Rattlesnake Mountain Traverse 9/28/2017

Almost Sunrise
Almost Sunrise

A really wonderful hike with Derek this morning. Perfect weather. Went up the old trail, Derek’s first for that route, and he is a believer. We will never go up the new trail again.

We got to the middle ledge (the one just above Rattlesnake Ledge, just below the upper ledge) just before sunrise, as you can see above.

A few minutes past the upper ledge the sun had peaked above the eastern mountains and the woods were so gorgeous with the sun peeking through the woods:

Sun Dappled Woods
Sun Dappled Woods

Later, there was a nice northeastern view:

Northeast
Northeast

But we had to go through a clear-cut section (where they were cutting down the timber last year, when the through-trail was closed) involving ugly barrenness and a detour.

Ugly Detour and Clear-Cut Section
Ugly Detour and Clear-Cut Section

Finally back in the woods it was nice the rest of the way.

9.7 miles, 2,900 feet elevation gain, a very fun day and a great workout.

The track:

https://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/by/djhiker/rattlesnake-mountain-traverse-9-28-2017#.Wc1pzMZrypp