2019-12-15 - Mount Tammany Loop
The morning mist obfuscated any views of the valley below. My friend, Reece, and I hiked our way through the dense humidity over branch, mud, and rock. Luckily, almost all the snow and ice had melted. First, we ascended up the wide, rocky Tammany red dot trail to a popular overlook near the mountain peak, climbing over fallen trees along the way. The blue dot trail then carried us around the mountain and down some technical downhill sections to the Appalachian Trail. Beautiful waterfalls here flowed into a stream bordering the trail that took us back to our vehicle. Along the way, we mucked our way through mud and scrambled over sharp tree branches alongside a cliff. Overall, Reece and I hiked this 3.5-mile Mount Tammany Loop four times.
The weather was warmer but it also rained the hardest during the middle two loops. Reece spotted a bald eagle and pointed it out to me. We stood watching it spiral around in the air, possibly searching for prey. Reece remarked that its rare to be so close to an eagle but unfortunately had left her binoculars in the automobile. The mist had also cleared a good deal, like some allergy medication in a commercial bringing more color into the scenes. The air and trail grew more wet over time and water dripped off the brim of my cap. We took our longest break in our vehicle before our fourth and last loop. Reece uncharacteristically tried hiking it without her backpack but survived. It slowly grew dark and cold. Not too long after finishing, the sun set and the all light disappeared. We were glad to not attempt a fifth loop and headed home.
The weather was warmer but it also rained the hardest during the middle two loops. Reece spotted a bald eagle and pointed it out to me. We stood watching it spiral around in the air, possibly searching for prey. Reece remarked that its rare to be so close to an eagle but unfortunately had left her binoculars in the automobile. The mist had also cleared a good deal, like some allergy medication in a commercial bringing more color into the scenes. The air and trail grew more wet over time and water dripped off the brim of my cap. We took our longest break in our vehicle before our fourth and last loop. Reece uncharacteristically tried hiking it without her backpack but survived. It slowly grew dark and cold. Not too long after finishing, the sun set and the all light disappeared. We were glad to not attempt a fifth loop and headed home.
Overall, we hiked 13.5 miles and 5000 feet elevation gain in a total of 7 hours.
