The sun seemed to be coming up around 4ish a.m., which didn’t give us much sleep heading into the day. We started with coffee at Kaladi Brothers and then hiked over to the Coastal Trail which we accessed at Elderberry Park.
After a late breakfast/lunch, we arranged for a hikers’ shuttle to take us about 40 minutes away to the base of Flattop Mountain. This was a good call. The shuttle for both of us was cheaper than renting a car, and the van driver had good hiking tips for the trail and pointed out local points of interest on the route. He must have told us five times that everyone needed to be back at the van by 4 p.m. (more on that later).
Flattop Mountain is a relatively short hike but with 1300 feet in vertical gain. Julia was a trooper, but for someone with bad knees, the hike down is especially tough. The first third passes quickly up through low pines and alpine moss. The second third climbs more steeply up many railroad ties/steps. The final third is an even steeper rock and gravel scramble requiring the use of hands and feet. We made it up and down in about 150 minutes, including 30 minutes of walking around at the summit.
Two of our group had not returned to the van at 4:10 p.m.,and the van driver left without them. Several of us had observed the two still climbing when the rest of us were well on the way down. They knew they were running late but chose not to turn around. The driver suggested calling a cab and did not offer a refund.
I highly recommend this hike to other hikers in reasonably good shape and would also recommend using the shuttle services from the Downtown Bicycle Rental on Fourth Street ($22). It’s a great hike with just enough challenges to make it interesting. Just don’t be late.
View from the top of Flattop Mountain
Two other hikers on the summit
Still some snow in pockets
That little black dot is a moose
A great day
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