Write-up: Dianna Morris
Leader: Dianna Morris
Co-Leader:

A baker’s dozen of us gathered to hike the rim trails of the gulf on a gorgeous autumn day. Fall foliage was at its peak on the Tug Hill Plateau and we all enjoyed the scenery on the drive to and from as well as along the gulf. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for this hike!

We took our time with frequent rest stops to accommodate several newer hikers who were unsure of their abilities. They worried for no reason as every hiker handled this hike extremely well. We paused to stop for lunch along the road up at the end of the North Rim Trail and were quickly chased back into the woods to find a better lunch area – the dust raised by 4-wheelers along the road made it impossible to breathe, let alone eat clean food. This is the first time I have been to the gulf where I have not been able to look down from the rim trails to see or hear water gurgling below – the drought had dried up almost the entire stream that normally flows through the gulf – we only saw a small puddle once and under the bridge between the 2 rim trails there was a small stagnant body of water.