Elk Mountain, and Apple and Pear Loop Hike

The first part of this hike, to the right, follows the class 1 Elk Mountain Trail in Charon's Garden Wilderness, OK for a little over one mile to the broad mesa that forms the summit. From there, the hiker follows animal (mostly Texas longhorns, which somehow make their way up there) trails, then scrambles across granite slabs and through poison ivy and greenbriar to the actual summit rock. After that, further scrambling, mostly across open slabs, takes the hiker to Apple and Pear. Finally, the descent from Apple and Pear can be down more granite slabs, or through a steep gully that requires a few class 3 and brief class 4 moves. After that, the hiker picks up Charon's Garden Trail and returns through Valley of Boulders to the starting point at Sunset.