Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

69 страница из 142

To reach Kings Mountain Junior, go straight on the Wilson River Trail and follow it for 100 yards to an unsigned junction on a ridgecrest. The main trail goes straight here, on its way to Lester Creek (see ssss1). You turn right, however, onto a very steep hiker’s route. Watch your step on this section, especially on the way back down, because loose gravel here makes for poor footing. After 0.2 mile the very steep uphill abates, as you snake along the top of a narrow ridge. The views are excellent, but hikers who are particularly afraid of heights may get a bit squeamish. When you reach the 2188-foot summit of Kings Mountain Junior the views are partially obstructed but still good, especially of the impressively rugged west face of Kings Mountain to the northeast.

One possible return route is to go northeast on a sketchy and overgrown path that goes steeply downhill then back up for 0.3 mile to an unsigned ridgetop junction at a switchback in the well-maintained Kings Mountain Trail. From here, you turn right and descend 1.9 miles to your car. (See ssss1 for a description of this trail.)