Brokeoff Mountain
Hike Review:
The first half of the Brokeoff Mountain Trail weaves itself through a forest and across a stream, but the second half of the trail is up a side of a mountain without much vegetation.
There is a ton of shade at the beginning of the trail, not at all past the forest.
The trail is hard packed dirt, and very grippy, which was great for the way down.
The one stream crossing would have been messy if it weren’t for the broken branches that previous hikers had laid down. I had to maintain my balance, but my shoes stayed dry, so it all worked out.
There was plenty of parking, though I would bet on a weekend, the lot would get full pretty fast.
What I Learned:
I meditated for a few minutes at the summit and I felt great once I freed my mind from the past and the future. I think meditation on summits is something I want to do more of in the future. The funny thing is I don’t really know why I wanted to try it at this mountain of all mountains. Still glad I tried it.
I felt stronger than I had when I hiked up Lassen Peak, but I still couldn’t enter a flow, where I could just hike and time would pass quickly.
Fears Faced:
Fear of heights—As I got to the top, the trail grew narrow and the slope was steep. I believe if it were last year, I would have felt dizzy and fear would have taken over. This time, however, although I acknowledged how scary it all looked, I kept myself in control and was able to enjoy the summit for as long as I wanted.
Media Consumed:
Iron Widow
What Happened?
7.6 miles, 3 hrs 43 mins, 2784 ft of ascent
After a surprisingly delicious turkey sandwich (pre-packed) that I got at the visitor center, I headed to the Brokeoff Mountain Trailhead. I parked, converted my pants to shorts, and headed up the mountain.
I felt better hiking after eating a delicious lunch, but I still didn’t feel like I had felt last year when I hiked up Kennedy Mountain. When I had hiked that trail last year, I just got into a flow and I was able to just push mile after mile, even when I got tired. On Brokeoff, even though it was much shorter and easier, the miles didn’t come as easily. The forest parts weren’t too bad, actually, but when I got out of the forest, every quarter mile felt like a mile.
When I got to the summit though, I felt a big sense of accomplishment and I celebrated by raising my arms and allowing myself to enjoy the moment. I then took pictures, and meditated. I then realized that the visitor center would close at 5pm, and hurried down the mountain to get there before then.
I arrived back at the trailhead at 4:30pm (after passing half a dozen people), and got to the visitor center as planned. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a dinner I could buy, but I did get to enjoy a bar of ice cream.