12.5 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Yep, again. It's a good thing the closest mountain to home is also such a fun one to play on, because I just seem to keep going back. And now, it's one of the few Gorge trails that's actually doable. Finally. What a mess this winter has been!
Fair bit of storm damage, but overall the trails in Beacon Rock State Park are hikable. Traction (microspikes) helped a lot in the upper areas. The snow is very dense, and kicking steps really isn't an option when needed. First time I've ever been turned back on Don's Cutoff. Hillside was just too steep and hard, and sliding into a tree there would hurt!
So after taking the road down from the saddle, we headed back uphill towards the Equestrian Bridge, which we found with well over a meter of snow covering it! First boot prints along that whole stretch, which after looping back to the Hardy Creek crossing added another nice 3.5 miles to the day.
A huge tree has fallen just past the bridge below Hardy Falls, and its rootball has taken out most of the trail. It's still passable, but prepare to get muddy!
