On Wednesday we had 9 hikers come out to hike along the Payette trail starting from the French Gulch Trailhead. We were happy to get out of the fog that had engulfed much of the valley. The sky was partly cloudy and the temperature was 46°.
As we made our way around Applegate Lake many of us commented that we had never seen the water level so low. After about half of a mile, we turned left on the Calsh Trail #971. There was some downfall to make our way around but nothing too serious. Nanci spotted the Black Trumpet mushrooms that we had seen in the past.
We made our way to the Dagelma Trailhead and then continued on the Osprey trail #973. From there we made our way back towards the Lake and connected to the Payette trail and made our way to the bridge. We crossed the bridge then headed towards our lunch spot. Before we could get there, we saw a mountain biker who was happy to pull his bike off-trail so we could all safely pass.
We got to the lunch spot and enjoyed our time at Hal's point in the sunshine. After lunch we returned the way we had come until we got to the junction of the Osprey trail. Instead of going back uphill, we continued on the Payette trail all the way back to the cars. We had hiked 7.82 miles and gained 991 feet of elevation. We were not thrilled when we drove back into town and there was once again heavy fog.
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