Hiking Club (Week 4 - Indian Trail, Canyon Trailhead) - Blogged by JME
Indian Trail has two ways to get to the cabin at the top. One is on the west side of the mountain and actually shares a trail with Hidden Valley at the beginning before the trails fork off. That trail is really hot and can be pretty miserable in the summer for our hiking club because by the time we start, the sun is shining right on us and there isn't enough shade to keep cool, so energy is drained quickly.
The other trail, and the one we went on this week, starts from the canyon and is shaded the whole way. It is nice and cool and has a much easier ascent. There is a natural spring and a stream that also cools the surrounding air.
We saw a lot of interesting things on this hike. First, we saw a Christmas Tree. Not just a pine tree, but a tree decorated for Christmas. We thought maybe all of the forest creatures had forgotten to take down their decorations for the year.
Then we saw a man hiking . . . with his goat. That was kind of weird. The goat was pretty friendly though and 'naaaahhhhed' at us and licked our hands to say 'hello.' That's not a sight you see every day.
Our trail crossed over a rock slide. I'm glad I wasn't there when the rock slide happened.
At the top is a little cabin. I don't know what it is for. It's really too small to sit in, but it is fun to see.
Last year, while hiking from the west side trail head, one of the doctors found a little baby moose. It had fallen down off the trail. He had to hike down a little ways to get it and brought it up to the cabin, hoping the mom would come find it. It was so young and still had its umbilical cord. The next time the group hiked that trail about a week later, they found it but the poor little thing had died. It was very sad.
N8 and I have really enjoyed these hikes. They provide great exercise for us and we meet new and interesting people all the time. It is amazing to see how much this area has for people to do. We really live in a great place.
Indian Trail has two ways to get to the cabin at the top. One is on the west side of the mountain and actually shares a trail with Hidden Valley at the beginning before the trails fork off. That trail is really hot and can be pretty miserable in the summer for our hiking club because by the time we start, the sun is shining right on us and there isn't enough shade to keep cool, so energy is drained quickly.
The other trail, and the one we went on this week, starts from the canyon and is shaded the whole way. It is nice and cool and has a much easier ascent. There is a natural spring and a stream that also cools the surrounding air.
We saw a lot of interesting things on this hike. First, we saw a Christmas Tree. Not just a pine tree, but a tree decorated for Christmas. We thought maybe all of the forest creatures had forgotten to take down their decorations for the year.
Then we saw a man hiking . . . with his goat. That was kind of weird. The goat was pretty friendly though and 'naaaahhhhed' at us and licked our hands to say 'hello.' That's not a sight you see every day.
Our trail crossed over a rock slide. I'm glad I wasn't there when the rock slide happened.
At the top is a little cabin. I don't know what it is for. It's really too small to sit in, but it is fun to see.
Last year, while hiking from the west side trail head, one of the doctors found a little baby moose. It had fallen down off the trail. He had to hike down a little ways to get it and brought it up to the cabin, hoping the mom would come find it. It was so young and still had its umbilical cord. The next time the group hiked that trail about a week later, they found it but the poor little thing had died. It was very sad.
N8 and I have really enjoyed these hikes. They provide great exercise for us and we meet new and interesting people all the time. It is amazing to see how much this area has for people to do. We really live in a great place.
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