If you want to test your rig’s power and engine cooling system, take US-Alt14 up into the Big Horn Mountains. The Rolling Steel Tent managed to do it without blowing up. That route also got me to my destinations in the northwest part of the mountains sooner.
First up was the
Medicine Wheel and a test of my ability to hike at 9,000+ feet. It’s a mile and a half walk from the parking lot to the spiritual site. I handled the short trip—even the uphill sections—just fine. No shortness of breath, no aches or pains.
Next up was
Bucking Mule Falls. I waited at the trailhead for the afternoon light. The sign said it was two miles. A hiker I passed on the way said his GPS had it at a little more than three miles. But it was a fairly easy walk, because it was mostly downhill. Of course, that meant the return trip was mostly uphill. My cardio systems worked fine on that slog, but my legs were, well, almost on their last legs. Other people can hike eight, nine miles in one day, no big deal. But this was the most I’ve hiked since I was a Boy Scout. But it was worth it.
Handy guide at a fork in the trail
I am envious. My lungs never let me hike above 6500 feet.
ReplyDeleteGood job Al. Looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking us on the hike with you. Views that would lift spirits for a long while. Just reading about your excursion, I'm in need of a nap.
ReplyDeleteNow, please pass the trail snacks over.
Great photos, that's quite a hike.
ReplyDeleteHAH! Let's hear it for good health! It's no wonder the Middle-easterners greet each other with inquiries about how they and their families are faring.
ReplyDeleteMay you walk tall and limber for years to come!