A few pieces of wooden furniture circle the fireplace, a goat skull hangs above the mantle and an elk head guards a bedroom door. The geologist and his wife spent their summers at the cabin until a flood convinced them that living outside the canyon might be more prudent. In the late '50s, Pratt gave the structure and surrounding land to the government. I start the 6.8-km climb near the Pine Spring Campground. Wide and well maintained, the trail ascends steadily as it parallels the south side of Pine Canyon.
Views become increasingly lofty.
A pair of mule deer leap ahead on the trail. When the route begins to zigzag its way up grassy hillsides, I start to appreciate my hours spent exercising on Stairmaster machines. The trail soon cuts along a ledge where a short wooden bridge crosses an intrusive gap. The span has become a landmark. The path winds back and forth up another slope before reaching a final ridge.