After a short hill the route enters a meadow and climbs slightly.  It then crosses a large sheltered meadow with almost no slope.

The Fifth Leg may be the most difficult, but the Sixth is the easiest by far--a total rise of only 440 feet without the need for switchbacks.  Additionally, it's the least forested stretch below the timberline and bushwacking is nonexistent.

At 8900 feet the slope decreases and the forest yields to wide stretches of grass.  The hike becomes a casual stroll and slopes on the North and South sides of the valley make the route obvious.

There's a short rise, then at 9200 feet the trees part for a massive, beautiful, and nearly flat meadow.  Isolated from major traffic by the perils of the Fifth and Eighth Leg, it contains no sign of human occupation, not even a trail.  Bent grass points to its suitability as overnight deer accomodations.  It's a quarter-mile long and half as wide, surrounded by forest on three sides, and one of the gentlest slopes on the upper mountain.  In spite of its proximity to a major city, it fits the definition of wilderness in every way.

A sandy creek threads its way through the forest on the South edge of the meadow.  An unforested shelf lies on the North edge of the valley, rising to a final dropoff into Big Willow canyon.  The scene ahead is dominated by a spectacular granite monolith that divides the Willows.  Our route passes to the right of it.

Scott:  A night's sleep did us a lot of good, but it stayed chilly through here for a while as the sun wasn't able to clear the ridges until almost 10am.  This meadow would have been the perfect place to overnight - flat, large open areas you could imagine a small town occupying.  Evidently deer had bedded down in the grass here where we would like to have been, and I wouldn't blame them given the gorgeous setting and typical lack of thorofare.

Jeff:  The only truly flat place on the trail.  The meadows are gorgeous!  Wide, grassy, nearly flat in spots, and exactly what you want to find during a hike like this: an area where you can enjoy walking through the scenery without concentrating on the climb for a while.

Andrew:  If it wasn't so hard to reach, this place would be overrun.

Ryan:  Why do deer sleep laying down, while cattle stand?