We picked up a trekking pole @ 5:30PM Wed night. We met one hiker moving fast, apparently set up to camp. Besides our own there was only one car in the lot, must have been his.
And....a lone trekking pole, gray with a cork handle-Trekology brand. Thought it unlikely to be his. Thought it might belong to part of our group that left earlier we took it home. Nope, not our group. If you are missing a trekking pole, respond to this review.
To the review. Road good. We were the first in the lot a little after 9. Season has obviously dropped off a LOT. Fine drizzle and a tad of rain getting up to Trout. Quit raining then, but never really cleared.
The big message is....the tree down is no joke. Crawling under is absolutely feasible even for a large person if not particularity elegant. Climbing over is dicey, several of us did. It's on ~ 30* angle and pretty high up. On the way up you really can't see exactly what you are getting into, until you are committed.
The carved foot holds are NOT GREAT, not large, and not reassuring when wet. To slip/fall is almost a guarantee of being hurt, really. Taking the straight up path along side the trunk is possible but ugly. We sampled ALL the routes. If you aren't spry, balanced, and comfortable with exposure > suck it up and crawl under. It's only dirt.
The rest of the trail is fine and well described in other reviews. We only saw the one other hiker. He had the whole place to himself.
Comments
I actually found that pole when I parked in the lot earlier for Trout Lake on Wednesday. It was over on the side almost covered in leaves. I left it propped on a rock by the out house, so I think it might have been lost a few days back.
Posted by:
Hikeswith3 on Oct 04, 2024 08:25 AM
That clears some things up. Thanks.
The top has a somewhat distorted spot in the top where the adjustment clamp is. That makes it impossible to slide/adjust it, so it can't be collapsed.
Posted by:
FMerkel on Oct 04, 2024 12:03 PM
I wish I had seen this. I was up there Saturday, 11/16/24. The tree is too dangerous to climb over now. The water on it was slushy. My friend and I called it. I would not recommend this trail for the Winter this year.
Posted by:
HenryP on Nov 17, 2024 06:20 PM
Is crawling under no longer an option?
If it had slush on it going over would be pretty dangerous indeed.
Posted by:
FMerkel on Nov 17, 2024 09:28 PM