Happy Hoofers on the Trails: Hiking 10K Trail to Osha Loop to Barite Mine & Hiking Crest Trail to Kiwanis and back again three times

SO it looked like rain, the weatherman predicted it, so did all the National Weathermen. But it was Friday, which meant Happy Hoofing time...and Hoofing beats staying at home, even in the rain. SO, at the meet up place...who shows up? Karen, who is leading the hike, Rose, eager to hike and take pictures , and of course Jane who rarely turns down a chance to hike! Off the three of us go to the top of the mountain! At the 10K trailhead we take the mandatory "group" picture, 3 of us, should be an easy selfie...it took 3 tries but finally was able to get us ALL in! Then Jane drove up to the Crest to do a shorter hike as she wasn't "crazy" enough to do what Karen had planned for me. She sent a few pictures of her hike for us to enjoy...the rest are the pictures of Karen's and Rose's greatest adventure.

The Intrepid Hoofers: Karen, our leader, Rose and Jane

At the Trailhead

Jane's hike in her own words. "I parked in the lower parking lot at the summit, walked on the service road over to the Kiwanis Cabin, then down the new trail that connects the cabin area to the South Crest Trail, then on the South Crest Trail to the junction with the service road from the parking lot and then up the service road to the parking area where I turned around at the gate and did all that all over again. The third time I did not do the service road but continued on to the Kiwanis Cabin. Then I went down through the meadow, the South Crest Trail and the service road back to the trail by the gate that goes up to the sidewalk on the crest and then to the car after hitting the loo which I did not lock remembering Jean P. being locked in it. After lunch, I went up to the top of the mountain where Tracy, a lady from northern Florida with a great southern accent took my picture. Now that is far too much to put in a blog so please do edit."

Sorry Jane, I did not edit your report because I got too dizzy after reading it ..besides you said it better than I ever could!

Jane on the Crest Trail

Jane took this picture of a ladybug on a rock--why you ask? Because there were 10,000 other lady bugs coming to join her. See those red dots on the rocks above? Those are the ladybugs...and Jane counted every one of them and there were exactly 10,000!

I managed to tweak the picture a bit more so that you could see them better

And now...Karen's and Rose's most excellent adventure

We started out hiking the 10K trail north to the Osha Loop trail we turned onto Osha Loop to the Osha Spring Trail. Hiking to the intersection of the Penasco Blanco trail we continued on Osha Spring until we came to the abandoned Barite mine. The hike was 6.7 miles with an elevation gain of 1,030 ft and a total uphill gain of 1,765 feet. 9% grade.

Barite is the main ore of the element barium. It is important in the manufacture of paper and rubber. Barite is also used in radiology for x-rays of the digestive system. When crushed, it is added to mud to form barium mud, which is poured into oil wells during drilling. Barite is barium sulfate, a white crystalline mineral. This mine is the Landsend (Lone Star) barite claim and was excavated by bulldozers which opened many wide pits 8-12 feet deep. In 1968 the Forest Service asked that the claim be declared null and void and was subsequently so declared in 1977.

So, off we went!!

Showy Goldeneye

Harebells

Red Elderberry

Asters or Fleabane did not look at them close enough while hiking to make the determinatioin

Karen thought these rocks on the trail would make a nice picture

Nodding Groundsel

Karen

Rose

Downed Aspen

Downed Aspen with new Aspen growing from it

Weird growth on tree and also green moss I discovered that this is called Gall

Galls are abnormal growths that occur on leaves, twigs, or branches. They may be simple lumps or complicated structures, plain brown or brightly colored. There are 1500 species of gall producers, the majority of which are insects and mites. Some galls form where insects or mites feed or lay eggs. They may also develop as a response to infections by several kinds of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Galls affecting leaves are seldom if ever a serious problem. Galls affecting twigs, such as the gouty oak gall and horned oak gall, can be more serious.

An Easy Chair Tree

Large mushroom on tree

My hand added for size

2 miles later we head down the Osha Loop trail

Colorful Rock

Asters

Skyrockets

Fallen tree high enough to squeak under

A Halloween spooky tree

Paintbrush

Rock Art

Heading down Osha Spring Trail

Mushrooms on dead log

Continuing down Osha Spring Trail as we pass the junction with Penasco Blanco Trail

More Paintbrush

Whipple's Penstemon

Purple Geranium

Our first Barite Rock with cubed crystals

Karen walking past a cairn

More barite rocks as we get closer to the barite mine

We strike it rich with Barite

Hairy Golden Aster

Looking down into a mining pit

Barite and its many intriguing crystals

There were many piles of unclaimed barite rocks

I would have loved to take some home for my collection but they were very heavy and the hike back was virtually all up hill

I believe the recent rains have covered the trail with pinecones and needles (That small blue spot in the center just above the pine needles is Karen)

Another view of the trail

Getting up close and personal to see the beauty of the forest we rarely notice

This tree was buried quite a bit from the mine tailings

Hairy Golden Asters flanked by barite

More beautiful crystals

Another mine pit

This was the rock I truly wanted to "Drag" home...I used Karen for scale

Nature's beauty takes many forms

Hairy Golden Asters barely blooming and a Nodding Onion

Hairy Golden Asters

Purple Geraniums

Another large mine pit

And more crystals

Even the pine cones stand up in comparison to the beauty of the rock crystals

Karen standing between two cairns on a "sidewalk" of bedrock pointing towards the best mine pit in the area so that we can remember how to get there next time we come....(it took us a lot of meandering to find this one and it made the whole hike to the mines so TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!

Redroot Buckwheat

Gall found on a fallen tree

Due to all the moisture lately mushrooms were popping out everywhere

Karen and I heard a rustling along the 10K trail I thought it was a deer, but was surprised to see a Mama Bear with 2 cubs I managed to get two photos of this unusual event. We watched for a few moments and then walked quietly away.

Baby Bear looks like he is ready to scamper up the tree if Mama gives him the signal. I believe the other cub is on the other side of the tree

More mushrooms along the trail

Red Baneberry

And on a neighboring bush White Baneberry

First time I ever saw White Baneberry

With all the fallen trees it was nice to see one returning to the soil

Giant Hyssop

Basal Leaves of the Rattlesnake Orchid

Rattlesnake orchid bloom not much to speak of

Another Orchid

Sidebells

Baneberry

Red Elderberry

Richardson's Geranium

A type of Bindweed. Jean are finding out there are many flat, twining plants with that common name in at least 3 different flower families located all over US. And a weed is only a weed if you don't want it...as for me they are beautiful flwoers!