Sep 29, 2023
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The hike starts off easy, on an old firebreak that goes up about 1/3 the distance - then things get a little more interesting. There are what appear to be trails of a sort through the woodland understory, but I think these were likely created by cows and/or bears - lots of prints from both animals. The trails involve some minor bushwhacking, and minor/moderate scrambling depending on the route. The upper half has lots of lichen-covered volcanic rocks, more if you stay to the right (east), fewer if you stay left (west). They would probably be considered easy in most locals, but the brush adds a level of difficulty not otherwise expected. The summit area is also somewhat brushy along a N-S ridge, the highpoint not at all obvious. I eventually found my way to the benchmark (which was missing), but someone had flagged a route up from the west to reach one of the reference marks. I searched the possible points along the rocky ridge, but didn't find a register left by the dynamic duo. Whoever didn't like the benchmark (or wanted it for a souvenier), may have felt likewise regarding registers. I left one of mine under a small cairn near the benchmark. I spent almost exactly an hour on the little excursion, about twice what I might have hoped. Any thoughts of getting another summit went out the window as the sun appeared ready to set. I drove a short distance back along my route, then west on other Forest roads to what would serve as a campsite on the east side of Hearst Mountain. That would be my first objective come morning...
Continued...
This page last updated: Mon Oct 16 08:16:26 2023
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