First of all, I'll just tell you how to get there, then I'll tell the story of this hike, and you can decide after that if you'd ever want to try it.
South of Hamilton, 3.5 miles, take a right onto Roaring Lion Rd. About 2.5 miles in you come to this sign (shortly after the road becomes a dirt road):
You'll take a right here and there is a circle with a few parking spaces. At this sign you'll start the short bit down and over the bridge that spans Roaring Lion Creek.
Now take the left trail straight up:
Not this one (which goes along the creek):
Now for the nitty gritty. This is a "short" hike. It was only 1.31 miles to the top, or the spot where I stopped, because the ridge line would have been too dangerous after that. The kicker is, it was the STEEPEST hike, thus far, that I've ever taken. A "normal" steep hike, if you've read anything I've written, sends you up 1000 feet of elevation per mile. I've been on quite a few of those. This one, at just 1.3 miles gains you 1660 feet of elevation. It was straight up, the whole way, no breaks. I definitely walked the slowest I've ever walked, and took a lot more breaks than I normally do. I gave myself the OK, though, because I haven't done a lot of summit hikes, as in years past, and so wasn't in the same shape. It was a very hot day, on top of that, and the amount of water pouring out of me was epic. At one point, I squatted down, to get my heartbeat back to normal, and when I stood up, got dizzy enough to sit right back down in the dirt and take a proper break. Ugh, I'd hate to faint up on a mountain with no one around...that could be a big oopsie!
I made it to the top, my dog plopped down in the shade, and I took my normal pictures. Unfortunately, it has gotten a bit smokey from the fires on the West Coast. I'm glad they aren't right near us, but getting the smoke doesn't make it that much more enjoyable. The jaunt down was quick and fairly easy so I decided to walk along the creek for a way. As I walked, I thought I'd message a friend who lives in Hamilton, to see about a quick visit. As I started writing, and proof reading, I realized I had written a bunch of gibberish. Oh, no! I was incredibly scared as to what was going on! I couldn't figure out the words I was really trying to say, or if I had spelled anything right! I calmed down, drank more water, and finally got it out right. Whatever happened had passed. I went straight back to my Jeep, got in and drove to the first Town Pump and got a cold drink. After getting home, I googled "heat stroke," as I was worried this was a possibility, and sure enough, the confusion, profuse sweating, and raging headache were all symptoms. Upon reflection, I probably should have gone straight to the ER, but like I said, it passed quickly. I'm writing this just a few hours after getting home, so you be the judge....am I making sense? I hope so!
All in all, I think if you want to do this hike, it's worthy of your time. However, do not attempt it on one of the hottest days of the summer! A side note; this whole area was burned two years ago (again) and there is zero shade. Nary a live tree even existed, so just be aware of that.
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| Sheafman Point, still the most hated hike I've ever taken! |
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| Looking down at my feet, being careful, I walked right into this limb! :P |
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| Goat Mountain as you drive up to it |
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| What my feet and ankles looked like, after walking through a burned forest. I was actually wearing my trail runners, so was surprised that my toes were black, as well |
