December 9, 2021
We woke up to heavy rains. It was forecasted to last all day. Today was the perfect day to hike up to Turtlehead Peak, something we’ve been driving past for a few weeks. We drove into the Loop before a fee and reservation were required and made breakfast in the parking lot. Then we geared up for a hike in the rain. Rain gear, gloves, hiking boots and trekking poles were donned. The hike to the top of Turtlehead Peak is 2.3 miles from the parking lot and includes 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Constant wind gusts and rain pelting our faces greeted us as we hiked.
Over an hour later we were at the peak! It was surprisingly calm up top despite the rain and sleet so we stopped to have a snack. I’d like to say we enjoyed the view but the view was much obscured due to the weather.
Finally the winds picked up and our hands were starting to freeze so we made our way back down to the van and warmth. On the hike down Kyle found a pincushion cactus! I had been wanting to find one for a while so I was shocked when he stopped and pointed it out. Tiny little cactus growing on a boulder, I have no idea how he spotted it on our hike down. We made it back to the dry van, parked it for the night where we had service and turned on the laptop. The Vikings were playing Thursday night football and we were lucky enough to watch from the comfort of our home.
The hike up to Turtlehead Peak was so engaging that we often repeated the hike that winter. We eventually were able to enjoy the views properly a few times.
