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Trail Guy Leads A Hike

Retired Road Guy loves to hike. He is particularly fond of loops, which ALWAYS include some off-trail stuff. The man really really knows Mineral King, and he knows how to choose the best hike for the right people at the optimal time of year.

Dude’s just gifted like that. He is an introvert, but put him on a Mineral King trail and you might mistake him for a friendly trail guide.

I did not go on this hike, but was privileged to borrow the best photos.

Five members of The Sawtooth Six were there, with 4 cameras. These are our cabin neighbors from some fraternity, I Phelta Thi or something. They have come up once a year for about 28 years now. In the early years, Trail Guy and I would leave Mineral King that weekend. Now we love it when they are in “town”. Guess we all grew up a little.

white chief peak photo by the Sawtooth Six

view from White Chief photograph by the Sawtooth Six
If you head up the ridge to the left (east?) out of White Chief, pause and look back. You’ll need to anyway if you want to breathe.
Four of the Sawtooth Six plus Trail Guy photo by Ted Wenta
These guys love to document their doings. Trail Guy is in the middle; Ted is taking the photo.
Foxtail pines photograph
Jon and Scott don’t get to see foxtail pines unless they come to Mineral King and their frat brothers drag them up a trail. (JUST KIDDING, guys!  I know you got there under your own steam!)
Kurt and the foxtail pine, photo by Sawtooth Six
Kurt usually takes a nice long trail run before heading out on a hike. You’d hate him if he wasn’t such a genuinely nice guy.
foxtail pines photo by Sawtooth Six
And Ted finally handed the camera to someone else. These guys come from far away places that do not have foxtail pines. (When I visit Ted’s state, I get overly excited about tulips and take multiple photos, so I understand.)
Man on trail in Mineral King photo by Sawtooth Six
Hi Jon. Do you fully comprehend your awesomeness? You fly a desk all day, 5 days a week, and then BOOM! You hit some altitude and suddenly slam out 8 hard miles on (and off) a trail!
photo of Timber Gap by Sawtooth Six
Fabulously clear day in Mineral King, looking down from the Farewell/Franklin Trail. That is Timber Gap in the distance.

 

4 guys hiking down the Farewell/Franklin Trail photo by Sawtooth Six
Look at these city guys gamely following Trail Guy home. Pretty remarkable when you know that he used to ditch them on purpose.
has-been baker holding a pie
Aha! Craig made them keep walking because he knew Mrs.Trail Guy would be waiting with a lumpy looking apple pie. She was a baker when she first met the Sawtooth Six. She did not bring them pies back then because:  A. They weren’t her pies; B. She would go down the hill when they came up the hill. Notice Kurt has removed his shoes. This is because even his feet get tired.

 

14 Comments

  1. Love the photos, Jana. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me once again how much I love the mountains. Strange, though, I’ve never found any pie in the mountains after hiking! 🙂

    • Cheryl, my best guess is that you are choosing the wrong trails in the wrong mountain range!

  2. Mmm, I would hike mountains faster too for the lure of fresh-baked pies at the bottom! 🙂

    Regarding your comment on my post “Start the year Off Right: Building Confident Kids Who See Others,” I agree! The popularity game is high school and middle school is so useless and futile. Much better to try to be kind to everyone, regardless.

    And, yes, that coffee was just the way you can imagine it. 🙂 I like that you were the one who noticed that.

    Jennifer
    http://www.jenniferdougan.com

    • Jennifer, if you showed up, I’d bake a pie for sure! And ick, the only thing worse than bulk-brewed coffee in a styrofoam cup would be instant coffee with fake creamer in a styrofoam cup. . . throw in a little saccharin and you’d have the perfect blend of hot chemicals. (I’ll hand-grind a cup for you to go with that pie when you make it to California!)

  3. You are cute.

    • Ummm, thanks, Carol. Cute like a middle-aged-has-been-baker with too big of a smile because she is so happy to share a lumpy pie with her friends.

  4. Jana that is a great picture of you! It was so good to see you, even if it had to be in a picture instead of in person.

    • Shannon, thanks. I can’t say I liked the photo, but it was a fun moment and I wanted to share my happiness with the blog readers. (Bet you’ll never run into me in your grocery store like I “ran into” you last week!)

  5. Gorgeous pictures. Wow. I think next year I’m going to get Trail Guy to lead my family on a hike too!

    • Jenna, I’m sure Trail Guy would be happy to lead your family on a hike. I might even tag along. . .

  6. How about Trail Guy’s wife having a similar weekend?? He can make steaks instead of pie!! LOL!! Ann, Renee and I would totally come up for Trail Guy’s wife hiking weekend! You just call, me come!
    Love ya!

    • Melissa, that would be one heckuva fun time!

  7. Thanks for including our hike in your blog. Trail Guy was quite the guide. Of course, there was much debate about some of the stories he was telling as we hiked. There was no debate about how good that “lumpy” apple pie was. It was delicious. It’s always great to see you and trail guy when we make our annual trek to Mineral King.

    • Jon, took me long enough to work it into my Friday rotation! Some day I’m hoping you all will come for more than just 4 days. We love having you next door.

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