Sunday, August 29, 2010

The week in review ... August 29, 2010 Our Hike to the Stahl Peak Lookout




Stahl Peak lookout in the distance...


A little telephoto applied and you can see the lookout ...


Now you can see it well!  All three photos were taken from the same place.



Just some of the views on the trail ...


Almost there ...



Susan's sister and I in the lookout.  The wind was cold!



You can see the big switchback in the lower center of the picture?  The Cherokee is in the trees where the road disappears below the switchback.  The trail follows an old logging road for a ways to the south then turns around to follow the contour of the mountain making a big "C" shape as it comes back up to the lookout.


Inside the lookout.  This one is open to the public to camp in on a first come - first served basis.  No reservations needed.  One thing we found out ... bring your own TP for the outhouse!


Snack time!  Man were we hungry!  According to my GPS, the elevation the car was parked at was 5669 feet.  The elevation at the lookout (ground level) was 7373 feet.  By the GPS measurements we hiked 5.43 miles each way.  As the crow flies it was a little over a half-mile from the lookout to the car.



See the little white spot below the  closer mountain peak?  That's the Mt. Wam lookout.  It's actually on top of another peak before the one that's obvious.  It can be rented in advance.  We've camped in it before as well.  It's absolutely beautiful at night.  Very quiet and on a clear night the stars blanket the sky.  There are no artificial lights to dim the view of the night sky.


This is a cable from the lightening rods.  It runs around the interior floor of the lookout to keep you from getting electrocuted in a lightening storm.   I've never been in one during a lightening storm but the people who have all said it is a very memorable experience.  Few ever seemed to want to do it again. 


More views from the trail...


A little lake at the bottom of the cliffs...

The cliffs above the lake ...


A boo-boo on my part for posting the same picture twice!




Fresh bear scat on the trail ...  It doesn't have any little hiking bells or smell like pepper spray so it must be from a black bear.


Susan and Margorie picking wild strawberries...


Red fingers from picking wild strawberries!

There will be more pictures from the week as I get more time to post them.

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