It was a gorgeous sunny October day for the eleven people who came out to hike the 11 km trail from A60 westward to Schnee Hill.
Each year we try to schedule this hike at the end of the season, after the crops have been mown. Otherwise, the trail would be another 2 km as we would have to go around a field.
There are still highbush cranberries on the branches and this is the best time to eat them fresh. The recent frosts have made them sweet, pulpy, and intense—every berry is a blast of refreshment and vitamin C.
Lunch was at the top of Schnee Hill. There are two ways to climb it. You can approach it from the north side and go straight up, or you can follow the animal path, which starts on the north side and uses switchbacks running up the east side. Either way, climbing the hill takes only minutes. It’s not nearly as daunting as it looks.
And it’s well worth it too. The grassy plateau at the top is irresistible for having a lie-down after lunch.
Thanks go to Lee for leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for the great job clearing the trail, which hadn’t been done in two years. You can find more photos on Flickr.