Week 13 Nov. 26 - McGee Creek Natural Scenic Recreation Area

Total Distance: Approximately 5 miles
Elevation Gain: Not a lot, but maybe a few hundred feet.
Time: 8:45 am - 12:30 pm
Weather: Cold and sunny.

This was a significant hike for many reasons: it was the day after Thanksgiving (so it was like a holiday hike), it was back in Oklahoma (where I am originally from and was spending the holiday), it was the first hike of the 52 with members of my family (my brother, sister-in-law, and sister came along), and it was the 13th hike of the 52 hikes (meaning I have hiked for a 1/4 of the weekends in a year). 

I was down in Durant to see my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins for Thanksgiving.  A google maps search showed that McGee Creek State Park and Natural Scenic Recreation Area were a short distance away.  My family and I woke up around 6:30 am, and when we got to the trailhead it was still below freezing, and the sun was just starting to rise above the trees.

We started, and it was cold.  We were starting to warm up a little as we walked, but the hike dropped down a few hundred feet in elevation and was mostly in the shade.  We were all slipping on all the frosted leaves which covered the trail.  We also kept losing the trail because of all the leaves that had fallen and covered the forest floor.  It was a lot of fun as we would realize we were lost, go back to find the last trail marker, then hunt for the next for the next one sweeping out concentric circles.  We were never lost for long.  As the forest slowly changed as we walked, we found ourselves surrounded by pine trees, and the pine needles were not as good at disguising the trail.

We passed campsites and shallow creeks, eventually making our way to Bugaboo Canyon.  Now this was not a southwestern United States canyon, but a canyon nonetheless.  We sat and ate our snacks.  We were all amazed at how good snacks taste at 11:00 am after a good hike.

Orchid: Hiking with family.

Onion: Ankles hurt...

Picture:

Google Map

Week 12 Nov. 21 - Wilderness Peak

Total Distance: 6.6 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 1200 ft.
Time: 10:15 am - 2:45 pm
Weather: Cold and snowy.

This was the second hike of the Outdoor Club at my school.  I had two colleagues volunteer to come with me, one of which who brought her sweet yellow lab, Carter, along.  For the last week, all I had heard from students and colleagues was how the weather was going to be "snowy and potentially too icy to drive."  As a result, we chose a low elevation hike close to major roads.  We also had a contingency plan to hike in a local park, if it was too risky to even try to drive.

Before I left my house to head to our meeting place, I had received one text about two kids not making it, and I started to think many would chicken out.  It was not snowing at 8:30 am, but it was chilly.  As I waited I was pleasantly surprised when more and more kids started showing up.  We had a total of 6, that is double the previous outing, and two were repeat offenders.

Anyway, to the hike....

We started to climb right from the get go.  It wasn't insanely steep, but it was definitely taking my breath away.  Quickly, most of us were sweating in the 37 degree weather, and we started taking off layers.  The hike was good.  Not too long, or too short.  We took lots of little breaks.

Around 1:00 pm the snow started.  Lightly at first, then a little more heavy, but never super wet.  It was magical as the ferns and trees began to take on a light dusting of snow.  Unfortunately, my camera battery died, and I could not get it to stay on long enough to catch more than one quick snap shot at a time.  As we were just about done with the loop, the snow was really starting to stay in a steady flow.  If we had started two hours later, it would have been really cool.  But a great hike, nonetheless.

Orchid: The beautiful, light dusting of snow on all the ferns and trees.

Onion: My right ankle hurts at times while I am hiking.  A sharp, significant pain...

Picture:

 

Google Map

Week 11 Nov. 14 - Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene

Total Distance: 7.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 2200 ft.
Time: 10:30 am - 3:10 pm
Weather: Cool, overcast, foggy, and rainy.

Had a good hike today.  It had been a terrible week, at least Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were terrible.  I always love hiking at the end of a week.  I made it all the way to Lake Serene, but I screwed up when I was uploading my pics from the hike and lost about 50 photos.  Add it to the list of things I lost in 2010. 

Orchid: Good pace and good snack breaks.

Onion: Lost photos.

Picture:

 

Google Map

Week 10 Nov. 07 - Wallace Falls

Total Distance: Approximately 8 miles
Elevation Gain: Around 1500 ft.
Time: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Weather: Cool, overcast, and rainy but with long, sustained sun-breaks.

This was a great hike. It was one of those classic Pacific Northwest fall days.  The weather people claimed it is going to be raining all morning and raining off and on in the afternoon.  So when I woke up, I started to psyche myself up for rain.  I got up early, and due to the time change, it was still dark.  As I showered, dressed, and packed, I noticed the sunlight coming in through the windows.  It was a glorious morning.  The clouds had parted and I thought we were going to have a perfect day for a hike.

I say "we" because this was the first hike of an outdoor club I helped start at work.  Most of you readers know me personally, for those that do not I am a high school teacher.  My school has a great outdoor education program which gets kids out in the backcountry and is responsible for giving me this outlet for expressing my love of nature. There were five of us for this hike, two teachers (including me) and three students.  We set out from the trailhead right at 11:00 am.

The trail set out along the Wallace river and climbs up to three distinct waterfalls.  All three have spectacular features, but the middle falls are jaw dropping in their towering majesty.  Took great photos and had great conversations as we climbed up and up.  The hike to the upper falls took about an hour and a half.  We continued on outside the state park to Wallace Lake.  The hike was along an old road, so we were all able to walk together.  It had stopped raining, and the sun came out.  We walked along the road and when it came to an injunction we stopped and had lunch in the sun.

We continued on to Wallace Lake.  Had a good shot of the lake through the trees, and then we continued on back to the trailhead.  Soon after the lake we came back to a trail.  The trails on this hike were great.  Lots of fun, and some good elevation gain and loss.  We took a ton of pictures, which are already helping me relive the hike.  So lovely.

Orchid: Maintaining a good pace throughout the hike.

Onion: No low point, a grumpy old man claimed we ruined the light for his photo.  But that was more funny for me.

Picture:

Google Map