Between Covid, the weather and my schedule, I have had very few opportunities to go for a hike since 2019. I have recently taken a couple of short hikes on mostly level trails, but the Slab Camp Trail was the first time in over a year to once again hike where there are appreciable hills. I did not appreciate the hills.
The road to the trail head is mostly just the typical, washboard surface road. However, about 2.8 miles after turning onto FR2875, you encounter the first of several areas of major potholes. It is impossible to miss them all, so caution is definitely the order of the day.
The trail was amazingly mud free. There were about three small areas of mud near the bottom of the hill, but they were easy to get around. There is actually one spot where a secondary trail had been created by hikers to avoid a major mud spot on the main trail. Both of these trails were completely dry.
The flow of water in all of the streams and the Gray Wolf River are indicative of our drought condition. The dust covering the trees and bushes by the road was another indicator. The forest is dry.
Someone has built some more “furniture” at the main camp site by the river. It’s almost beginning to look like a meeting place. Someone also made a “bench” along the trail about midway that is a welcome relief for out-of-shape knees. Maybe they didn’t appreciate the hills, either.
Since September is actually too late for flowers and too soon for fall colors, the Slab Camp trail right now is mostly good for conditioning and finding a place for a picnic lunch next to the river.
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