Well, this past week's adventure turned out to be one for the record books...
Deb and I met Sof and Rob at the Arcadia Management Area at 8:30am sharp, and we promptly started to fasten our gear into place as we started down the trail. We planned to hike along the river and see the view of the waterfall at the northern end of the forest.
We all also had plans later that afternoon, so we understood that we had to be out of the woods as early as possible to prepare. I was also trying to wedge more time into our already compressed schedule by suggesting that we have lunch at the South County Tavern, but the reaction I got was not very positive... understandably.
Our goal that day was to hike up to the falls and do our loop-d-loop somewhere close-by, and quickly head back so we could have time for lunch. So, when we arrived at the falls, Rob and Deb decided to try and hike the road back to save time.
As it turned out, the road we planned to hike along went off the map, and we guessed that we could shortly turn towards the south, but that opportunity never presented itself. By the time we realized that we were not where we thought we were, we were in a position where we should have already been back to our cars. We were actually about 5 miles away. I have recorded the decision making process below.
We decided that Rob and I would rush back to the cars so that we could pick up the girls who were walking the road back. As it turns out, Deb and Sof flagged a car down and got a ride back before Rob and I got there. They were able to pick us up and we then rushed home to the rest of our day. My legs were all but dead.
What a hike! It reminded us of Salmon River all over again. Thank-God it wasn't rainy or cold. It was about 2:30 by the time we were getting into our cars. 6 hours of hiking... what a day.
ok, see everyone next week.
Joe
