Drive to the TH was 1:50 which included missing the turn to NF 1005 and continuing on down the mountain 2.5 miles to NF 1030 before we reversed course and returned to 1005. The NF 1005 turn really is just after the pavement ends. NF 1005 is still in rough shape, but passable with high clearance vehicles.
Beautiful day, high around 70 F. We took the O'Brien Creek Trail to the Boundary Trail to the Windy Gap Trail. From the ridge at Windy Gap we bushwhacked up the ridge through relatively open forest and finally with a rock scramble. This was an easier route than last year when we bushwhacked up through the open meadow from the Krause Cabin site.
We should have started at 8:00 AM because we were not at our summit lunch spot at the north end of the ridge until 1:13 PM. There was some mutinous talk about at that point.
We did not see any smoke or any evidence of burns from the Fort Complex fires.
We came back via Carberry Creek Road which added about 10 miles to the trip but allowed for a stop at the Country Club.