As we knew it would, the trail finally took a turn and started to wind at a gentle but unrelenting grade upward toward the rim. We’d been hiking for a little over three hours. It was starting to get pretty warm and we made sure to drink lots of water from the generous supply in our backpacks. We began to encounter hikers coming in from Fairyland Point. I didn’t envy them the hike they faced in the heat of the day. We were glad to be headed out.
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In the shade at the end of a set of switchbacks, we caught up with the couple that had passed us earlier. We paused for a water break and a chat. They seemed pretty winded and the wife looked whipped. They were looking forward to the shuttle at Fairyland Overlook. We felt bad but had to tell them that there was no NPS shuttle that stopped there. It was going to be a long last couple of miles for the couple from Ohio. Hope they got home safe and sound.
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As we trudged on upward, we started to encounter folks who were just hiking out from the overlook with no intentions of doing the whole loop. When we came upon a couple of stylish young ladies in designer sandals, we figured we were close to the parking lot at Fairyland Overlook.