Pocaterra Ridge traverse S to N Off-Trail hike on 17-Sep-2025

We had a spectacular day in the mountains on this classic ridge walk. Our early start meant that we had the trail to ourselves other than passing a clump of people coming the opposite direction along the ridge, and also gave us lots of time to linger in the sunshine - we were 6 hours car to car. The views into Rockfall Valley far below included many sheep, and surprisingly the lake was entirely dried up. The only negative point in the day was seeing how eroded and braided some sections of trail have become in the past 5 years. Thanks for a fun day and a special welcome to Wendy who was thrilled with such a great experience on a first trip with the Ramblers!

Descending from the highest peak

Descending from the highest peak

Coming up to lunch spot

Lunch

Smoke haze to the north,but it didn't really affect views much

Larches starting to turn

Shrubby penstemon still blooming