I felt compelled to write my first trip report after this hike with my son today. First off: yes, you should do this. It's glorious. Full stop.
Second: my caveats to the WTA description are that the very steep section (uphill if CW and downhill if CCW) is not as user-friendly as I thought it would be based on others' descriptions. I was glad I had trekking poles for my unstable ankles. Many switchbacks and mid-sections required careful footing.
My son and I camped at Klipchuck last night and were at the trailhead before 8AM. The parking lot was already pretty full, so I was glad for the early start. There was one hiker with off-leash dogs ["Are you afraid of dogs...?" she asked, and I kinda wanted to say "It's a little too late for that, eh?" but I reminded her of the leash policy and she was all mmmmmmbyyyyyeeee. So, sorry all you responsible dog owners (which we also passed, and thanked), folks like her are gonna ruin it for y'all].
I'm not sure the detour to Lake Ann was worth it, TBH. It was my son's first hike of this length, and I should have stayed on the straight and narrow. As other hikers have observed: you can see Lake Anne for most of the hike, so spare yourself. The WTA report says it's 0.6 miles round trip to Lake Anne, but we turned around at the 0.3 mile mark and were nowhere close to the lake at that point. Discretion would have been the better part of valor, IMO.
We crossed paths with lovely folks but it wasn't uber crowded, just congenial. Still: glad we got that early start. The trail is dry and dusty on the CCW downhill, so be ready to eat some dirt and do some slipping and sliding on loose dusty dirt.
Comments
AngMae on Heather - Maple Pass Loop
We did this hike a couple of years ago CW. We both have sketchy knees and decided not to go down that steep section, but to go up and get it over with right away! It was worth it and I do recommend if this is one of your concerns. After we crested Maple Pass, the rest of the way down was quite enjoyable without a lot of stress on those knees. This was an absolutely stunning hike, one of the most beautiful I have done, and no words can do it justice. I would also say go do Lake Ann as a separate hike so you can enjoy the lake if that is your objective. We were so tired by the time we got to the junction we decided not to do the lake. But we had been just to the lake a couple of years before that in the Fall and it was a nice hike in itself. Go hike this trail if you can!
Posted by:
AngMae on Aug 30, 2022 01:44 PM