Great Gulf to Spaulding Lake 8-16-20
Great Gulf to Spaulding Lake
Great Gulf Trail
13 Miles 2700' Elevation gain
Hank, Wicket, Cath, Kevin & Judy
Once again I've been off with some of my favorite trail companions, both the people and the dogs, to seek solace in the mountains where nature works to heal my open wounds.
I knew the day would be interesting when while loading my pack into the car I noticed an insect on my tire, one I had not seen in many years, a Walking Stick.
I can remember holding one up for my children's fascination many long years ago. I will take it as a sign that two of my boys are wishing me a good hike from beyond the veil.
We met at the parking lot at a reasonable hour and smiled while the dogs performed their usual antics of greeting each other, and then turning to greet us as well with the exuberance only a dog can show.
Hank and Wicket have grown to be fast friends and we call them boyfriend and girlfriend, and if you ever saw them together you would understand why.
The squeals that come out of Wicket when she realizes Hank and Cath have pulled up next to us are a little beyond belief.
Then the romping and rough-housing, jumping and excitement are remarkably silly. Oh to have the outlook on this world that these two have!
When things have settled down a bit we are able to begin the day's trek. While Judy and I (with Emma) have hiked this trail before, we turned around at Clam Rock, so had never been as far as Spaulding Lake.
We love to say we are "red-lining" new territory. It is ALL new to Hank and Wicket, and they love it as much as we do.
The trail starts out across the Peabody River on a suspension bridge. At first Wicket is unsure about this, but when she sees Hank jog across she isn't about to let a guy do something she can't do, so up and over she goes.
Judy and I have not done as much hiking lately as we usually do, so slightly out of hiking shape, but ready to face what the day brings in hopes of regaining some of the muscle memory we will need for a bigger hike that we have in mind for the autumn.
Folks we saw on the trail were mostly on their way out from a night at any one of the many campsites.
The water in the West Branch of the Peabody River was low as the drought was well underway by this time in August. There were still some good waterfalls, drops and pools, and the dogs stopped to cool off and whet their whistles.
I think we only saw two people beyond Clam Rock. The trail gets a lot rougher beyond there, and Judy and I were slowing down.
Before too much longer we came to Spaulding Lake and were able to replenish with food and drinks. We had the place to ourselves, and took in the peace and quiet.
High above us we could occasionally make out tiny figures of hikers as they made their way along the Gulfside Trail where it comes close to the edge of the Great Gulf above the Headwall.
Replenished and rested we began the trek back out. The dogs continued to play, chase chipmunks and show us how to have a good time. It was a great hike!
Read MoreGreat Gulf Trail
13 Miles 2700' Elevation gain
Hank, Wicket, Cath, Kevin & Judy
Once again I've been off with some of my favorite trail companions, both the people and the dogs, to seek solace in the mountains where nature works to heal my open wounds.
I knew the day would be interesting when while loading my pack into the car I noticed an insect on my tire, one I had not seen in many years, a Walking Stick.
I can remember holding one up for my children's fascination many long years ago. I will take it as a sign that two of my boys are wishing me a good hike from beyond the veil.
We met at the parking lot at a reasonable hour and smiled while the dogs performed their usual antics of greeting each other, and then turning to greet us as well with the exuberance only a dog can show.
Hank and Wicket have grown to be fast friends and we call them boyfriend and girlfriend, and if you ever saw them together you would understand why.
The squeals that come out of Wicket when she realizes Hank and Cath have pulled up next to us are a little beyond belief.
Then the romping and rough-housing, jumping and excitement are remarkably silly. Oh to have the outlook on this world that these two have!
When things have settled down a bit we are able to begin the day's trek. While Judy and I (with Emma) have hiked this trail before, we turned around at Clam Rock, so had never been as far as Spaulding Lake.
We love to say we are "red-lining" new territory. It is ALL new to Hank and Wicket, and they love it as much as we do.
The trail starts out across the Peabody River on a suspension bridge. At first Wicket is unsure about this, but when she sees Hank jog across she isn't about to let a guy do something she can't do, so up and over she goes.
Judy and I have not done as much hiking lately as we usually do, so slightly out of hiking shape, but ready to face what the day brings in hopes of regaining some of the muscle memory we will need for a bigger hike that we have in mind for the autumn.
Folks we saw on the trail were mostly on their way out from a night at any one of the many campsites.
The water in the West Branch of the Peabody River was low as the drought was well underway by this time in August. There were still some good waterfalls, drops and pools, and the dogs stopped to cool off and whet their whistles.
I think we only saw two people beyond Clam Rock. The trail gets a lot rougher beyond there, and Judy and I were slowing down.
Before too much longer we came to Spaulding Lake and were able to replenish with food and drinks. We had the place to ourselves, and took in the peace and quiet.
High above us we could occasionally make out tiny figures of hikers as they made their way along the Gulfside Trail where it comes close to the edge of the Great Gulf above the Headwall.
Replenished and rested we began the trek back out. The dogs continued to play, chase chipmunks and show us how to have a good time. It was a great hike!
