People from left to right: Beatriz, Beverly, Shelly, Angela Dogs from left to right: Nanook, Jake Queenie, Patches |
Today we hiked with our dogs to Ice House Saddle via Ice House Canyon. The hike is considered strenuous. There were only 4 of us that attempted this hike today. It was a 3 day weekend, so I didn't really expect a lot of people to be in town.
So we hiked up Ice House Canyon. And when I say up, I mean UP. As I said before, this is a strenuous trail. And THIS time, I thought it was even HARDER than last time. But as with any trail, your body reacts differently every time. You just have to go with the journey and do your best.
So, we made it up to the saddle. We had broken into two groups, since Beatriz and I took our time going up.
On the way back, at the junction, just below the saddle, we decided to take the trail less traveled and followed the Chapman trail down the mountain. What I've read is that the Chapman Trail may be 2 miles longer than the direct ascent up Ice House Canyon but that added mileage makes the ascent (or descent in our case) less strenuous.
What I have learned is to trust my dogs. Jake and Nanook do a great job sniffing out the trail and pointing us in the right direction. Ah, the power of the canine schnoz!
Anyway, the 2nd obstacle were the rock piles we had to climb over.
See the route below via Everytrail. It's not our track, but it is the track that we followed.
Ice House Saddle - Ice House Canyon Trail and Chapman Trail Loop at EveryTrail
EveryTrail