Everybody still wanted to go
on the run after that "optimistic talk", so we formed up and headed up the
trail. All the while, we saw hunters out with their dogs. It was bear hunting
season.
Soon we encountered icy
conditions. The road was glazed over where many vehicles had packed down snow that
had turned into ice and stayed frozen. The road surface was such that traction was
available by placing one side of the vehicle in the ditch and using the dirt, leaves, and
unpacked snow as the traction surface.
This made going slow.
It was also nerve-wracking as the other side of the road dropped off several hundred
feet. If anyone lost traction and started sliding toward the edge, they would not
have a very wide margin for error. I don't want to overstate the risk, but a few
moments inattention could have been disastrous in some spots. Fortunately, everybody
was paying attention and stayed on track.
We reached a spot just
before the stream crossing where the trail forks. The left fork is gated except
during hunting season. I was pleased to see the gate open but already aware that we
would not have time for side trips, even as attractive as the side trail is. We
would barely have time to reach the summit of Flagpole Knob and still get down in time to
run Kephart. I even had my doubts about that based on our later starting time and
the slow progress thus far. I kept my own counsel on this point.
We made reasonable time for
the conditions, but we were traveling much slower than any other trip I have made on this
trail. By lunch time we had only reached the little stream crossing in the hollow
prior to the main ascent up to the top of the ridge.
Since there was no ice on
the road and the sun was shining through the trees, I chose this spot to stop for lunch.
The sun was shining and everything was wonderful...
Continue
to Lunch ... >
Prologue
and Muster | Trail/First Climb
| Lunch |
Second Climb |
Third
Climb | Fourth Climb |
Bump in the Road |
Meadow Knob |
Last Hurrah!
Way
Points
