THE BLUE MOUNTAIN HIKE!

Blue mountain is surrounded by a small town and small lake named after the mountain. Driving through it gives you the impression that "everybody knows everybody"kind of town. We stopped at the only gas station in town to buy last minute supplies like water and snacks. When you are in a group of 23 people, its very likely that not everyone will bring everything they need for an event. And this was one of those times.

The parking area is located as you are about to leave town on the right side. You drive up a steep hill and its immediately to the right as soon as you reach the top. I drove by it the first time. Its a large parking lot and we were surprised how quickly it filled up with hikers.

Our group signed in at the trailhead. It was a partly cloudy day but warm day, making it a great day for a hiking trip. The trail is only 2 miles to the peak, but it was a mile longer than any mountain we have done together as a group. Shortly into the hike, I began to hear it from some people about their disappointment. And similar conversations continued all the way up and down the mountain.

The first mile of the hike was a gently increase in elevation and we were able to cover the grounds at a good pace. The second mile was a different story, a lot steeper with more exposed bedrock requiring different walking pattern. After reading different blogs, most people said that it takes about 2 hrs. Even with a large group, we were able to reach the top under 1 hr. Closer to the top there were some nice views of the chain lakes and the high peaks to the northwest.

At the summit, it was a very nice view. It wasn't the best view because it had gotten cloudier as the day progressed. The summit isn't as open as other shorter peaks. It was also a lot cooler at the summit, forcing all of us to put on our long sleeve clothing. Blue Mountain is also one of the fire tower mountain, which is open to public. It also has a building for rangers at the top.

The fire tower had some panoramic views, but it was also very windy and cold allowing for a short stay  up there.

The descent was difficult at first because of the steep bedrock but improved as we got closer to the last mile.

Overall it was a great hike with a large group of people. For the first time I recorded portions of the trail on my GoPro Camera. Video to be posted soon!

Time: August 2013 (1st week)
Weather: partly cloudy, mid 70's
Distance: 2 mi, (4 mi round trip)
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate