It's Spring Break, and Brad joined me in a couple days off. We decided Tuesday's forecasted near-record highs called for an outdoor adventure.
Brad is not a morning person, so my question is always, "How early are you willing to leave?" Beating the crowds is my No. 1 goal. We compromised and left home early but not super early 😁 An empty parking lot was our reward!
We picked a trail run at Hardy Ridge, a new spot for both of us. Guides said it was 8.5 miles, but since it abuts the Hamilton Mountain trail system, we thought we'd explore and see what our legs could handle.
Snow patches and overgrown brush made the summit ridge extra exciting! It's clearly not a well-traveled trail - at least not this time of year.
The summit's 360-degree view was 100% obscured by clouds. It was warm and calm, and I could feel the moisture on my bare skin.
We headed downhill to Hardy Creek and found tons of snow in the sheltered canyon.
We knew we'd start seeing people as we entered the very popular Hamilton Mountain area. But 3 hours of solitude was awesome! And because we came in from the top, the trails weren't super crowded.
The snow helped us decide our route as we made our way up to Hamilton Mountain.
Absolutely beautiful!
Hamilton Mountain summit - no view there, either:
We made our way down and found the parking lot nearly full - so glad we went early!
13.3 miles and 3,700 feet of elevation gain:
We can't wait to go back later in the season 😀
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