Had a lovely sunny hike on the last day before the mule deer officially take over on December 1. There's a great vibe here - lots of folks running and hiking and dogs enjoying themselves, along with very polite mountain bikers. No snow but lots of beautiful frost on everything.
Big shout out to the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, who have done a terrific job on the trail system around here. I grew up in Wenatchee, and still spend much of my year in Chelan County, and it's so awesome to see so many more great outdoor opportunities than there was when I was a kid. Not that we didn't hike around, but these trails are really well done, they're building more, and they're conscientious about blocking social trails and encouraging folks to keep to the main thoroughfares. These Sage Hills trails and the Horse Lake Reserve trails close December 1-April 1 to protect animal habitat.
I started from Kenzie's Landing (toilet available, tables for lunch, limited parking), as the Horse Lake road was closed, and just meandered up and over toward the Horse Lake area, ending at a bench and eating my lunch at a great viewpoint after about 2.5 miles, maybe 800 vertical feet total. Grade is gentle, trail is mostly great but beware when wet, as it gets super slippery in places. Had to scrape the mud off my shoes multiple times since they basically became mud skates after a while, and slipped and fell once because I'm clumsy. Poles were helpful.
I'll definitely come back for the wildflower season after the Mule deer hand it over again!
Comments