Maineman
New member
Q: "How do you eat an elephant?"
A: "One bite at a time!"
The RMC has constructed a beautiful spider web of trails in the Northern Presis and after this trip, only 1.3 miles remain!
I drove up from Portland and arrived at Appalachia at about 10:00pm. I switched on my trusty headlamp, shouldered my pack and headed up the trail. I felt like I was back on the PCT - I was carrying four days worth of food and my camping gear plus a couple of liters of water.
The Sylvan Way, like many RMC trails is a road less travelled with a wonderfully soft foot bed unlike the poor Valley Way. I reached the falls and scrambled down to check them out, recent rains made them quite inpressive.
Time to head south toward the junction of the Kelton & Inlook trails. There are several steep sections and my calves enjoyed their workout. A full moon provided an excellent backdrop for looking out through the stunted trees on top of the ridge. At Kelton Crag I enjoyed the view into Bumpus Basin (such a fun name to say) and took a break.
Back to work - soon I reached Dome Rock. I had made good time to here and decided I'd poke around for a bivy site. Some searching around revealed a perfect tiny flat spot away from the trail to spend my evening.
I slept in until almost 9am, had a quick breakfast and then headed south once again, headed toward the Watson Path junction, which quickly came & went. Up to the Valley Way and then down until reaching the Scaur Trail junction. It was a very steep hike up to the Scaur Loop junction. I kept left until I rejoined the loop, dropped my pack and then went back down the same section, then all the way to the lower Valley Way junction, back up to the loop which I then completed, finally arriving back at my pack.
I groaned as I put my pack back on and began the grind up to the Airline. At the Airline junction I met a father/son team headed up to the huts and we chatted a bit. My initial plan had been to descend to the Short Line but the weather was perfect and I felt strong so I chose to climb instead.
I think there is some disruption in time/space fabric on the Airline because it always seems to take FOREVER to complete each section. I reached the Chemin Des Dames and took a deep breath as I started down. Dropping 800 feet in 0.4 miles, this was a workout of epic proportions. I heard my own voice from several years ago saying "Even though this is the shortest trail off of the ridge, I need to remember never to hike DOWN this trail!" Too late.
After a minor eternity (and the shifting of a few dryer-sized rocks) I reached the floor of King Ravine. Clambering down the boulder strewn trail I looked forward to a nice cold drink and a head soaking at Mossy Falls which was a near religious experience.
Now the trail got really rough and wet as I made my way toward the Log Cabin cutoff. The cabin itself was as dark and dingy as I remember. Next up was the Cabin-Cascades Trail - a seldom used trail, even by RMC standards. I reached The Link and continued my long circular arc around Mt Adams girthy waistline.
At the Castle Ravine trail junction I was tired and decided to skip the climb of Emerald Bluff today. The long descent down Castle Ravine Trail was quite pleasant since I don't mind tromping through rivers with my shoes on! Just another reason I love trail runners and despise boots. I dunked myself into the next to last river crossing to improve the smell for any potential ride-givers on my hitch back to my car.
I stuck my thumb out and was instantly picked up by a nice guy named Dion who was headed to Berlin - thanks man!
Back at the car I planned my next adventure for the week - some Killkenny redlines!
A: "One bite at a time!"
The RMC has constructed a beautiful spider web of trails in the Northern Presis and after this trip, only 1.3 miles remain!
I drove up from Portland and arrived at Appalachia at about 10:00pm. I switched on my trusty headlamp, shouldered my pack and headed up the trail. I felt like I was back on the PCT - I was carrying four days worth of food and my camping gear plus a couple of liters of water.
The Sylvan Way, like many RMC trails is a road less travelled with a wonderfully soft foot bed unlike the poor Valley Way. I reached the falls and scrambled down to check them out, recent rains made them quite inpressive.
Time to head south toward the junction of the Kelton & Inlook trails. There are several steep sections and my calves enjoyed their workout. A full moon provided an excellent backdrop for looking out through the stunted trees on top of the ridge. At Kelton Crag I enjoyed the view into Bumpus Basin (such a fun name to say) and took a break.
Back to work - soon I reached Dome Rock. I had made good time to here and decided I'd poke around for a bivy site. Some searching around revealed a perfect tiny flat spot away from the trail to spend my evening.
I slept in until almost 9am, had a quick breakfast and then headed south once again, headed toward the Watson Path junction, which quickly came & went. Up to the Valley Way and then down until reaching the Scaur Trail junction. It was a very steep hike up to the Scaur Loop junction. I kept left until I rejoined the loop, dropped my pack and then went back down the same section, then all the way to the lower Valley Way junction, back up to the loop which I then completed, finally arriving back at my pack.
I groaned as I put my pack back on and began the grind up to the Airline. At the Airline junction I met a father/son team headed up to the huts and we chatted a bit. My initial plan had been to descend to the Short Line but the weather was perfect and I felt strong so I chose to climb instead.
I think there is some disruption in time/space fabric on the Airline because it always seems to take FOREVER to complete each section. I reached the Chemin Des Dames and took a deep breath as I started down. Dropping 800 feet in 0.4 miles, this was a workout of epic proportions. I heard my own voice from several years ago saying "Even though this is the shortest trail off of the ridge, I need to remember never to hike DOWN this trail!" Too late.
After a minor eternity (and the shifting of a few dryer-sized rocks) I reached the floor of King Ravine. Clambering down the boulder strewn trail I looked forward to a nice cold drink and a head soaking at Mossy Falls which was a near religious experience.
Now the trail got really rough and wet as I made my way toward the Log Cabin cutoff. The cabin itself was as dark and dingy as I remember. Next up was the Cabin-Cascades Trail - a seldom used trail, even by RMC standards. I reached The Link and continued my long circular arc around Mt Adams girthy waistline.
At the Castle Ravine trail junction I was tired and decided to skip the climb of Emerald Bluff today. The long descent down Castle Ravine Trail was quite pleasant since I don't mind tromping through rivers with my shoes on! Just another reason I love trail runners and despise boots. I dunked myself into the next to last river crossing to improve the smell for any potential ride-givers on my hitch back to my car.
I stuck my thumb out and was instantly picked up by a nice guy named Dion who was headed to Berlin - thanks man!
Back at the car I planned my next adventure for the week - some Killkenny redlines!
