Yesterday, Cool Guy and I went to North Bend State Park in order to hike the Giant Pine Trail. It is a short loop, only .6 mile, so we decided beforehand to hike it in one direction and then go back in the other.
The day was crisp, in the 30's, but it was a fair day, as in not slushy and not raining.
We took a little pal with us, Scamp, our Australian Shepherd. Scamp had never been on a hike with us. After yesterday's experience, I'd say he deserves to go again, depending on the trail and the distance involved. Scamp could handle anything, but I don't think I can handle nonstop barking in my ear on the way there. A huge benefit of Scamp is that he makes Cool Guy a much better hiker. I don't have to prod CG along up the inclines because Scamp drags him along.
The loop begins right across from the lodge. Lots of parking and very easy to find. The trail is very well-marked with a yellow blaze, and the trail is easy to follow. At the beginning of the hike, there were a lot of downed trees, and I was afraid that the hike would be one long, continuous view of what had been before The Storm of last summer. Luckily, that was only the beginning part.
We immediately began going downhill and switched back and forth and a mostly moderate grade until we reached the bottom, where we crossed a stream, went a little further downhill, met a larger stream, and then lost sight of all blazes. It was not well marked at this major turning point, but we got lucky and found our path again with a sharp turn at the bottom of the valley and then began the climb uphill.
The climbs were steep, but not overly so, and never of any duration. We saw some underground springs where some trees had uprooted, lots of evidence of woodpeckers, a pine plantation, and lots of new sights. Scamp sniffed something out that he got pretty excited about, but we persuaded him to keep going.
As soon as we got back to the car, it began lightly spitting rain, and by the time we got home, it was snowing and has kept at it ever since. We seldom get the great good luck regarding weather, so I was thankful for this break.
Would definitely do this hike again, although there are others at North Bend that I like better. But for a short hike with lots of woods, something that might be welcome in the summer, this one's a keeper.
The day was crisp, in the 30's, but it was a fair day, as in not slushy and not raining.
We took a little pal with us, Scamp, our Australian Shepherd. Scamp had never been on a hike with us. After yesterday's experience, I'd say he deserves to go again, depending on the trail and the distance involved. Scamp could handle anything, but I don't think I can handle nonstop barking in my ear on the way there. A huge benefit of Scamp is that he makes Cool Guy a much better hiker. I don't have to prod CG along up the inclines because Scamp drags him along.
The loop begins right across from the lodge. Lots of parking and very easy to find. The trail is very well-marked with a yellow blaze, and the trail is easy to follow. At the beginning of the hike, there were a lot of downed trees, and I was afraid that the hike would be one long, continuous view of what had been before The Storm of last summer. Luckily, that was only the beginning part.
We immediately began going downhill and switched back and forth and a mostly moderate grade until we reached the bottom, where we crossed a stream, went a little further downhill, met a larger stream, and then lost sight of all blazes. It was not well marked at this major turning point, but we got lucky and found our path again with a sharp turn at the bottom of the valley and then began the climb uphill.
The climbs were steep, but not overly so, and never of any duration. We saw some underground springs where some trees had uprooted, lots of evidence of woodpeckers, a pine plantation, and lots of new sights. Scamp sniffed something out that he got pretty excited about, but we persuaded him to keep going.
As soon as we got back to the car, it began lightly spitting rain, and by the time we got home, it was snowing and has kept at it ever since. We seldom get the great good luck regarding weather, so I was thankful for this break.
Would definitely do this hike again, although there are others at North Bend that I like better. But for a short hike with lots of woods, something that might be welcome in the summer, this one's a keeper.
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