Although I've been a hiking fool for months, I haven't kept up this blog. I hiked all the trails in April, twice in May, and once again in June and July. I'm over halfway through accomplishing the feat again in August.
I started out with a wild idea of which pieces I would pick up this afternoon with Sadie, but things took a different turn. I went up the Red Circle to Yellow and turned left. At the first lookout, there was an Asian couple enjoying the view and I just said "hello" and we passed on. As we neared the Yellow/Green crossover, I saw another couple ahead with a baby and decided we didn't want to be following them down the stairs. So we turned up the Yellow/Green to White where we turned left.
I sat on a rock and gave Sadie a drink. As we continued on, we met a man coming the other way. I asked where he was going and he said he intended to do the whole White today and had been up there almost every day. I said I was surprised I hadn't seen him before. He said he envied the fact that this was my back yard. He drives in from New Haven.
A little farther on we met a young couple who were the most prepared of any that we would meet today. They were intent on doing the whole White trail to Chestnut and back. They confided that their only prior experience had been the entire Blue trail. I told them they were knocking off the two toughest trails and suggested that if they wanted an easier route back that they should consider either the Orange or Yellow trails.
Then Sadie and I followed White down the rocks to the Red Triangle. When we got there , a large black man was seemingly deciding his next move. He said his intent was to follow White to "the Nob". He seemed to be fairly familiar with the Giant and I suggested alternatives but he said he was going for it.
We turned right up the Red Triangle and soon encountered a young couple in flip-flops. I asked where they were headed and they admitted they weren't sure but the woman said they'd like to go to the tower. I told them they had to turn around and that I would take them most of the way there. They followed us to the Blue and I explained that was the shortest route and the scramble up the rocks we were looking at would be the worst they would encounter. They thanked me and Sadie and I continued on the Red Triangle.
A group of 4 Asians came up from behind and seemed to be sure of where they were headed. Another group with at least one dog was approaching from the left on the Tower Path so we kept following the Red Triangle down to the Violet trail. There we turned right and passed a couple of guys who seemed to know where they were.
At the Red Circle there was enough water running that Sadie got a drink and I splashed some on my face and head. We turned right and headed for home. As we neared the Green trail, we approached another young couple in sandals and he had a young baby on his back. I asked if they knew where they were and they sheepishly admitted they didn't. So I questioned where they wanted to go and they first said "Whitney Ave" but then confessed they were on the street across from the college. I suggested the Green and showed them it was right behind them and that they should follow to the Red Triangle and then perhaps take the Yellow to the parking lot. They asked where the Red Circle would take them and I said that if they were short on time we could all go down it to my home and we could give them a ride to their car. The mom expressed concern that we wouldn't have a carseat and, after exploring the possibility of going to Mt Carmel Ave and walking down the road, I convinced them that their best route would be taking the Green to the Red Triangle and taking that down to the road.
Sadie and I continued on the Red Circle and as we neared the Orange trail crossing, a couple passed from left to right and I recognized them as the first Asian couple I had seen about an hour earlier. They were far enough ahead and moving along so we didn't exchange any words. A little farther and I saw another familiar face ahead. The large black man had made it that far on the White and was staring at the cliff ahead of him. He marvelled that we had walked around and I didn't want to tell him how far we had gone in the time since we parted company. He asked if that was "the Nob" and pulled out a trail map neatly marked in the colors of the trails. He thought we were at the Red Square and I showed him that we were on the Red Circle. I told him that although it was shorter to follow White, it would be quicker and easier to head to the Green and go around. I left him still contemplating his next move.
As we came to the Yellow trail, a woman had just crossed and was headed in the direction we had started. I called "hello" and she just waved without turning around.
We got home in a little less than an hour and a half. For all my big plans, we had only finished the one White section that we had started 2 days ago and the entire Violet section between the Red Triangle and the Red Circle. We had met or seen 10 groups or individuals and only one had another dog. One couple and one man we had seen twice. It was an interesting study in the meanderings of hikers on one afternoon on the Giant.
