David, Ted, Max, and Wes met at 9:00 at the Richmond commuter lot and headed in two cars to the Duxbury trailhead. Diane was a little delayed, and we’d written her a note saying we had headed up just as she arrived. We got started at about 9:45. The day was overcast and cool, but not cold. Several folks brough microspikes, but the rains in recent days appear to have melted any early seasons snows, as we never saw a trace of snow or ice. The rains had left the trails somewhat wetter and the streams somewhat fuller than usual. The high winds a couple days earlier had also left a number of downed branches and trees.

David was leading and cleared a lot of the smaller branches, but several required saw, which we didn’t have. We reached the hut clearing around 11:30 and stopped for lunch, some group pictures, and, for most of us, to add a layer before heading to the summit. There were several other folks at the summit, and while the wind wasn’t as strong as it often is, it was strong enough to keep us from hanging around for too long.

From the summit we took the Long Trail south to the southern end of the Alpine Trail, which we took back to its junction with the Monroe Trail, taking a side trip to view the remains of the 1944 wreck of a World Ware II B-24. We headed back down the Monroe Trail, reaching the Dean Trail junction at about 1:30, where we had the rest of our lunches. Just as we were finishing, the forecast rains that we’d so far avoided finally started. We finished the last leg of the trail in a light rain, getting back to the trailhead around 2:30.

leader: David Hathaway; Diane Linehan, Ted Albers, Wes Volk, Max Seaton.