The weather has turned really HOT! We tried to get away early this morning but didn't manage to leave before 10:30 AM.
We hiked the hillside and canyons of the Soldier Creek Wilderness. The US Forest Service manages this area as part of Nebraska National Forest. But the forest in this part of the park was destroyed in 1989 by the Fort Robinson Fire which took out 48,000 acres of forest and grassland. The Ponderosa Pine were burned at such an intensity that the seeds were also destroyed and the area has not seen any renewed growth of trees. Most of the hill sides are covered with dead and rotting trees.
Our hike took us to the top of a ridge, then we went for awhile along the ridge before going down and then up another hill. The path was a single rut used more by horses than by man and was almost overgrown by tall grasses and weeds. The wind was blowing about 20-30 mph all day and the heat got up to near 100°! We lost our trail after about 4 miles but found an old road bed and followed it back to the Jeep. We estimate that we walked about 6 miles in 2 1/2 hours. We were glad we had our hydration packs and wore our sturdy hiking boots.
After naps were went thru a couple of the Fort Robinson museums, took a short drive and then came back to the RV to try and cool off! The A/C is struggling in this heat!
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