Altitude Adjustment: Meadow Loop/Telegraph Trail

Distance: 5 miles
Altitude Gained: 880 ft
High Point: 7480 ft

welcome to life

flora, and our gratitude

for painting the day

The Meadow Loop and the Telegraph Trail are two more trail options in the extensive Telegraph system. John Peel lumped them together in the 4th edition as a suggested hike of their own; we dig. It's high point is near the top of the next ridge over when you look east from Raider. You have endless options when you hike around in these trails, but we find this suggestion a good route for discovery when you only have a few hours but you want to climb a little to great views.

We had a glorous hike. The spring is coming alive, and so are we. We absolutely love this planet we're on. Happy Earth Day!

We think Maggie and Barb Casey feel the same way. They were on mountain bikes of course, as was every other person we passed on trail. This athleticism impresses us, naturally. But we are happy to be hikers. Hiking, one sees and contemplates more of the treasures the trail has to offer.

up on telegraph

dead trees tell ancient secrets

of Earth's yesterday

These dead trees left standing in the forest to decay naturally are called snags, and we love em'. We are impressed not only with their astounding aesthetic but also because these seemingly lifeless trees support hundreds of different species in the forest ecosystem! Mammals, birds, reptiles and insects shack-up together in the beautiful hardwood condos. Plus, the dead wood attracts mosses, fungi and lichens which serve as food to these tenants while they aid in decomposition, returning vital nutrients to the soil. Ahhhh, the cycle of life!

Our botanical friends are alive and blooming; the smell of Mountain Sagebrush tickled our nose, new Apricot blossoms are everywhere and the Scarlet (or Indian) Paintbrush threw us bursts of vibrant red.

We saw some more scat, same as before but older: very hairy, curly-like, tapered ends. This is the second time in Horse Gulch that we have seen evidence of our feline friend, the Mountain Lion. Because pumas are incredibly solitary and territorial, we believe we are "tracking" the same cat; the home range of a male is 30-100 square miles and excludes other male mountain lions. In that case, we feel we're forming a small bond :) What shall we name him?