I got out today to Cedar Butte. I have done this hike a number of times but I am not sure I ever described it.
It is on the low side of moderate in terms of distance and elevation gain. Today, I extended the distance a bit by strolling over to Rattlesnake Lake (it looks like a real lake right now) and the hike was still only 4.69 miles. But I had a good workout and a very nice time.
I divide the hike to the top of Cedar Butte into four sections.
- 1 mile, flat, on the wide-open Palouse-to-Cascades trail.
- About .35 miles to a spot where the trail splits. Both paths lead to Saddle Junction but the right path is longer and the left path is shorter, and therefore steeper.
- I took the left path and that is about .35 miles up to Saddle Junction.
- From Saddle Junction to the summit is about .4 miles and it is from the summit that I took the picture at the top.
About halfway up section four I sat down and just chilled for a few moments. I was not tired or in need of a rest. I just wanted to sit in the forest and enjoy the moment. Here is what I was looking at; very peaceful and quiet:
Less than a quarter mile from where I stopped to appreciate where I was is a little view point, looking back at Rattlesnake Lake:
On the way down, at Saddle Junction I took the longer path because I love the forest along that part of the trail, including this mossy growth, which reminds me of something you might find as a sculpture outside a modern art museum:
All in all a fun Tuesday morning.
Track below.
