We arrived around 8:30am and parked on the street just off the 80 East. There is a sort of parking lot, but there’s no order to the parking, so we were glad we opted for the street.
Walking up the road, we eventually found the path that led to the Peter Grubb Hut. The first part is a wide road and cars can drive on that road, though it seems more appropriate for 4-wheel drive vehicles.
We came across a cheeky chipmunk eating something and the little waited until we were a few feet away before vacating the area.
The elevation at the beginning of the hike was 7,313 with an approximate gain of 900 feet. That being said, the first two miles of the hike were all uphill. However, there were several lovely meadows along the way to brighten your morning and give you an excuse to take a quick break.
Above us for much of the way was Castle Rock, looming and inviting. We’ll get there some day.
We continued our ascent and enjoyed the view, looking forward to seeing Grubb’s hut.
Then it was just one more mile to go!
More views to take in and then another beautiful landscape to enjoy.
And then, it was upon us. Actually, I walked right past it because there was a huge meadow to the right, and the hut was on the left behind some trees.
The hut has clearly been fixed up and Sue said that you can rent it out, though it appeared to be vacant while we were loitering there.
Now, let's talk about that meadow (we found out it is called "Round Valley Meadow") across the path. As mentioned, it was colossal and the light was just right. We decided to eat our sandwiches there and just as we were finishing, a friendly family of trail runners (3 of them: mom, dad and child) stopped by and chatted us up. Very friendly. I took their photo using their phone and then they bid us farewell.
The plan was to turn around there, but we decided to continue on for a little ways to see what was up ahead.
Then it was time to turn around and retrace our steps. And most of it was downhill - Weee!
We didn't really see too many people on the trail, consider all the cars, but that path also goes to other destinations.
And soon enough, we were back at the beginning.
A fun, short hike. It was just under 6 miles. Oh, and the temperature was perfect: 81 degrees with a constant, cool breeze.
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