Yesterday we picked up a trail map at the lake office and spent some time looking at trail reports online. Not enough time--we were unprepared for some of the difficulties we encountered. First, the map and the sign at the trailhead indicate that the trail is blazed white, but we had also seen one mention of blue blazes.
We had a bit of trouble finding the trail, once we passed the trail sign. We ended up following a trail blazed in white that almost immediately began a series of switchbacks, for no apparent reason. It also seemed to be staying too near the road and not following the lake shoreline. We began to think that we might be on the Bear Wheels mountain bike trail.
About this time we spotted some deer in front of us. They froze, and even though we knew right where they were, they were quite difficult to see until they decided to bolt.
We came to a sign that offered a choice of Bear Den Loop and Grizzly Loop, neither of which we wanted. [We hadn't even seen any mention of these trails on the signs or website. Checking later, we found one mention on a mountain biking forum of three loops on the Defeated Creek mountain bike trail (Bear Den, Black Bear and Grizzly Bear).] We decided to follow the Bear Den trail. After a while it became apparent that we must be on the wrong trail, so we backtracked. We came to a point where another trail ran close by and parallel to the trail we were on, and Ken noticed a blue blaze.
Finally we were on the right trail. We hiked along, high on a bluff overlooking the lake. We could catch glimpses of the lake through the trees. The trail was steep at some points, but not too difficult, until we came to a section that ran along a very steep slope. It was very slippery too, with loose leaves and moist soft soil. We had to detour around a large tree that had fallen across the trail.
On one of the steep sections, Ken's water bottle slipped out of the pocket on the side of his pack and rolled down the hillside. I clawed my way down the slope to retrieve it, wishing all the time that I had brought two hiking poles instead of just one.
Several times we had to cast about for the trail, which was very narrow and covered with leaves and canted at a 60 degree angle the same as the slope. Sometimes the blazes were quite far apart.
We continued down steep switchbacks toward the lake and came to a place where the trail led across some rocks. Some water was oozing down the hillside across the rocks, and I made the mistake of stepping in the wet area. My feet flew out from under me and I landed on my hip and shoulder and pack. After a few moments to get my bearings and dust myself off, I got up and we continued on our way.
We reached a very nice overlook and sat on the rocks to eat lunch. That's when I discovered that my banana was smashed and all the little baggies with my chips and sandwich and trail mix had broken open. Not to worry, it all tasted fine. The view was wonderful. We were screened by some leafy branches, and a large raptor swooped back and forth in front of us, very close. We could look across the blue expanse of the lake.
We decided to turn back and hike the rest of the trail from the other end another day. We figured that we would have little difficulty finding our way back. After all, we had hiked the trail out, and we had our GPS crumb trail. However, we managed to get completely lost. We couldn't see any blue blazes, and there didn't seem to be any trail across the steep hillside.
Consulting the GPS and looking around, we realized that we were way too far down the slope. It was very difficult to keep our balance and to make any headway up the slope. We were separated too. Finally I clawed and scrambled my way up the slope and found a blue blaze and a trail. What a relief! I called to Ken, and he edged his way up the slope to me. From there we made our way back to the trailhead with no further incident.
Resting for a moment later, we heard some loud noises that sounded like a person crashing through the branches. Ken said he had seen some falling leaves. Just as we were puzzling over what it might be, a tree came crashing down about 100 feet from us.
We started on the trail at 9:15 a.m. and reached the trailhead again at 2:45 p.m., five and a half hours later. The GPS showed that we had traveled 5.25 miles. I've got to say that some of those were pretty hard miles! We were glad to be home, but looking forward to doing the rest of the trail from the other end in a few days.
One online site suggests that the entire trail, out and back, nearly 12 miles, can be hiked in about six hours. We guess that's if you're younger than we are and don't lose the trail or fall down. Tonight I am very aware that I've bruised a rib and that I have a sore shoulder and hip. I'm hoping all will be better tomorrow.
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