Our "members only" hike had a rousing 24 participants. We began our day at Tot Hill Golf Course where we had been granted permission to park. Tot Hill GC has been extremely supportive of our group.
After the short walk to the trailhead, we head into the "designated" wilderness. After a few minutes, our group turns left onto a social trail which follows Talbot Branch. It is well worn and well maintained. We cross the creek several times before our leader, Don with the GPS, says "turn left". At this point, we head up into the forest on private property. Mr Dassow has been extremely generous in allowing hikers, hunters and campers to cross his property for as long as I can remember. We are talking 50 years or more. Shortly, we arrive at a mine of sorts. There is quartz rock, blown apart, and strewn about. A few old tires round out the site. It is not much to talk about, but we do our best to talk it up.
Now we are headed onto the ridge which I refer to as "Dassow Ridge". It is the highlight of my hike. A wonderful open forest with wondwerful Winter views of Coolers Knob. Native Americans quarried the ryolite in this area for tools. We find examples of worked rock throughout this area, Most often, where trees grow, quarry debris is found around the base of the tree.
We hike along the ridge until we end up on the Camp 3 trail near the Boggs place. At this spot, we run into PHOC hikers, 27 strong. I spend several minutes exchanging greetings before moving along. Next stop is the camp we don't have a definitive number for. Anyway, there is a nice spring box there - pictured above.
Don carefully navigates us to the private property we have to avoid. We look at the possible ways to walk around the property and promptly decide to cross it. It is barely 100 yards wide and we manage it without incident.
Now we are in "no man's land". An area we have not explored before. Miraculously we traverse it to the road used by the inholding property owners. A short walk from here puts us at the old road to the Tadlock homesite and the spot Joe Moffitt designated for a camp, again the camp number is in question. We lingered at the brass sign on the dead tree upon which Joe Moffitt placed the brass sign 50 some years back. Then it was on to the Tadlock graves, not far away. We spend several minutes looking around here for corners and an old sign before moving on.
Our fearless leader, David stirs chili while food maestro Karen supervises. David color coordinated his wardrobe with the Rock 92 beer can produced and provided for our guzzling by Gibbs Hundred.
Mr Dassow, generously allowed us to picnic on his private lake. Merritt brought firewood for a campfire. We seemed to have everything we needed for a lovely cookout. Cheers.
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