20 miles of hiking • 5250' elevation gain •
Awesome day with great trailfriends, old and new, visiting the gorge peak that's farthest from any trailhead. Two of whom bagged their first 20-miler! There really isn't a better trail to do it on, either. :-)
Started early, in the frosty cold, and never really escaped that. Although, the summit itself was a balmy 40-ish degrees with no wind! Otherwise, low-30s, and frosty/frozen ground, progressing to a couple-few inches of snow by beargrass alley.
We were treated to a most incredible spectacle as a several-mile wide vaporfalls of clouds cascaded across ridgelines to our east and south. This was absolutely the highlight of the day, although the "best in the gorge" views were nothing to scoff at either, what with 150-plus miles of visibility.
With many regrets, we left the summit at 2pm for the 10-mile return trip. Ended up in total darkness before hitting the old trailhead. Someday, perhaps, I'll finish a Tanner hike in daylight. Nahhh... that'll never happen! LOL...
