Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tuesday Trip Report: Mt. Carrigain (winter 4K #32). January 19, 2012

Sawyer River Road, Signal Ridge Trail.  14 miles roundtrip.

Sage chose the peak for this hike; Alex and I like to give her control over what we ascend on the days she comes with us.  Sage has a particular fondness for Mt. Carrigain and she wanted to see it again.  The forecast looked good and the skies were clear, so off we went.

We arrived at the parking lot just after daybreak...


...walked the two miles of closed Sawyer River Road...


...and took a quick break at the trailhead.



After chugging some water, we hit the trail.

The first couple of miles went by quickly; the trail meanders through flat sections of forest.







Soon after the above crossing, the trail angled upward.  There were some twists and turns, one mile of straight and uninteresting plodding, a few switchbacks, and a couple of steep bits.




After much huffing and puffing (on my part), we reached treeline.


From here, it was a quick jaunt to the summit.


Up the stairs we went...


...where we appreciated some very fine views.


We hung out for about ten minutes on the summit before descending.  I snapped a few pictures of the girls on Signal Ridge while heading down.




Once back in the trees, the girls sled down most of the mountain.  It was a quick descent.


This was a lovely day -- perfect weather, perfect company.

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