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Amphibious Assault at Abbot Ascents
After my brief interlude at Mulholland Waterfalls, I did make it to Abbot Ascents without further wrong turns. The temperature was in the low 80s, but it felt a little cooler in the woods, except for the Ascents. I reapplied the Deep Woods OFF! tick repellent to my legs and arms before heading out. Abbot Ascents wasn’t too bad, though it had a couple of blow downs to bushwhack through. Cayuga Cliffs had some tall grass to run through, so it was a necessity there.
The muddy spots in and along the two main creeks of the course were not that bad. I slogged right through the middle of them and while my (just regular trail) shoes got muddy, they didn’t sink in much and my feet stayed dry the entire time. By the end, most of the new mud had dried and fallen off them.
Numerous toads and/or frogs were seen hopping across the trail and several of the creek crossings leading to the base of the ascent toward The Pinnacles had them hopping into the water when I approached.
Some geometrically inclined fungus:
And a shot of a snazzy 2025 Challenge shirt at The Pinnacles:
