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| Raintree and Mummy's Toe |
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| Raintree |
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| Raintree Roots |
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| Starting up Trail Canyon |
It was an excellent day for a hike! Cloud cover, cool temps, and a slight breeze! The Fit Five started up Trail Canyon at 7:38am and the pace was set at around 2 to 2.5 mph. We stayed together for the first mile then began to spread out a little when the going got tougher. The forest was dim and green. As I lagged back, I kept eyes open for wildlife. Just a few times, I stopped for photos but the light wasn't good for it. The others reached the saddle before me but I still got there in a personal record time for this season. At the saddle, there were three other hikers resting. Chu and John were heading to Charleston Peak (and Whitney in 3 days time). Don was getting his hiking legs back into condition. We heard that Tony F. was in the area but we never ran into him.
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| Ascent Views from Trail Canyon Trail |
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| Into the Steepest Section |
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| Friends along the Hike |
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| Leaving Trail Canyon Saddle |
From the saddle, we joined the North Loop Trail straight ahead. Our goal was Raintree, a seven mile out and back journey. Imho, this route to Raintree is the most beautiful, with views of the many peaks of Kyle Canyon. The North Loop Trail travels around the base of Mummy Mountain with Raintree being at the base of Mummy's Toe. The first part of the North Loop, here, is a pleasant one third of a mile with little elevation gain. It passes over two large washes that drain into Fletcher Canyon below. At times, the trail is very narrow as it traverses the side of the mountain. After the first third of the mile, the remaining 1.2 miles is intermittently challenging as the steep slopes return. However, the reward is that you are brought into the elevations of the bristlecones. There are some very beautiful old bristlecone trees before you reach Raintree. There is also a large grove of relatively young bristlecones that appear as a Christmas Tree slope! Fletcher Peak is seen clearly across the void. I climbed onto the Raintree saddle where the group was already taking their break. Except for Mike! He had taken a young wayward hiker up to the Fletcher Peak trail junction and set him on his way. Due to the influx of new pandemic hikers, there are many opportunities to spread the knowledge!
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| Cockscomb Peak, Griffith Peak, and Harris Peak (R to L) |
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| North Loop Trail |
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| Harris Peak from North Loop |
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| North Loop Trail |
Since there were no other hikers at Raintree while we were there, it was a good opportunity to practice my camera skills with the big tree. Well, I keep practicing. 😐 Mike returned. We took our group photo, finished our break and started down. It wasn't long before we ran into a couple of other friends. Max and Marcia were on their way up. It was good to see them after over a year. We started down again and I lagged behind taking more photos. The dim light was a challenge I couldn't resist. The pace picked up but we all gathered at the saddle where Don was resting again. He had gone up to Cave Springs while we were gone. Say "hi" to him if you ever run across him. Nice guy! Next, it was the Trail Canyon descent ... again. This time, the pace was faster as Ralyn and Cheryl were in the lead. But, we hadn't gotten very far when we ran across yet another couple of friends. Linda O'L and Liz K. were on their way up to the saddle! We stopped to talk again as we had also not seen the ladies for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was, indeed, an excellent day for a hike! We continued down the remaining two miles passing four more ladies we didn't know.
Stats: 7 miles; 2200' gain; 3.75 hours
P.S. Please don't sit on the roots of Raintree. Also, please do not climb on Raintree. This damages the tree's ability to survive. Thanks.
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| Starting down North Loop Trail |
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| Cockscomb Peak from North Loop Trail |
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| Descent in Trail Canyon |
1 comment:
i am so honored to be mentioned and be appeared in your blog.
It was very nice to see you and mike
healthy .
Things are looking up!
M
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