Day 7 – Word of the day: “Slackpack”, brought to you by the letter “S”

I arrived quite early for my ride to the Codding Hollow road trailhead, starting to hike around 08h00. This was a gorgeous day, cool breeze in the shade, and absolutely no bugs whatsoever.

The terrain for this 7-mile adventure did not have much elevation gain at all, and pretty much the whole trail was dirt, with just a bit of mud here and there. There were even pine needles on the ground near the end, cushioning every step and making it a very comfortable walk.

Plenty of water in that section

Red tape

On two occasions there were detours. Please note that Prospect Rock is not accessible, in order to protect its population of peregrine falcons. Please respect the wildlife.
The second one is after the suspended bridge, where the trail was washed out by a recent flood. There is a slight detour to make sense of the mess left behind.

Slowly but surely…

Did you say “people” ?

Yes, i met quite a few people on the trail, a few day/section hikers and thru-hikers Dreamer and Groove. I am amazed, as since my humble beginnings i could be days without encountering a single soul. It was nice to talk to them and share “trail news”.

The suspended bridge

Oh, and lastly: be careful when you get out in the field before the parking lot: tons and tons of poison ivy right next to the trail.

Lessons learned and good practices

– 7 miles is a great distance should i want to be able to hike tomorrow. Still, i could have pushed for more, if it were my last day of the section;

– I can almost do 2 mph on that type of elevation;

– Trail “Intel” convinced me to attack Mt Whiteface and Madonna in 2.5 days instead of 2.

– Slackpacking rules !!!!

That’s all, folks !!! A great thanks to Elizabeth and Adam from Bonk’s rides for their help until now, they are great and dependable people.

Cheers and 73,

Sly the Navigator