Dobie Mountain Hike

With a forecast of 59 F and blue skies on Saturday there was no way I was sitting around the house all day. It was a crisp 35 F when I started on the trail at 10:15 AM.

Overlook to the east about a mile into the hike. There is a nice camping spot here.

Another view along the way.

Had lunch at this AT shelter right on the stream and met Bruce, and his humans. Also chatted with a through-hiker headed South. He was flip-flopping the trail and was only 150 miles from the end. I imagine he is less than 100 miles as I type this.

On the way back to the car I took a route that led me to the vicinity of a 1964 plane crash. There are still some plane parts scattered around the mountainside.

The trip back to the car was a little more challenging than I expected as the blue blazed trail I was on didn't mark the turns. With the forest covered in newly fallen leaves it was often not obvious where the trail was. I stopped 4 or 5 times to look and think to make sure I was still on the trail. It's also mostly downhill from the parking lot to the AT shelter, meaning it's mostly uphill on the return leg. It's never particularly steep but it was steep enough to make the return leg an actual aerobic workout.

And since I was 10 minutes from Blue Mountain Brewing I stopped in there for a couple of post hike beers, and got to watch the 2nd half of Purdue's upset win over Nebraska.

I need more days like this one.