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On
the way out, we once again had to cross the edge of Ethan Pond.
Toi still had a rough time crossing the rocks, but at least the
wind wasn't blowing as hard off the pond.
We
immediately began to make good progress going down the Ethan Pond
Trail. A number of bog bridges spanned this section of the trail.
They were all in excellent shape, and made walking easy.
At
the junction with the Willey Range Trail, we stopped for a short
rest. Holly and I filtered some water out of nearby Kedron Brook.
It was cold and tasted much better than the water we had taken
from Ethan Pond the night before, which even after filtering,
still had a fishy pond flavor. I checked out the woods
nearby to look for the infamous, spooky claw bag that Erin and
I had seen on our hike up Mt Willey
in November 2001, but couldn't find any traces of it.
We
reached the Kedron Flume Trail a few minutes later. Up
to this point, the day's hike had been easy and we had made quick
time. The Kedron Flume Trail was another story. Toi has almost
as much trouble hiking down steep narrow trails as she has crossing
water, so the going was slow as she searched for good footing.
But we were in no hurry, and eventually worked out way down to
Kedron Flume where the trail moderates.
We
rested at the flume for a few minutes. Toi needed the break to
relax. Holly's good mood was increasing with each step; she was
really looking forward to ice cream at the Willey House site snack
bar at the end of the trail.
In
another half-hour or so, we reached the bottom. Overjoyed, Holly
ran down the last part of the trail and got there first. We left
our packs on the large porch and went inside to have a cold drink.
Although we were tired, and Holly was especially glad to return
to "civilization", we suddenly missed the trail.
It felt odd to be among the well-dressed and clean tourists who
had merely driven there.
After
a short rest, I retrieved my bicycle from under the porch and
rode off to get the car. I was tired, so the ride uphill from
the Willey House site to the Crawford Depot was exhausting, and
I had to alternate walking and riding the bike during this section.
When I got to the parking lot near Zealand Road, there happened
to be an AMC shuttle parked there, so I happily locked my bike
to a nearby tree and got a ride the 3 or so miles up Zealand Road
to the trailhead where our car was parked.
After
driving back to pick up Toi, Holly, and Muffin, we rode to Lincoln
to eat lunch and to browse the shops before heading home. |
