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My neighbor, a retired forest ranger, just convinced me to stop skipping the side trails. | Backpacking Routes - Vivisector

thomas815•6mo ago

My neighbor, a retired forest ranger, just convinced me to stop skipping the side trails.

We were talking over the fence yesterday and I was complaining about a trip I took on the Timberline Trail last fall. I told him I stuck to the main loop to make miles, and he just shook his head. He said, 'You're missing the whole point. The main trail is just the hallway. The side trails are the rooms.' He told me about a half-mile spur off the main path near Cloud Cap that leads to this tiny, unnamed lake he used to check on. Said he saw a black bear and two cubs there once, just drinking at dusk. It hit different because he wasn't just giving advice, he was describing a place he actually knew from decades of walking it. I've always been so focused on covering distance, I never just... wandered. So I'm planning a trip on the Three Sisters loop this summer and I'm going to build in a full extra day just for spurs. What's the best side trail you've ever taken that wasn't in the guidebook?

4 comments

4 Comments

gracethomas5mo ago

That hallway and rooms idea really sticks with you. When you're out on the Three Sisters loop this summer, how are you planning to pick which spurs to take? Are you just going to stop at every single one you see, or wait for a trail that looks like it's telling you a secret?

troy7686mo ago

My best side trail was a muddy path that led to a waterfall I've never been able to find again.

sean_thompson6mo ago

Ever think those lost spots are better off staying lost? I used to get mad when I couldn't retrace my steps, but now I like that some things are just a one-time gift.

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hugotaylor6mo ago

That "hallway" line is perfect. I once followed a game trail just because it looked like a deer used it, and it opened up to this whole meadow full of wildflowers nobody else was around to see.