I recently took a new job about 50 miles from home. This means long train commutes. Until my family moves, I am working Tuesdays and Thursdays at home. This means that if I put in extra hours on MWF, which I inevitably do while working 1.5 hours each way on the train, I have a little time to run during the days on T/Th.

Today, I decided to combine work + play. I took a large pile of papers that I needed to review, put them in my pack, and ran to the top of Flag Rock in Farmington.

At Flag Rock there is a nice bench. So, I sat and worked for 2-3 hours. It was amazing. Best day at the office ever.

When I finished working, I decided to keep climbing, rather than go straight back down. From Flag Rock the Centennial Trail supposedly goes all the way to Farmington Peak – above the Steed Creek Cliffs  – intersecting with the Farmington Spine Trail. Knowing that rattlesnakes are coming out, I figured that this [likely] bushwhack wouldn’t be advisable for much longer.

Up I went. The trail was marked with flags, but the higher I got, the fainter the trail was. Finally, It was just a bushwhack following flags.

After the clearing, the flagging got spotty. They led up and around some small rocks cliffs that stand at the top of the ridge between Rudd Creek (to the north) and Hornet Creek (to the south). Above that, I lost the flagging fairly quick. Had I just continued bushwhacking up and slightly south along the ridge, I would have intersected with the Spine trail – maybe less than a mile away. Bummer. I should have soldiered on.

Instead, I cut south, bushwhacking down to Hornet Creek, making a very sketchy snowy crossing, and then eventually picking up the Steed Creek Trail at the north flank of the cliffs.

Then, I bombed back down to the car.

Steed Creek Cliffs “Hole”

If Centennial was better flagged and had a couple trail maintenance parties – head up with loppers and a couple picks – this could be a REALLY cool route to the top. You could loop it down the Farmington Spine, or Steed Creek. Speaking of which, Steed Creek needs to be flagged from the cliffs – up to the overlook and road at the top of the Spine.