Greer Road North
Crystal Mountain was still closed, so we were ahead of schedule. We got back on Pennock Pass to go see Greer Road North. We'd done Greer Road South in 2013, so we were looking forward to seeing the other half of it. We planned on making a big loop through the area.
It was a bit confusing at the start. We all went down the steep hill at the start, but it wasn't clear which way to go at the bottom of the hill. We made a guess, and it turned out to be right. We headed into the tight trees and shade.
The trail headed south and we climbed higher. The trees were really packed tightly together. That didn't stop a group of campers trying to find a spot wide enough for vehicles and tents, though it didn't look easy to get back in the trees.
Not long after that, the trail opened up into a gorgeous meadow. It was break time, so we stopped. There was a lot of mud in the trail, but it looked like we could get through. During the break, Frank discovered that his front sway bar disconnect had folded around the wrong direction, bending it almost in half. A bit of elbow grease later, and it was mostly straight again. Crazy!
After the meadow, the trail went back into the trees and we went straight through an intersection where we should have turned right. We came to some fencing that was rolled up next to a tree. Monica went ahead to explore, and it wasn't long before she came to a gate and the private property. She turned around and went back to the group, and then we all headed southwest.
We didn't stop at the cabin remains, choosing to enjoy the trail instead. It was bumpy and fun in spots. The trail looped around, and when it started to head downhill we passed a couple campsites barely hanging on to the edge of the trail. There wasn't much room, but even bad camping is good camping sometimes.
It wasn't long before we were back at Pennock Pass. It was a nice loop, but we had more to see so we headed west a short distance to Hurley.
