Travel Blog

Before I write about the hike we took on our day off, I have a couple of cool pictures to share. One is of a mule because I just never get tired of looking at mules.

I took some other pictures of mules that day, but they weren't family-oriented ones.

The other picture is one I took from Kolb Studio one evening.

But now on to the hike Phil made me do. I was trying to talk him into a nice, easy hike from Yaki Point to Shoshone Point, but no, he wanted to go do Hermit's Rest Trail. All I know is no hermit ever got much rest on this trail. I knew it was going to be fun when we were greeted by this sign at the start of it all:

But we started down anyway. It wasn't so bad at first. The switchbacks weren't too steep and the trail was in pretty good shape. But then we hit some ice and snow, and we had to stop and put our YakTrax on. We gingerly stepped on and around the icy bits. Only one part was really bad and that was when we got to a narrow part of the trail with nothing but ice and snow on the trail and nothing but down on our right-hand side. Eeeps! But we got past it alive, and once we got down where it's warmer, the trail improved. But I say that only because the ice and snow were gone. Here's what passes for "trail" in these here parts:

Yep. That IS a pile of rocks sort of meshed into a trail. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time the trail crew was working on it, but I'm not so sure. I'm just glad it was a dry day, or I have a feeling the hike would have been even more interesting.

We made it to the bottom, sort of anyway. I think there was more bottom than where we decided to turn around, but we seemed pretty far in there, so I'm happy.

Going back up was not as bad as I thought it would be either. Phil and I took it nice and easy, and stopped a lot to catch our breaths, and the view was quite lovely.

I guess I'd be willing to do this one again, but I think until all the snow and ice are gone, I'm going to stick with the level trails. More on that next week. GO STEELERS!