Technically this was a moderate loop hike, and certainly not excessive mileage, but this was still our first time hitting over 1000 ft of elevation gain this year. We even got a couple miles more than any of our other hikes this past month and a half. So not a bad start to getting back in shape, working up to climbing more mountains.
We began with a different plan in mind, but “unplanned” that when we arrived at the busy Alton Mt. Rd. trailhead. Our intended direction was kinda peopley, so we decided to take the opposite route and head towards Mt. Anna. The journey was peaceful and enjoyable, and we were immediately satisfied with our last minute choice. Once summiting Anna, we considered the various options for our remaining time on trail, and decided to aim for our original goal and hit Straightback, then descend Blueberry trail.
Conditions were very decent. The vast majority of the trail was solid enough for spikes, as long as you didn’t step off the packed area. Snowshoes really weren't necessary in any of the areas we hiked today, at least at the hours we hiked. I did posthole once later on, which Hummingbird of course happily captured in a photo. LOL
We were grateful that we hiked in this direction, as the wind chill was a bit uncomfortable in the beginning. Blueberry Pasture is fairly open, and Mt. Straightback even more so, plus much of the trail up tends to be a wind tunnel. So if we had started on this side as first planned, we may very well have cut our hike short. By contrast, the trail to Mt. Anna is more heavily forested, so we were more protected. The sun was also beautifully warm when it shone on us, and we both delayered shortly into our ascent. At one point I even hiked without gloves! (A feat for my perpetually icy hands.)
By the time we were making our descent, there was still some wind, but not nearly as bad as earlier in the morning. I did have to zip up my jacket and relayer into my thicker gloves once we hit Blueberry’s wind tunnel, but it was not too uncomfortable. All in all, it was a nearly perfect hike for what we wanted. (Our only real complaint might be the increasing amount of uncleaned dog shit that seems to be on every trail lately. Major pet peeve!)
Note to self: stop forgetting to wear sunblock while doing wide open hikes.
Thankfully the sun wasn’t too intense today, and only part of our hike was exposed, so I only came away with a very slight pinkish hue, which will fade quickly. But Straightback is notorious for burning me. I definitely need to be more proactive about skin protection in general. (After all, I can't get too damaged and start actually looking my age, right? LOL)
Speaking of age and damage, I was also happy to not feel a major physical toll from this hike! Particularly since I brought out the full pack for this one, which often bothers my back after a certain amount of time hiking. I do think it slowed me down slightly, or kicked up my "feel the burn" sensations on our ascent, but I suffered no negative consequences after the fact. Hopefully this means I'm getting stronger!
2/11 Anna-Straightback-Blueberry loop, 5.31 mi, 1224 ft, 2:27 hrs
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