IO: West Rim + Mid State + Bushwhacking to Little Italy
Details
Note: This is an IO, simply due to bushwhacking to a place I've never been before, so I'll likely only add people I've hiked with before. It will appear that the trip is full but add yourself to the waitlist if interested and we'll chat. Five total spots to start because of the shuttle situation, though we could explore adding another car if there was enough interest.
Since I sadly can't do the Collegiate Loop, I wanted to do something fun and interesting for Labor Day weekend! I was thinking of doing something involving the West Rim Trail and a Mid State Trail segment, when Rose told me about a place called Little Italy, which is the abandoned campsite of Italian immigrants who built the lumber railroads in that area in the 1890s, and is about a 2.5 mile bushwhack southwest of the Mid State Trail. She's done it before and said she could show us how to get there. She says it's a hidden gem!
The general plan:
Friday - Leave Grosvenor-Strathmore metro at 12 pm Friday. Drive to Golden Eagle Trailhead, pick up Rose at 5 pm and drive to northern end of West Rim Trail, dropping my extra car key at Pine Creek Outfitters on the way. Hike south on the West Rim Trail, 11.5 miles or fewer if we want to stop sooner for the night.
Saturday - Hike the remaining 20ish miles of West Rim Trail to Hoffman Campground for the night. (Swim at cool Pine Creek swimming hole near Rattlesnake Rock. Get ice cream or cold drinks at Blackwell Store, half a mile from campground.)
Sunday - Walk to Blackwell and pick up Mid State Trail there going south, about 13.5 miles to the turnoff for Little Italy. Group up there and follow Rose about 2.5 miles to Little Italy. Camp there. There is a cool waterfall and looks like a little swimming hole possibly!
Monday - A few more miles of bushwhacking (together, following Rose) will connect us with the Golden Eagle Trail. We'll do a portion of that, with great views, to get back to the cars at the Golden Eagle trailhead. My car will be there due to a valet service from Pine Creek Outfitters, saving us the full hour one way that it would take to retrieve my car.
Other important details:
-Splits are tentatively 11.5/19.5/16/7. Could be slightly different as the line drawn for the bushwhacking part is only approximate.
-Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/6EB1VM1
-In addition to gas, cost is $150 total ($140 for valet service for 1 car, $10 for Hoffman Campground site) or $30/person if 5 people.