Kendell Katwalk

Two years ago I went on a hike to Kendell Katwalk with Dan Coppersmith. I remember it being a nice walk, not too steep, to a really interesting feature in the Pacific Crest Trail. I was looking for just such a hike and opted against the Cold Creek - Silver Peak loop for this hike.

This year I went with Cathy and we were commenting on how nice the trail was for the first few miles. I noticed immediately that I was fairly out of shape (I have been doing several kid friendly hike lately) but this hike is not too hard so I figured I would be just a bit slow.

If you have ever been hiking in the Pacific Northwest, you should know that trails do not get better than the Pacific Crest Trail. It is so well maintained and never gets steep. Kendell Katwalk is just under 5 1/2 miles from the trailhead though. The couple miles of the trail is exposed.

We get to the Katwalk just as the thunder begins to crack. I chuckled about it. After Bandera and Twin Lakes rain is my new best friend and with the two metal hiking poles sticking out of my pack, how could I go wrong? There was a short sprinkle while we were there, but nothing much. It cooled things down a bit.

On the LONG trek back, my legs got really tired. I had gone too far for the shape I was in. About a mile from the trailhead I stopped in the middle of the trail crossed my arms and said "I'm done! I am not going any farther!" (Oh, to be 6 again and think this would work.) Unfortunately, Cathy could not carry me and the moving sidewalk was broken, so go farther I did.

We got back to the car and unloaded. This will most likely be my longest hike of the year. I am buying a house, moving, going on kid hikes, etc. Too many things going on to get in the right shape for the long hikes that I really love. Next year I am looking forward to many longer hikes. And anything 8 miles or less is still open game for this year.