Gulf Hagas, The Hike

The entire hike is about 8.5 miles round-trip, so we approached the day with little expectation about the distance we'd cover and committed only to having fun & not losing the baby in the wilderness. Nathan caught a nap en route to the trail head.

About a 1/2 mile up the trail from the parking area is a shallow river you have to walk across. Given all the rain we had over the preceding month we were not sure what to expect regarding the height of the river and swiftness of the current. When planning the trip, there was a moment of concern that the river would be impassable and the whole adventure would be a flop... fortunately that wasn't the case.

Turns out we did not move at the same pace as the rest of our group and ended hiking as a trio for most of the day. We would catch up with the crew at the various stopping points, so it was still a social hike. Here you can see our group at Screw Auger Falls, which got it's name from the 12-15 foot deep hole under the waterfall that has been carved out of the rock over the past million-or-so years. Notice that Mia is with everybody at the falls... she abandoned us shortly after we crossed the river and spent most of the day with the 'fast group'... Traitor.

So deep water under a waterfall can only lead to one thing...

Group photo at swimmin' hole #2