Taking it easy – going back to the trail head
We wanted a fairly quick and dry hike. Ginger didn’t want a repeat of Saturday’s wet and muddy trail.
We didn’t want anything too challenging either. And, we didn’t want to be out for too long. We decided to do a short and simple loop from the South Trail Head at Busiek. Short it was at 1.75 miles, though the 450′ of elevation descended and climbed had us breathless at times. Right now we just want to get back into the hiking habit and not try and do too much and end up with unnecessary injuries.
We were surprised to find ice both off and on the trail. The going was quite tricky in a couple of places with ice completely covering the trail. The melt water on top made it particularly slippery.
I’ve started giving my own names to places. Shoe Lace shelf – the spot where on more than one occasion I’ve had to take a seat and fix broken laces. Lightning Tree Ridge – where there’s a tree that has survived being struck by lightning, and finally Prickly Pear Glade – a glade where the trail is surrounded by prickly pear cacti. Whenever I see these prickly pears growing alongside the trail I am reminded of my mother. She collected and grew cacti as exotic pot plants for as long as I remember. I am sure seeing them growing in the wild would have given her a thrill.
Does the shooting range cause much distraction?
The noise reduces quickly as you move away from the range. The range is on the west side, and only really loud as you go past it to access the Western trails, and on the Purple Trail which switchbacks up the hill opposite the range. You can hear the range at lots of points in Busiek but you can also hear the road noise. We don’t find it too intrusive. Stick to the eastern trails; Red Yellow & Silver if you want to get away from it. But once you are well back on the trails on the Western side (White and Orange) you don’t hear it.
The range is closed on Mondays so, if you have the luxury of visiting during the week, Monday is a good day.