Buns at Mannix General Store But No Skinny Dippers at Devil's Glen
Upon arrival at the trailhead, we were met with a 63 degree temperature reading. The scents of fall and some remaining color greeted us with an anxious invitation to head out on a perfect fall hike. With Carol as leader and Maria as sweeper, we headed out being very careful to stay on the trail and not get out on that private road that was parallel to the trail as we had been told in the web site directions. We were also warned by signage that violators would face a fine.
The first part of the trail took us through the yellow leaf covered forest floor under the aspens which still had some remaining leaves. After we crossed the Dearborn via a bridge, we tackled the steepest stretch of the hike. As we went on above the river, we were afforded wonderful views and photo opportunities of the mountains of the Scapegoat Wilderness and the river below.
Most of us had not done this hike previously; a couple had, but it had been a number of years ago. So, we weren’t really sure exactly where the actual Devil’s Glen was. When we first approached the meadow, we thought we needed to go further to the glen, so we continued on the trail. We came to rocky area, and everyone agreed that this would be as far as we go. We were at 4.5 miles. We stopped where each one found a perfect rock to sit upon to enjoy lunch, absorbing the warmth of the sun shining on us and beautiful scenes around us. Heading back, we agreed that it was a great day to be out and perfect for hiking. Now, we just needed to know exactly where this glen was.
Upon returning to the meadow, we headed toward the river. Then it was obvious the Devil’s Glen was right there. The rocks are stately, the pools of blue-green water pristine, and the river above sparkled in the sunshine. All were so glad that we actually reached our intended destination, and we were pleased that we had gotten even more exercise than had been originally planned. Just before we got back to the trailhead we encountered two young ladies on horseback. One horse was agitated, so we all stepped back off the trail to allow them to go through with the gal on the first horse leading the second one. We weren’t sure if the rider or the horse was inexperienced – maybe both. Good conversation, fresh air, blue skies, very little wind, safe hiking – all made for a rewarding day! AND, nobody stopped back at the General Store to take home any BUNS!
Participants: Noreen, Maria, Shelley, Viki, Bonnie J, Carol