Saxon Mountain
We finished our day with Saxon Mountain, and for many of us it was the first time we had ever been to the top. Normally, we run it after doing Spring Creek and we skip the very top of the mountain. This time, we had time to do it all.
We met with Fred, Mark and Ken as they finished Spring Creek on a run of their own. Then our big group headed up Spring Gulch to the intersection with Saxon Mountain, where we turned left to go up to the top.
We expected more snow, but there really wasn't much even at the top. We all parked and wandered around, enjoying the scenery and each other's company. It was pretty windy and the shadows were getting long, so we finally got in our vehicles and headed down.
Admittedly, we were a bit concerned about what we'd find on the switchbacks on the way down. They were pretty exposed, with death-inducing drop-offs, and it was mid-November. It could be too snowy, or too icy. We proceeded with caution.
There were some icy spots in the shade where previous snows had melted and frozen, but luckily they were in areas where we could safely get across to a more safe section. We worked our way down, hoping for the best.
When we got to the exposed shelf roads, we were happy to find a completely dry trail free of any snow that would cause any concerns. Fantastic! We didn't have any worries the rest of the way down.
What we did have, however, was bumps. And lots of them. It's such a bumpy trail, and not really in a good way. It's no wonder that we only do the trail every once in awhile. It's very scenic and pretty cool with all of its switchbacks, but it really is a bad ride on the way down.
It took a little while, but we were soon down and into Georgetown. We went over to the Visitor Center to air up, which was the perfect place. Everyone was pretty chatty and we stayed awhile, but we left before it was completely dark.
Naturally, we stopped at Beau Jo's. However, it was a long wait for a table of our size, so we walked down to Buffalo Restaurant where we got seated almost right away. It's a good place to eat, and it was a good way to wrap up the 2008 season. We all had a good meal and the company was even better. What a fabulous year we've had!
Reports from Other Days: 5
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Saxon Mountain. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
