The annual hike on Big Red Mountain did not disappoint. We head up to BRM every July to escape the heat in
Ashland. On Monday it was sunny with temperatures in the 70s while the valley reached near 100 degrees again.

The PCT was lined with wildflowers and added floral colors to the hike. The special flower was the anticipated
Bear Grass that shot up in their hundreds along the trail.

Twelve hikers started from Siskiyou Gap on this 6 mile RT and 1,000’ gain hike. Ten made it to the top at 7,000’
for lunch and views of Mt. Ashland, Wagner Peak, and Dutchman’s Peak; with Pilot Rock and McLoughlin silhouetted
in the smoke. After lunch, five went back down to the trail to join two in resting in the shade, while the remaining
five took the ridge top over summits and back down through the forest to eventually join the PCT heading back.

On this day, we met four through hikers coming down as we were going up the trail. And, on our way back down
we met our friend Eva Theiman, who was part of a butterfly survey along the PCT.

Next Monday July 22 we’ll seek cooler weather on Mt Shasta as we do a loop hike around Panther and Southgate
Meadows.

On July 29, we’ll drive out to the coastal Redwoods and do a new hike beginning at Stout Grove and following
the new Mill Creek Trail to Titan Grove and back. This is an experimental group hike limited to those who can commit
to a full day. We’ll leave Rite Aid at 8:00 AM and hope to return by 6:00 PMP.