So, the weekend didn't go completely as planned.... The weather flipped on us (as far as forecast) so we did the joint hike on Saturday. We got to the trailhead just as it got filled up. The hike in to the col between Blackhead and Black Dome was a rather nice hike. We stopped on the way up at the spring to make sure our bladders were full as we weren't expecting water until on the way down. We then made it up to the col, turned right, and headed up Black Dome and Thomas Cole. Overall, not a bad climb....
So, this weekend looks like it is going to be pretty free for hiking. Saturday looks to be iffy weather in the form of light rain, and Sunday looks to be good weather. So, my plans are to do a few hikes this weekend to add to the 35er count. So, I'm going to start with some of the bushwack trails. First up will be Bearpen and Vly. These 2 are not really much of a bushwack from what I've read. Going in from the south, the herd path to Vly is following the state park border. Bearpen is turning the other way and following snowmobile trails.
Today, we did Balsam Mountain. It was another humid day, but the mountain was mostly leafed out and it was a rather shady trail up. Overall, it was a lovely hike and the trail was in pretty good shape. There were a couple muddy spots and a couple blow downs on the trail, but that's par for the course. The view of the day was about 1/2 mile before the top, and what a lovely view of the valley it was. Bugs thankfully were not that bad. A little bit of swarming on the way up, but once spray was re-applied at the overlook, it wasn't a problem on the way down.
Sunday, I went south and did a couple lovely fire towers. First up was a 2.5 hour drive to Balsam Lake via Beaverkill Rd. There are 2 ways up this mountain, so you can do it as a lollypop loop. The trail itself is in rather good shape, and apart from a couple spots of mud and a bit of water on one of the steeper parts, it was a dry trail. I went up the easy way, going straight when the trail to the tower breaks off to the left. This took me up a valley between Balsam Lake and Graham and Doubletop mountains (2 of the 35'ers that are on private land and curr