Thursday, September 22, 2022

STRAWBERRY PEAK VIA MOUNTAINEER'S ROUTE


 On Wednesday I hiked to Strawberry Peak via mountaineer's route. The last time I hiked this route was in 2016. The trail was in good shape. I have a friend who is currently doing maintenance work so it was looking very nice. 

The last time I was there, I remembered the Poodle Dog bush was overwhelming along the ridge. Also, the ridge was mostly clear and easy to walk through. However, this time there was a large section along the ridge that was overgrown with thorny bushes. Not hard to navigate but a bit challenging to avoid and getting impaled by the yuccas. Ouch!

We took our first break at Josephine Saddle. Then we headed up the mountaineer's route. As I mentioned earlier the terrain was not quite the same as before.  However, no more Poodle Dog except for a very tiny bush yay!!!!!

Ascending the class 3 rock scrambling was just as fun as I remembered. It was a clear day and the views were amazing! I took my time to soak in the views. I did manage to find one lonely purple flower hidden in between the rocks. 

At the summit, we ate lunch and took the obligatory summit photos. Someone brought Strawberries to share. I signed the register and noticed an old Eispiraten sticker which was cool. 

We descended the trail going back to Red Box.. The route was clear and not as slippery as I remembered it. 

All in all, it was a perfect day. 

Stats: 8 miles, 2300' gain