We hiked this section on May 20, 2012.
The 80+ degree temperature yesterday afternoon definitely took a toll on us during Agony Grind. The temperature was suppose to be slightly warmer today so we decided to avoid the afternoon heat and go shopping.
We dropped one car at Seven Lakes Drive and then took the other car to the top of Bear Mountain. We started hiking just before 4 PM.
Perkins Tower
Dirigo enjoying the view
We think the trail has been re-routed in this section. The initial half mile was wide, gentle, and graded. This would be a great section with kids – especially if you had a stroller.
Lovely Trails
Then the trail had wonderful stone steps that made the descents easy on the knees.
Lovin the stone steps
We were both surprised at how beautiful the trail was in this section and have high praise for the maintainers in this section. The stone work was very impressive.
Once we crossed Perkins Memorial Drive, the trail was on gentle soft ground and was a bit rocky. We had a slight breeze the entire time and were enjoying the cooler temperature.
Bear Mountain Bridge
We met two guys who were section hiking with their two dogs. One dog was a golden retriever and the other dog was some fancy Italian breed that looked like a small Irish wolfhound. Every time the Italian breed went downhill, his pack would slip off his back and then his master would have to carry his pack. We felt kind of bad for the golden retriever because he seemed to be struggling with the heat. We came across him just lying in the bushes to get out of the heat.
After we crossed Seven Lakes Drive, Python offered the section hikers her extra water bottle. We explained that we were close to our car and didn’t need it – she hoped they would give the extra water to the golden retriever.