In March I decided to go hiking again, no matter the fact that I was on my own! However, this day I was remembering the last time I hiked the 9 mile loop and I hadn't felt as sore the next day. Afraid of plateauing, I felt the need to push myself a little more.
It was raining, like March often does, but when I first got there it was just a light mist. I hiked down into the canyon, went all the way to North falls, and hiked back up to the top. On the stretch back to the South Falls Lodge area, you meet with the trail that loops back down to Winter Falls. Instead of going back and finishing the loop, I went back down into the canyon. On my way back down it started pouring down rain. Regardless of the rain, I was already down at the bottom, so I pressed on. I came back up on the Maple Ridge trail (toward the beginning of my original hike). The trek back up on the Maple Ridge trail proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. When you come up over by North Falls, it's stairs straight up and you get it over with quickly. The Maple Ridge Trail, however, is a consistent steep uphill climb for about 2 miles. It was killer, especially after hiking 10 miles already!
I definitely was sore after that one! Mission accomplished!
- Date of hike: March 29th, 2014
- Distance: 12 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,300 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Miles thus far: 30/100 miles this year
After doing this hike, I reflected back on my hiking experiences. I can't believe 5 years ago was my first time hiking (to Shellburg Falls, which was 8-9 miles) and it was a struggle every step of the way (thanks to my camp friends Pancakes & Strider for coaching me along the way). And this 12 mile hike I enjoyed every easy step and every difficult step of my adventure in the rain!
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