After a hearty breakfast, we headed out, determined to FINALLY discover exactly where this mysterious trail was. We started out in the usual direction up Hoof and Hill trail out of the campground, then stayed with it all the way to Pearis Thompson trail, one we hadn’t done before but was just a slightly larger loop that ended back at Berry Road, which would take us to Little Horse Gap Loop. We almost made a wrong turn there (these maps really are terrible!), because the map showed that the trail ended in a T and to turn right. In reality, it was not a T at all, there were two rights at a three-way intersection, one that went up and one that went down. Since we already knew we had to go up, we took that branch. Fortunately, we were right, and it brought us back to Berry Road, which led us up to the Little Horse Gap Trail. I must admit, my horse didn’t seem too enthusiastic, he obviously thought we were going on another endless journey, but he brightened up a bit when we turned the corner we had missed on Thursday. Almost missed another little sign that pointed uphill, rather than the obvious road right in front of us, which would have undoubtedly taken us off the reservation again. After the halfway point, we ran into a bunch of crews that were doing forestry maintenance, though they were breaking for lunch when we passed. They were all very accommodating, moving off the trail to give us room, with all the pleasantries afforded. After we passed them all, we stopped for lunch beside a creek, where the horses were delighted to get a feedbag of grain. After the break, we finished up the trip, recognizing the last intersection from our previous adventure, so now we know how to take the trail backwards in the future. There was no sign or blaze at all on that corner, so it’s not surprising it is easily missed. One note I should make is that boots or shoes are a real necessity for these trails. There a few spots with dirt and sand, but most are rocky and many roads are gravel or gravel and grass. Anyway, it was a wonderful day that we thoroughly enjoyed, expeciallyt without the added stress of being lost! Got back in good time, and started to get ready for tomorrow’s departure.
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