With the hope of finding snow, my excited youngest two kids and I ventured out to about as far east as highway 20 will take you right now (from the west side) and hiked Thunder Knob. Sadly for my kids there was not enough snow on or off trail to meet expectations. In fact there’s more snow down by Colonial Creek and cleared from the parking lot than anywhere else. (Note there was no snow on the roadways.)
THE main challenge is crossing Colonial Creek since the seasonal bridge has wisely been removed. You’ll very quickly notice why the seasonal bridge was removed due to the power and force that creek has already had on the surrounding landscape. At the moment the creek is not too deep but it is higher than your ankles. We packed in tall rubber boots and wadded through at about where we guessed the natural trail crossing would be. The creek got up to lower calf height on me.
Utilizing the GAIA GPS app was VERY helpful from the trailhead to after the creek crossing as that entire section of trail has been recently whipped-out by the creek. After the creek crossing the trail was in great condition. You can travel quickly to the Thunder knob viewpoints. The snowcapped peaks are gorgeous right now.
No bugs. No wildlife observed. No wildflowers. But there are neat small funguses and mosses to observe. The trail starts in the thick green forest and by the top it’s less green with less trees and exposed. With the lack of a bridge, I was a little surprised to come across five other hikers today.
Have fun!
Comments