 |
| are you tempted? |
My mother is still in the ICU and still on a
ventilator. She’s been there for 16 days
now. But she is getting better and her
condition is not life threatening, so I took a break from visiting the hospital
and went for a hike. I needed exercise
to make up for my lack of exercise these past two weeks, but at the same time I
was tired from visiting the hospital and driving so I did not want to push my
body too hard. I thought of doing Mount
Rose, but opted for something a little easier.
I had a deadline to meet; I had to get home in time for the 4th
grade concert.
The gate across the causeway was open, so I was able to park
right at the trail head and I started my hike at about 9:30. The trail starts out next to the river and
soon it climbs up into an old growth forest.
This trail follows Copper River and it should not be confused with Copper
Mountain. Copper Mountain is on the
other side of Lake Cushman. One can
climb lightening peak from the top of this trail, I think lightening peak is a
class 4 climb, so it’s not for hikers like me.
When I got to the top of the loop I turned right and did the
loop counter-clockwise. I took my lunch
at the little view point on the way down.
Lunch was dried blueberries (way, way too sweet) peanuts and a buddy
fruit. I also had a cup of Vina café instant
coffee.
I thought about having my lunch up on the way trail that
leads to lightening peak, but I was needlessly concerned about time.
When I got home and fixed up my track log I found the trail
to be just 3.5 miles round trip with 2,500 feet elevation gain. Is the forest service wrong? The trail head signs say this trail is 4.5
miles round trip. The problem is that no
GPS works very well in the valley at the bottom. A wheeled device might be needed to really measure
this trail.
The weather was nice; I got a bit warm hiking up and there
was no rain even though rain had been predicted. There were protozoa (slime molds) everywhere;
I guess the protozoa thought it was a good day to go for a stroll too. I had the trail to myself all day.
This trail is maintained by the Mount Rose trail crew so it is in perfect condition nearly all the time and it has beautiful bridges. I wish there was a trail going up to the top of the little peak between Rose and Copper. Better yet how about a trail up to the top of Copper Mountain that starts in the National Forest so I can take Patches with me.. I can dream..
3.5-4.5 miles with 2,500 elevation gain
 |
| Lake Cushman and a clearcut forest in the distance |
 |
| Hand drawn track log |
 |
| Robin's egg blue |
 |
| Protozoa on the march |
 |
| Patches wants to find a way down |
 |
| Patches becomes one with the mountain |
 |
| Lichen and moss wonderland on the ridge |
 |
| Protozoa goes for a walk |
 |
| After several revisions my home made pack is holding up well notice the new pocket on the right. My feet thanked me for hiking in running shoes instead of boots |
 |
| 669 year old tree that fell across the trail was cleared out by the Mount Rose trail crew.. Thanks! |
No comments:
Post a Comment