I know I said I’d do more writing on my September 8th hike, but since I went back out the following weekend (Sept. 15/16) to hike the ridge again plus camp for my birthday, I figured I would combine it all into one post.

(plus I’ve obviously been a combination of lazy and busy if I am only getting around to writing about my birthday camping weekend 6 days after the fact)

While the hike on the 8th was a crisp fall day (it was below zero when I left the house), heading back up on the 15th was like summer woke up and told fall to bugger off for a while. Sure, the fall colors were there in abundance, but the temperature didn’t feel like the middle of September as it was in the mid 20′s on both the 15th and 16th.

On the 8th I was on my own, and as a result I set a pretty quick pace to get to the top of the ridge in time for my p/d/p picture taking. Those of you reading that don’t have access to the ORG, I have edited the september p/d/p post on here to show the pictures I turned in.

Having done this hike 17 of the last 19 years I knew exactly what I was in for, and I could tell how far along I was just from a certain bend in the path or rock formation. This one is a particular favorite because it is about half way up, but it signals the end of the hardest part of the entire hike.

The best part of going so early in the day and going alone was the absolute silence whenever I would slow down to catch my breath. I didn’t actually see or hear anybody else on the trails until I was on my way back down and that, my friends, is what I call a perfect hike.

As much as I enjoyed the hike by myself, going with others has its advantages. This is particularly true with people that have never been on this path before. The pace is a bit slower, there are people to share the sights with, new eyes make me appreciate things just a little bit more, and there is the push of others to keep you going so they get to see the view from the top… quite an impressive view considering it is just a ridge and not a mountain.

I am fairly certain the people that came with me had a good time on the hike, and I know everyone had fun camping, so all in all I’d have to say that my 35th birthday weekend campstravaganza was a success.

Great weather, great people, great times… I couldn’t have asked for anything more.