Hunter Pass and Rendezvous Ridge Hike

 I met with some of the Valley Wanderers at the South Fork Eagle River Trailhead. The goal of many of the group was to harvest as many blueberries as they could find. I'm not terribly interested in blueberry picking, but I do love hiking in the spot they had chosen. We hiked up the steep Hunter Pass Trail to the pass. There is a new trail that consists of ridiculously long switchbacks, but we chose to go straight up on the more efficient but much steeper old trail. I was feeling the steepness because my legs were still tired from Saturday's Snowbird climb. But once up on the ridge, the trail was much easier. We followed the ridge then descended along the Rendezvous Ridge Trail back to the South Fork Trail for a 6 mile loop. The weather was really nice, with warm temperatures and a light wind. But there were a lot of clouds hovering around the mountains as well as a thick haze, most likely from wildfires in the interior or Canada. I didn't smell any smoke. But it did obstruct a lot of the beauty that we should have been able to see on this hike. Those who chose to pick berries did find some, but not a bountiful harvest. Many are still green and the ones I tasted were still very sour, and not fully ripe. But, berries or not, it was still a wonderful little hike and good workout. It's always nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine.