An Ode To Hiking

I know people who are actual hikers.  My friend Jen frequently (and hilariously) chronicles her hiking adventures with her husband Mike here.  One of my facebook friends is always posting about summitting various local ridges and peaks.  Heck, some friends from high school did a sponsorship fundraiser for the number of miles their TODDLER hiked this summer (check it out- he won for the 13-and-under age group!).

Me?  I like hiking.  The groomed trail type of hiking is my favorite.  I like to imagine I could be the type of tough outdoorsy chick who could backpack in to a remote glacial lake.  Riiiiight.  But seriously, I hardly ever go hiking, even though I enjoy it.  I think it's mostly just lack of planning that impedes us, although the weather is also often to blame (I am not a fan of soupy hiking).

Two weekends past marked my second (and likely last) hike of the season.  Steve and I met my dear sister-in-law Tabi and her soon-to-be hubs Will and managed to canvas most of one branch of the Iron Goat Trail before the sun set.  Go here to read up on the trail.

Here's the photo diary of the trip.  PS- the good photos were taken by Will, the rest were taken by me and my trusty iphone.

 Reading up on the trail's history.

Decal emblazoned on the caboose at the trailhead.

So green, even in September.

Approaching the mouth of the first tunnel.

Tunnely.

Looking in.

Looking out (rebel alert)!

Looking up from the forbidden side of the tunnel.

The trail running along the outside of the tunnel.

A picture of a picture...

...Of this!  The west-facing view of the Highway 2 corridor.

One more, just because.

There was this really great bridge.

So we walked on it.

The second tunnel was less, shall we say, structurally sound?

But it did boast crazy calcification.

And stalactites.

Only 96 years old, no big.

We saw dry creek beds.

Crazy tree limb architecture.

Happy little waterfall (Bob Ross).

We made it back to the trailhead just before sunset and were treated to this view (minus the antenna) on our way to bleu cheese sliders and pumpkin ale.  It was a very good day.