I know today was Father’s day but that really had nothing to do with it. We had planned on going on a hike last Sunday but other things came up and it just didn’t happen. Because of that we decided we would make sure and clear our calendar to have a hike the next weekend, this weekend. It wasn’t until a few days ago that we realized that today is Fathers day.
I was a bit concerned how crowded would the places be. We didn’t just plan a hike; we planned a full day outing with a meal and some shopping.
As we drove up the mountain we could see lots of cars parked at the various trail heads along the way. The “Willow Heights Trail” was almost all the way at the Eastern side of the mountains. So we knew we would have a pretty good idea of how crowded the trail would be before we got there by the number of cars we would see on our way up.
As we drove up we saw quite a few cars, but we have seen more in the middle of the Summer. So we were hopeful our trail wouldn’t have too many people on it. When we finally got to the trail head there were a number of cars there. But once we got on the actual trail it wasn’t that bad.
There were others on the trail. We would pass other groups every few minutes. But it wasn’t crowded. we could enjoy the hike and rest when we needed to.
The resting was important. This was our first hike of the season and we were not really in shape for it. The trail was rated at a 600 foot climb. That didn’t sound that bad, but the reality was a bit different. Even though it was a two mile hike it seemed we just kept going up and up.
When we finally got to the end of the trail, a small lake, we rested for a bit and looked around. The mountains around us were spectacular, but the lake itself was a bit disappointing. The trail guide made it out to be a beautiful lake. It was ok but not at all what we were expecting from the description.
Even so it was a nice hike and, as I said, the mountains around were beautiful. After the hike we went out for pizza and a bit of shopping at the mall. Over all it was a great family day.