On the return hike I was a bit uncertain if we should go out of the way and check out the cliffs and Indian head. So at the above intersection we made a decision to go ahead and check it out. It was 4:17 pm and we still needed to hike 5 plus miles back to the parking lot, get dinner, and drive home. But as it turned out to be a quick walk to the cliffs and it offered a great view of Lower Ausable Lake.
We took a few minutes to take some photos as well as just enjoy the view. It was a breezy place to sit and cool down. There is was only another couple there with us and they left shortly after we arrived so we had the cliffs to ourselves. I was glad that we didn't skip this part of the hike.
From the cliffs there was a great shot of the Indian Head in the rocky cliffs. Although we had a difficult time seeing "the indian head."
Oleg found a comfortable rock
From the cliffs we decided to stay the course and do Indian Head as well and then go back down to the Lake Road. The 0.7 miles to the next destination proved to be very steep and after hiking all day thats not we wanted to do again. Once at the head we said lets just keep going because it was starting to get cloudy and we were tired as well.
The Return
The descent back to the road was a lot steep then the Gillbrook trail and with sore feet it wasn't very pleasant. After many switchbacks we finally came to the Lake Road at 5:42 pm. The thought of walking the full length of the road just to get back to the car didn't make our legs and feet feel any better. So in order to get there faster and potentially be on our way a bit quicker I decided to run back to the car and drive up the one mile. I realized that I couldn't run the full length because the soles of my feet felt like they were on fire so I speed walked the remaining part.
Over the past few years its become a tradition for us to go out to eat at Noonmark Diner after a long hike. They always have good food and pies/cookies for dessert.
Hike Stats:
Date: 6/27/2105
Distance: 19.7 miles
Time: 11 hrs
Elevation gain: 4000 ft
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