The day started damp from overnight rain, but for the most part, it was just cloudy during our hike in Josephine County.

There was some drizzle when we met half our group at the Fish Hatchery Park parking area, but that diminished into nothing as we headed up the trail.

The TH is a surprisingly low 1,000′ with 3.3 miles of trail spiraling up 1,300′ to the 2,300′ summit (making Bolt Mountain a good choice for hiking year-round).

The trail is a fairly gentle grade, but with some rocks to negotiate.

We hiked up through Maples and Oaks displaying their golden leafs as well as majestic Madrones and pines.

For the second Monday, we spotted all sorts of Lichen on trees and rocks. And Liz began thinking out loud about adding a couple of Lichen walks before the sort of wildflower season.

We made it up the trail in two hours to the rocky summit for lunch. On this day, our view was from the inside of low-hanging clouds. We had our lunch topped off with chocolate, then got our group shot before starting back down. As we descended we noticed the clouds were beginning to lift and had views of the valley below.

Post hike we drove back into Grants Pass for refreshments at the Weekend Beer Co. They featured home-brewed beer and cider with food trucks handy just outside.

Next week we’ll hike to Buck Rock Tunnel across Hwy 66 from Emigrant Lake.

Hike Leader: Rich Stickle

Photos By: Linda, Randy