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| - Welp, we finally climbed all the way up to the peak this morning and it was a doozy.
Let me preface by saying that we didn't have plans to actually go all the way to the top today. We just headed to Sandstone Quarry to get some cardio done. The three choices we had were Calico Tanks, Turtlehead Peak, and Grand Circle trails. Since my partner in crime and I have already done Calico Tanks before and Grand Circle was way too long (11.4 miles round trip) we headed out on Turtlehead Peak trail with plans to see how far we could get in the time we had. This hike is rated as difficult and I would concur. My son does this hike all the time by himself and he's always been reluctant to take us with him because we would just slow him down. After doing this, I would agree with him. We weren't super slow, but we weren't fast, either. You are basically climbing the whole way to the peak. Some spots are easier than others, but the closer you get to the peak, the higher the inclines and the uneasier I felt. Why? Well, there are spots that are just gravel and combine that with steep inclines and narrow pathways means that it's easy to lose your footing and slip. Thankfully none of that happened today, but I did fall on my behind once but I was bracing myself on a big tree branch when it happened: no blood, no foul.
Mel C. was wearing his Garmin so we knew that it took us 80 minutes to make it to the peak from the parking lot. That was 80 minutes of moving time; he would stop his watch when we were taking breaks, which happened a few times so we could catch our breaths and/or hydrate. I recommend bringing layers of clothing, hydration, snacks, and gloves if you are going to attempt this hike during the winter. We encountered snow at the top, too. Luckily, there was another hiker that we were following to the top and we followed his footsteps when we got to the snowy part because the trail kind of got buried underneath the snow. The signage on the trail is fairly good and easy to follow, but there's nothing when you get to the actual peak so look out for the trail that has a border with rocks on the left side of you as you keep ascending. The views are spectacular and we reveled in our accomplishment because we didn't think we'd actually make it today.
This is not an easy hike and I would caution those who want to do it to take your time, watch your footing, and bring the right supplies. Going down the mountain is not simple, either. Again, it's easy to slip on the gravel as you descend. Even just getting your foot stuck on a crag can lead to a head-first tumble so be safe, but have fun. We did it and our calves and knees can attest to it!
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