiked the entire length of the Pilot (Tower) Trail now. 2 pictures
Fall at the far end of the Pilot Trail – On a whim, I changed my plans and decided to venture into uncharted territory and hike down to the end of the trail. One-minute read, 2 pictures
Gary at the junction of the Pilot and Devil’s Den West Trails – 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. One-minute read
Camped near ‘Twin Falls Creek’ October 2020 – The season has moved on a lot since I was here a month ago. Remember the teabag I left behind? It was sitting undisturbed on the small rock, where I left it. I packed it away with my trash before I forgot it again! Two-minute read, 2 pictures
Gary, beanie, puffy, and hammock & the unexpected problems of losing weight – On this trip I was trying out new backpacking clothing options, and while I was checking how well my choices were working, I was slow to make changes when things weren’t. And that was a problem. Three-minute read
View to the east – One thing I’ve learned is that little things that shouldn’t be in the wilderness are frequently signs that lead to interesting discoveries. One-minute read
Gary at the Pole Hollow Cairn, October 2020 – what can I say? It’s become a tradition to take a selfie here.
Fall color on the Pilot Trail – It’s Friday, it’s two-thirty in the afternoon, and I’m giving myself a well-earned break out in nature. Two-minute read, 2 pictures
Hike over – Time for a quick selfie sitting in the back of the car. All in all, I hiked 11 miles and climbed 1,100 feet. Considering I’ve not done any exercising since my last trip (and that was only six miles), I’m happy with that result.
End of the hike – I lose the trail, find some rocks, and get more chigger bites than you could shake a hiking pole at. Two-minute read, 4 pictures
The pool below The Falls.
Long Creek Falls – The falls were dry as expected, but there was plenty of water in the pools. 2 pictures
First trail junction of Day Two – This is the junction of the Pilot (Tower) Trail with the Devil’s Den East Trail (Upper Pilot Trail). 2 pictures
Watching the wildlife (and drinking tea) – I watched a deer run past, followed shortly afterwards by a much more stealthy coyote. 2 pictures