Eleven TrailBlazers, 2 dropouts-to-be, and one canine under the leadership of Buffalo Bob headed for Petit Jean on a very cold day without Yours Truly who decided the night before that discretion is the better part of valor! 

Sherri reports: Kenya & I at least showed up, but after about 10 minutes on the trail we wimped out and headed for the warmth of the car, sending our compadres on without us. We contented ourselves by exploring the mountaintop and overlooks and even spotted our crew across the canyon on the Cedar Falls Trail. I snapped a few pics and I'm sending samples just for the heck of it! Oh, and I forgot to mention per Dick's trusty GPS, they did 7-3/4 miles, so it worked out for the best that it was frigid beyond belief with a howling wind to boot!! 

Bob reports that the Petit Jean hike was on the coldest day of the year (so far). Temperature starting out was 24 with a cloudy sky and cold wind. It was one of those biting cold days that made most wonder why we were there. Eventually the clouds cleared and the sun made a welcome appearance. The winds calmed but would occasionally remind us that it is February. We were cautious walking the trails but there were only a few icy spots. As the hike progressed we started removing some of the outer layers. The day actually turned out to be very enjoyable. Everyone was dressed for warmth and the uphill stretches made things a little toasty. 

Let’s hear it for our Winter Warriors who weren’t even rewarded with a frozen maple leaf (inside joke)!