A really wonderful hike with Derek this morning. Perfect weather. Went up the old trail, Derek’s first for that route, and he is a believer. We will never go up the new trail again.
We got to the middle ledge (the one just above Rattlesnake Ledge, just below the upper ledge) just before sunrise, as you can see above.
A few minutes past the upper ledge the sun had peaked above the eastern mountains and the woods were so gorgeous with the sun peeking through the woods:
Later, there was a nice northeastern view:
But we had to go through a clear-cut section (where they were cutting down the timber last year, when the through-trail was closed) involving ugly barrenness and a detour.
Finally back in the woods it was nice the rest of the way.
9.7 miles, 2,900 feet elevation gain, a very fun day and a great workout.
The track:
https://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/by/djhiker/rattlesnake-mountain-traverse-9-28-2017#.Wc1pzMZrypp