HUNTER CREEK TRAIL October 1, 2016

Photos at: https://www.facebook.com/petesthousandpeaks/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1111280078954985

Having gotten treatment for my state of continual exhaustion, I felt better in the time that I started on a new lifestyle, getting up early, and not staying in bed all day. Limiting myself to two cups of ice coffee in the morning, with no diet soda, I saw that I could bear getting up. Life certainly seems better, now. No reason for me to stop it.

This Saturday, I lounged about at my computer, getting the news and checking some websites. When I saw the outdoor temperatures to be nicer, I took off for a local hike. Going to the Michael D. Thompson trailhead, I managed to get a spot, parking. My mission for the day was to check the fall colors. A specialty website claimed to peak or near peak in some spots, and the whole Sierra Nevada was said to be turning. This is an early change in the fall colors.

So locally, there is a stand of aspens and cottonwoods along the trail. I hiked up, then, the Hunter Creek trail, knowing of the trees, and not figuring to again go all the way to the falls. There was a good number of hikers. Lots of cars in the overflow parking.

The trail is sort of narrow, so I found myself stepping aside for larger groups of hikers. Easy to see how hikers can fall off the trail, and then to injury or even death. Mostly, we exchanged greetings, and I was on my way again. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

Finally having figured out how to use my watch software, I had the times, pace, distance, and calories burned. They have continual updates, and I had paid for an big upgrade as far as the walking app. With even my cell phone and PLB, I was secured against a bad accident, or prepared if I had encountered a hiker that needed rescue.

I had along my cheaper pocket camera. Better than the best smartphone camera, in a lot of ways. At first, I saw a lot of cottonwoods. Then, as I hiked further, the aspen started to appear. It was all too early for the peak. There was some color in the shrubs, and maybe 2% of the tree leaves had turned, but I intend to track the colors here, as I live in town, and it’s maybe a 30 minute drive total for me to get here.

I knew by my photos that it took me about 40 minutes to get to the aspen. I kept track by my watch app, and I wouldn’t be disappointed by not going to the falls. It was then to the furthest stands that I had pictures of, and there was very little color. I turned around, and proceeded back.

There had been a good number of dogs. Some were leashed, but one big pit bull looking sort of dog ran free. I never was contacted by their paws, and gratefully my clothing didn’t get dirty, today. The signs and rules indicate to have your animals always leashed, but a lot of locals don’t do that. Some hiking club members don’t pay attention to signs and rules, so on a short hike with some of them, I stayed well away from the dog owners, falling to the rear and further, doing my photography.

My return to the trailhead had seen no incidents or obstacles, and all other hikers were pleasant and cordial enough. I quickly drove off, and came back home to have my grilled salmon with asparagus dinner, and to get to my downloads. The photo app was working kind of funny, being extremely slow to complete a small download, and if it was a continual occurrence, I’d phone tech support.

My watch read 1:22 walk time, 3.18 miles as distance, an average pace of 25:53, and 305 calories burned. That sounds about right. I reset it for my next hike, as I wish to view what fall colors, along with mild exercise. It’s a glorious show along the Eastern Sierra when it peaks, and I expect that nobody reads any of this, so I drive solo. I just love being down there, and I can’t think of hardly any better reward for a law abiding hiker that loves camera work, and to post photos and video to pass on the knowledge, as to not see a waste of anybody’s time to see it for themselves.

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