Type of Hike
Day hike
Who needs Suzanne Sommer's Thigh Master when you've got Dog Mountain? This hike is an all-in-one butt, thigh and calf burner! Technically speaking, the trail is easy - it's pretty much free of roots and rocks and there're no stream crossings. It's also easy to navigate. But, it starts steep and stays steep, with 2,500 feet of elevation gain straight to the top. There are two options though - you can choose difficult or more difficult. If you want more of a gradual decent, take the trail on the right. Either way, you'll be working up a mean sweat so bring plenty of water. Fortunately, the trail stays in forest shade for most of the way.
Along the way, we encountered all kinds of dogs: Shepards, sausage-like Datsuns, and pocket-sized dogs. They were all fairly well-behaved. The only problem were the bags of dog poo left along the trail, as if the owners thought some forest gnome would magically appear to take the stuff away! Seriously, who wants to see this stuff when hiking in such a beautiful place? Whatever happened to "Leave No Trace?" This was the only disappointment though in an otherwise beautiful hike.
Spectacular yellow Mountain Asters are still blanketing the slopes but they won't be around for much longer (maybe one-two more weeks) so get up there before they're gone! It was a partly cloudy day so we didn't get the views of the mountains, but there is a family of ravens at the top that entertained us with spectacular aerial displays. We weren't in a hurry to summit, which gave us plenty of time to observe the surroundings. On the trail, we caught sight of a Western Bluebird (not Jay), a large lizard and other forest birds. Observing the smaller joys of nature is just as enjoyable to us as seeing wildflowers and panoramic views.
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