Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Superior Hiking Trail: Highland Getchell to North 24th Ave W


I got an early start on the trail this morning due to the fact that I intended to hike my longest segment yet: 5.7 miles of the SHT which meant a round-trip of 11.4 miles. The hike started out cold but as I hiked further the temperatures started to warm up. I hiked through a small section of Lincoln Park along a pretty little creek and then headed into the alders and aspens. There was not a whole lot spectacular about this hike. There were areas where the trees opened up offering some long range views, but the overcast sky and lack of beauty to look down upon were really nothing to write home about. Still I really enjoyed being out there on the trail.

Many sections of the trail had a very urban feel to them and I even spent a small bit of time on a road-walk in nice little neighborhood. Perhaps the highlight of the walk was the section of trail that paralleled Keene Creek. The creek wore a deep gorge here and the water tumbled over a series of cascades and small waterfalls. The trail here crossed over an old bridge, perhaps a former section of the Skyline Parkway. I spent a little bit of time checking out the bridge and seeing was was underneath. It was a beautiful concrete span that is now covered with graffiti.


Shortly after inspecting the bridge I found myself at the trailhead. I decided that instead of retracing my steps I would hike back to my car on Skyline Parkway. It was a section of the road I'd never been on before and offered a lot of great views and fall colors. Before I knew it I was back to the car. it was another great day of hiking!

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