Dave and Emily came to visit and since it had been so long since Dave and I had hiked together, I took a chance with the achilles and we headed over to Eldo for a hike up Rattlesnake Gulch. We parked at the usual spot where the road turns to dirt, headed in via the informal social trail to Fowler and then Rattlesnake Gulch. From the historical hotel foundation, we headed up to the ridge and then on up from there, enjoying the warm sun and lack of wind. We had a blast scrambling, deliberately taking the most difficult lines head on (class 3 with little to no exposure). Once at the high point, we spent a long time snacking and chatting.
Heading back down to the ridge was a bit of a navigational challenge as always. Even though I had been up there a handful or more times, it is always a little hard to backtrack exactly and find the proper ridge. Just a degree or two off and you will miss it completely and be in for a steep and miserable bushwhack.
It was awesome to get back on the trails and catch up with Dave as it has been so long and we had to much to talk about. This was the first day since the twins were born where I did not have a real time limit, so it was cool to not be in a hurry and I did not look at my watch or concern myself with time the entire afternoon.
I feared that the steepness of this route would re-inflame my achilles tendonitis, but I was fine afterwards and fine now 27 or so hours later, so I feel like I am making huge progress in that department.
