Old Sauk Trail #728 review

We’ll see how far this goes, but I thought I’d make an attempt to review my hikes this year. Hopefully there are lots of them to cover.

Distance: 6.0 miles r/t
Elevation profile: fairly level
Crowd: Low
Date of hike: 5/25/08, Sunday of Memorial Day weekend
Companions: Adam, Michelle, Maddie, Kaylee
Location: North fork of Mountain Loop Highway, near Darrington
Current geocaches: Two
Highlights: Spring vegetation, river, easy, good early season hike
Official link
Official conditions: 05/22/2008: OPEN Trail cleared of windfall trees (4/17/2008 )
Photos

For the first hike of the year, we, the somewhat out of shape, decided to start with a hike recommended for senior citizens. The beginning and ending elevation are both at 600 feet, however, it is not a flat hike. The ups and downs are pretty minimal, but it is definitely not railroad grade. It follows the Sauk River. The trail itself is never that far from the road, but you’d never guess it while you are hiking. The hike was also chosen due to being free of snow, which is a rare feat right now on all of Mountain Loop Highway.

We had a fairly slow start, probably mostly my fault with my need to take lots of pictures. I couldn’t help it as it was full of very interesting spring plants. There was a lot of new life in the form of newly unfurling ferns and other plants. It looks like it will be a very tasty hike in a couple months once the huckleberries are out.

One way this hike differs from many others is that it is not a destination hike. The real goal is just to take a nice walk in the woods by a river. We travelled all the way to the end and were rewarded with seeing the road in a different spot and an informational sign about salmon spawning.

Sadly, this hike for senior citizens had me aching afterwards and turning into a bit of a zombie. I partially blame my use of a Power Puff Girls backpack and not a real daypack. It’s amazing how much of a difference good equipment can make. It’s possible that silly backpack felt heavier than the 50 pound pack I used last August for camping.

Notes for the future: buy a real daypack