The Sawmill Trail (of death....)

 Rating: 🥾🥾🥾🥾

Length: 7.9 miles   Elevation Gain: 4606 feet   Date hiked: June 11, 2021

Friday, June 11th, was the last cooler day in the forecast for awhile. So, Leti and I took advantage and went on a hike. We were excited to try a new hike for us. It will be fun, we said.  We will have a great time, we said. This will be a great training hike to get us in shape, we said. And then we hiked. And almost died. (Dramatic music in the background.) 

This trail was absolutely relentless. Per mile, on average, we were climbing 1,100 feet. That means some miles were more than that. And the last mile, I swear, went for three miles. But, that's besides the point.  Four out of five boots for extreme steepness. :) 

The hike started out with a wide trail, not too steep. But then things changed rapidly. The lovely sunny flowers at the beginning of the hike were a tad deceptive. It kind of lulls you into thinking the trail will be like walking across a meadow. #inaccurate This trail went up a mountainside, literally. There was a meadow at the top, but that was after a few thousand feet of ascending. 

I digress. The hike really was beautiful. And, it was a hike with a lot of variation. We went from fields of happy yellow flowers to shrub oak. From there, we went through a nice pine forest with two nice streams. From there we went through patches of quaking aspens trees surrounded by gigantic granite rock patches and a high mountain meadow, snow, and then the beautiful view! Really, it was a great new hike to try. 

Gigantic slab of granite next to the trail. 

Leti, on the trail, next to the gigantic slab of grantie pictured above.

Me, the walking stick that saved me, and more rock slabs.

Leti, at the top. It was a beautiful view. 

Snow capped mountain at the end of the hike. 


Look at this bowl! The snow and vasteness of this is spectacular! 

After taking in the beauty at the top, we headed back down the mountain, which was brutal. My lungs hated the uphill. My feet and knees were not fond of the downhill. My walking stick kept me afloat, and we made it down in a little over 2 hours. We saw two hikers on this trail. So, we basically had the mountain to ourselves. I think the steepness helped us understand why this occurred. :) Another successful hike in the books! 

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