Waterrock Range, April 17th-18th, 2023

Eaglenest, April 17th

I was originally planning on taking this day off, but after getting the tasks I wanted to get done early, I decided to head out and take a stab at Eaglenest. I approached via car on the southern side trying to find a nice place to pull off and legally park for a hot second so I could hop up to the summit. I really couldn't to be honest, as the area is a big series of private developments. Nevertheless I was able to find a blank spot to pull off on about 0.05 miles from the summit, and hopped over to it. I think the true summit is on someone's driveway, but I didn't want to impose myself like that, so I took a picture next to this water concrete-thingy. Could be a very fun peak to bike if you're into that sort of thing

Yellow Face, April 17th

Parking at the Waterrock Trailhead I hoped down the road to the trail immediately across from BRP and took the 1 mile or so to the summit and back. Great views and a good trail - I did the whole thing in crocs with no problem. Unfortunately I forgot my tripod, so I took a rather unconventional picture selfie-style. A nice peak to be sure!

Waterrock Range, April 18th

Sleeping in was a blast, and the late start ended up working in my favor, as there was a bit of ice that formed on the trails overnight that thawed before I started! Would have been not-too-fun to try this hike in ice without spikes. Heading up Waterrock was straightforward, with a paved path giving way to a decently-maintained trail leading to a delightful viewpoint at the summit. From there, I proceeded down a bit and found a blazed and well-cleared path over to Lynn Lowry. Delightful views along the way. The trail did get rerouted recently, but you can still access the peak no problem, just follow the signs telling you where to go and you should be good! Dropping to Plott Balsam starts with a steep and thicker trail, but eventually goes into an old roadbed that is easy to follow, the last little bit is a bushwhack, but there is a relatively-well defined heard-path if you veer to the right immediately before the final ascent. The way back was pretty uneventful, but overall this was a solid hike!