Summerland Hike Adventure!

I hiked Summerland on 7/23/17, and the weather and views were absolutely mind boggling. The trail was literally snow free, the wildflowers were in bloom, and I even saw a pack of frisky mountain goats. Wowzers!

From the entrance of the trail to the group shelter, the total distance on my Garmin Fenix 5X was 4.2 miles. A nice couple had their tent pitched off to the side of the shelter, and they let me enjoy my lunch nearby. 

Once you make it to the top / Summerland, what I experienced was almost hard to capture in words. I've done my fair share of hikes, and the weather, combined with the wildflowers and critters, made this a very special day. Definitely bring a camera with charged batteries!

As stated earlier, I did see a pack of mountain goats moving in and out of trees. I didn't see any bears, but I did speak to a woman who says that she saw a relatively large black bear during her trek up to the group shelter.

There are many spots where you can refill your water contraptions. I'd recommend bringing a small filter (I carried the Sawyer mini). The water sources provide clear, cold, tasty water! Definitely needed on a hot, summer day. Bring some flavored juice packets to make it even better!

There is a very nice bathroom (toilet) about 200 yards from the group shelter. It doesn't have running water, tissue, etc.

Finally, the bugs were not really a nuisance; however, I did apply a generous amount of DEET to my exposed skin about halfway up the trail.

I strongly recommend this as a day hike! I took my time going up (about 3 hours), and it took me about 2 hours to make it back down to my vehicle.

I will certainly do this again hike before the summer is over. It's definitely one of my favs on the mountain!