Sunday Burro Group - Upper Rio en Medio

PLEASE NOTE 8:30 START TIME!

We'll begin up at the ski basin, on the Winsor Trail, heading down, & after about 1/4 mile we'll spilt off the Winsor & onto Upper Rio en Medio. Initially a very rocky & fairly steep downhill, along the creek, you'll need to be careful with footing, but it's not difficult, just requiring attention. We'll come through a few pleasant meadows along the way as we make our way as far as we can on this trail, along usually rushing water with waterfalls, until we hit a fence. At this fence line, which designates Native Land, we'll take a very steep, dirt climb up to our left, not really a trail, just an extremely steep path along the fence, but not too lengthy. It's a workout, the 1st of 2 climbs on this hike. At the top we meet the acacia, irrigation ditch, & walk along it's border either part way or maybe til its end, we can do either, & decide as a Group which we prefer when we get there. With either decision, we have an easy water crossing back to Upper Rio en Medio Trail, & hike this back to our TH. This is the 2nd workout, which is fully uphill, steeper & rockier as we get closer to the top. The waterfalls which are numerous in the creek along the trail are more visible on the way up, so we'll be treated to a visual feast as we work our muscles upwards :)

All told, I'd guestimate it's 4.5-5 miles round trip. Should be quite lovely at this time of year. Significant elevation gain, but I don't know exact number.

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, using Steep Route option). 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; please park in a lane near the bowling alley, but not right up against the mall wall. We carpool to all THs. 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.