Cantwell Cliffs and Clear Creek

 
The first place we went today was Cantwell Cliffs. Only about two miles of trail, but lots of really neat vertical rock faces.


The rock faces are often close together- maybe from splits that occurred ages ago. It made for some interesting views.


What we liked best about it all was that the stone stairways must have first been built about a century ago when it was still acceptable to make things less than government-grade "safe." It seemed a lot like a neat game. (like Riven)



At the top of those stairs? More stairs through a split in the rock.


After lunch we drove a few miles so we could do a longer hike at Clear Creek Metropark. They have a really nice trail network with possibilities to walk even farther than we did. Some is wooded, some hills, some meadow, some flatter.



We first walked up to the Cemetery Ridge Trail. The key word there is up. But it did provide a nice vista.



We worked our way back down to creek level via the Fern and Hemlock Trails. There were some rocks here too, but they were more like erratics or scattered outcrops.



Marie liked the trail markers. Apparently, others do too because a number of them had been pried out of the posts and stolen.



The outstanding event of the day was a wildlife sighting- something I haven't seen since I was a child. But I'm saving it for a combined nature post another day. Stay tuned.

We are tucked up in a motel. Likely to rain tomorrow, but we have made some plans anyway. They can be changed if the weather gets really bad.

Total miles today about seven. It feels really good, and we had a yummy salad for dinner and tiny sundaes. Another drop-dead perfect day. I think if I had more money and fewer goals I could easily spend the rest of my life enjoying internet access and a bed at night and hiking some new place every day.

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