This is the Monument Rock, which the Standing Stone Trail is named for. Out west, it would be just another rock. But around here, it's a pretty unusual thing. It's unphotographable, surrounded as it is with branches and sitting at the jagged top of a boulder field. Also, it's smaller than you might expect, maybe only 15 feet high. It was nice to discover that no one had ever spray-painted it. The kind of people who spray paint rocks are not the kind that walk a mile and a half uphill through the woods, so this stone is safe from vandals.
Speaking of boulder fields, this place has them! It's hard to tell, but the one pictured here is probably two acres in size. I took the Turnpike to Fort Littleton, where I followed Sinoquipe Road, looking for Ramsey Path, a spur trail that leads up to the Standing Stone Trail and Monument Rock. The Ramsey Trail was not easy to find, and there wasn't really any parking area to speak of. But it was a pleasant jaunt across a patch of private ground and through the state gamelands where Monument Rock is located.
The views along this stretch of the Standing Stone were modest, pretty but not breathtaking. Actually, all the views on today's trek were along the other little spur trail that leads out to the rock, which is maybe a quarter mile from the main trail that bears its name. With forty pounds on your back, and night setting in, and the urgency to find water or a campsite before dark, you could just skip this little side trip to the rock. It's less spectacular than all that. But if you've got time and nothing on your back but a day pack, definitely make the trek.
I haven't been maintaining this blog, even though I've continued to hike whenever possible. I've got a lot of summer treks to post on here, and I wonder if I'll do it. The summer has been overwhelming, and I couldn't wait to fall exhausted into the arms of my old friend October. But I fear this is going to be another of those Octobers like we had least year: 80-degree temps until the trees fade from a dull green to bare branches with no colors in between. Look at these photos. It's October 6, and there's still barely any hint that it's fall.
A few splashes of color lined the trail. Here, the leaves nearly match the trail blaze.
I did do an overnight in the Allegheny National Forest back in July. And a West Coast trip with a solitary overnight in the Olympia National Forest--near the Pacific Ocean. Plus, a fantastic backpacking adventure in the Adirondacks. I may or may not post those on this blog or its out-of-state appendix. I'm not just getting lazy; I'm also getting very tired.
