Black Mountain through Rhus ridge - a walk in the clouds

There were many hiking trips over the last two months that did not get even a mention in the blog. One such hike was to go to Black mountain through Rhus ridge. We had made two prior attempts to do this, but parking at Rhus ridge is limited to 8 or 9 spots. So if you go even at 6AM to start, you might end up parking a mile and a half out and walk. There is no parking nearby on the main road either. 

This one time we found parking and made it. This pretty much covers every appoach to Black Mountain. 

We had a great time on this hike, especially since there was no visibility for the last part of the hike. The clouds rolled in and we were walking in the clouds for an hour with water condensing on us. As usual we did have chai in the clouds!

This hike stayed with me because of the views that were so different.. Same black mountain.. but different!

Then we got conned by a sign that said "historic windmill".. being a sucker for "historic", I encouraged the group to go see it even if added a mile to our hike. It was a letdown to see this sign after walking half a mile.

This is a public service announcement. There is NO WINDMILL to see.. however, the hike back up to the trail is a good cardio workout. The grass field also gives you a great contrast and nice pictures..

At one point we were sure it was going to start raining and we were not prepared for rain on a hike! Ended up being a good decision to keep going.. we were wet from the condensed water but by the time we made it down, it was okay. 

This hike was a familiar route with a new weather condition. Loved it. Nature has a way to make things interesting!

This hike was in June. We will try this route again in winter for a different experience!

Black Mountain never disappoints.