A family came to us wanting to do a half day hike. As it turned out the patriarch wanted to also go on a half-day gravel bike tour the day before the planned hike. No problem, it’s not a standard offering for us (yet), but insurance-wise we’re covered so we figured it’d be a cool add. On the bike tour we had Redline Guide Ken Hodges leading the way (or playing catch up as our guest was a very strong rider). In any case, a good time was had by all.
Back to the half-day hike our guests had some specific requirements. First of all they wanted to get some views. Second they wanted to see some water features. And for their last request, they wanted something off the beaten path hoping to avoid the crowds. It took a few moments of thinking but Redline Guide Mike Cherim (leading this day) came up with an idea that worked out perfectly.
The plan was to meet at the Appalachia trailhead, jump on Falls Way to Valley Way, touch Brookside for a moment then hop onto the Inlook Trail to Dome Rock for an nice break and the nearby Kelton Trail junction. The team descended Kelton to Howker Ridge, picked up Sylvan Way, and made their way all the way over to Cold Brook Fall. After checking it out they took the Link Tail to Airline and back to the start forming a figure eight. A half day is 3-4 hours and this hike lasted 4 hours and 1 minute… and they were able to tick all the boxes in the process. They weren’t completely alone up there as they did encounter a tiny group while heading up to Dome Rock, but that was it.
Here are some photos, mostly from day two.
Day One — Gravel Bike Tour
Day Two — Half-Day Hike
