Wednesday Burro Group - Black Canyon

PLEASE NOTE 9:00 START TIME. For today's hike, we will park in the same parking lot as we do when we hike Circle Trail, about 1/2way up Hyde Park Road, but we'll stay on the right side of the road. We walk up through the campgrounds, to an easy loop trail, which we hike up about 1/2way, not turning once it begins to descend. There is a spur trail just past the loop's peak which takes us straight up to a saddle in front of the Watershed. There are routes both to the right & left of this saddle, I prefer the right one, & that's what we'll do today. It is a series of maybe 4 or so steep climbs, each one leading to a short plateau, before the next ascent. Once we reach the meadow, we'll have our snack break, it offers beautiful views which we don't often get to see from this vantage point. We return the way we came. Short distance, probably 3+ miles, but a hard work-out with multiple steep climbs up & then down. Sometimes, some of us have enjoyed hiking a bit further on a trail to the left of "our meadow" where we typically turn around. We will have the option to add this additional segment to our hike, or some may like to, which can be decided once we reach the meadow. ONLY STRONG, STURDY HIKERS SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THIS ONE, DON'T BE FOOLED BY SHORT DISTANCE, IT'S A WORK-OUT! Burro Hikes are for experienced hikers, most of our hikes are moderate in difficulty (by our standards), usually on designated trails, usually 4-6 miles in distance unless otherwise specified. Non-aggressive, well-mannered dogs are welcome on all my hikes (unless otherwise specified, some locations prohibit dogs). Newcomers are welcome on all my hikes; I ask that newcomers please test your fitness for my Group by timing yourself hiking up and down Atalaya, which you should be able to do comfortably in 3 1/2 hours or less (from Wilderness Gate or staircase). If you have any questions about this, or about my hikes in general, please feel free to contact me through Meet Up Messaging or by…