Wednesday Burro Group - Atalaya (Lower 5 or Summit)

PLEASE NOTE START TIME CHANGE TO 8:30 DUE TO HIGH TEMPS.

Hard for me to think of where best to hike at this time, with Hyde Park Rd closed above State Park, & too hot for many of our more open, sunny trails which are locally accessible. So, I'm thinking maybe returning to Atalaya, where we did hike a little over one month ago, but it does afford areas of shade, which other trails do not. If someone signed up for today's hike has an alternate idea for our hike destination, I'm totally open to it!

We park at St. John's College (on the street along side of the designated college parking lot), & start off as we do when we hike Sun/Moon Mountains. However, we veer off to the left early on, onto the Atalaya Trail & continue on this trail until it forks (Steep or Easier Routes). We take the Steep Route, which it is (Steep!) until the two forks come back together. At this point, some may go down the Easier Route & return to TH where we all began for a total of 5 miles. Others may prefer to continue climbing up (ongoing Steep!) to the Summit for a 7 mile RT total mileage. Views on top are great, & we can decide about where we have our mid-hike break/Intention Circle depending upon how many plan for either the 5 or 7 mile distance. Folks should plan this in advance for carpooling. I've always liked this hike, am betting that some of our newer folks may not have ever hiked it, even though it's so close & always our Group fitness barometer :)

Elevation Gain is significant, at either turnaround point, be prepared for some strenuous climbing!

Burro Hikes are for experienced hikers, most of our hikes are moderate in difficulty (by our standards), usually on designated trails, usually 4-6 miles in distance unless otherwise specified.

Non-aggressive, well-mannered dogs are welcome on all my hikes (unless otherwise specified, some locations prohibit dogs).

Newcomers are welcome on all my hikes; I ask that newcomers please test your fitness for my Group by timing yourself hiking up and down Atalaya, which you should be able to do comfortably in 3 hours or less (from Wilderness Gate or staircase). If you have any questions about this, or about my hikes in general, please feel free to contact me through Meet Up Messaging or by text.

We meet at the DeVargas Mall, in the back lot, behind the stores. Park near the bowling alley, but please do not park right up against the mall wall. We carpool to all THs. Drivers can request that riders wear masks in their vehicle. Please offer your driver $2 to cover gas expense for this hike. We like to leave promptly so if you're running just a few minutes late, text me, & we'll wait up to 5 minutes for you.

Ronnie Chafel, 617-331-1838

Please be considerate of those on Wait List & sign off hike as soon as you know you cannot attend, preferably 24 hours in advance whenever possible. PLEASE DO NOT NO SHOW. Repeated No Shows have consequences.