first time hiking skyline

[stolidroog]

well i have to admit i have been a troll on these message boards for a long time. a lot of you have really helped me realize what to expect from skyline trail. after reading all the stories, i figured it was finally time for me to try skyline.

i went with my dad and his buddy. we started behind the museum at exactly 7:00 am. we made it back to the tram just before 3:00 pm, so an 8-hour adventure.

my thoughts on the trail, one of the most unique and challenging hikes i've ever done (perhaps even tougher than rim-to-rim at grand canyon). none of us had ever done the trail before, however we never got lost, and even without those orange dots, i think the trail is suprisingly very easy to follow, from the museum all the way to long valley. a great hike none the less, saw one runner who ran up around 6,500 feet, then ran back down. saw a couple other solo hikers. and passed up a group at flat rock, the girl with this group seemed to be really sick, we offered to carry her bag, but she declined, hopefully they made it out okay. we parked behind some arizona hikers, at least they had an arizona hikers sticker on their car. a few patches of snow were observed (over 7,000 ft), i got myself a hadley date shake (amazing) for the ride home, and decided its about time i join this message board. i consider myself in good shape, however when i saw how fast some of the hikers move on that trail, i realize they are in a completely different league than i am, i respect you guys a lot. anyways, a great trail, i plan to return.

ryan

[Perry]

You mean a lurker? A troll is very different. Welcome to the board!

[KathyW]

Ryan: Welcome and congrats on making it up the Skyline Trail - it's a tough hike. You won't see me jogging up that trail anytime soon, but I have enjoyed the last few trudges up it.

Kathy