Day 104: My customary route to the top of Hugo Peak goes up the trail and down the road, a clockwise loop of five miles. Today after hiking three miles with a friend, I did a counterclockwise turn just to be different. I'd actually planned to go only as far as Kirkland Pass, but when I arrived at the five-way intersection of Pack Forest roads (not open to the public), Hugo seemed to be calling my name. Eh, what the heck...it's one more mile for the Park fitness challenge.
That benefit aside, walking the loop in the opposite direction allowed me to see things I might otherwise have missed: a mushroom under a branch of salal, a cluster of Cladonias, orange Tremellas on the "back" side of a log. Although there were no surprises, there were bits of flora I hadn't seen since last year, old friends whose doors I've passed by repeatedly without so much as a nod in their direction. I'm a bit ashamed of myself for neglecting to visit these neighbors on the many times I've made the circuit. I need to go backwards more often.
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