Finally Completed the Winter Presi Traverse!

[strider]

After countless years boring my non-hiking friends to death talking about it, the stars finally aligned just so this past Saturday, allowing me and a buddy to complete the winter traverse! It was a long, hard day to be sure. Probably the hardest single day I've ever had in the mountains (though summit day on Aconcagua is a close second).

Some details:

Valley Way TH - 4:01 AM
Madison - 6:47 AM
Adams - 8:34 AM
Jefferson - 10:05 AM
Clay - 11:37 AM
Washington - 12:32 PM
Lakes Hut - 1:32 PM to 2:21 PM (Stopped to Melt Snow)
Monroe - 2:52 PM
Eisenhower - 4:15 PM
Pierce - 5:13 PM
Highland Center - 6:43 PM

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Nicely done! Congratulations!!

Tim

 

[ChrisB]

After countless years boring my non-hiking friends to death talking about it, the stars finally aligned just so this past Saturday, allowing me and a buddy to complete the winter traverse!...

Nice work!

Did you guys use / need snowshoes at any point?

cb

 

[Rhody Seth]

Wow,well done!

 

[strider]

Nice work!

Did you guys use / need snowshoes at any point?

cb

Didn't carry or need snowshoes. We scoped out the lower trails the day before (VW and Crawford) and confirmed they were packed out. There were a few very minor drifts up on the ridge, but it was mostly hardened snow or ice. Microspikes were essential.

 

[KV]

Wow! Congratulations. A presi traverse, in March, with just microspikes. How freakin' cool was THAT?!

 

[Grey J]

Congrats on that achievement. 2:45 to summit Madison in winter is pretty cool in my book. I would barely be on Madison in summer and you guys are on Adams in winter. I think I've done about 90% of that route but probably in about 5 separate hikes. What you got up your sleeve for an encore?

 

[ChrisB]

Congrats on that achievement. 2:45 to summit Madison in winter is pretty cool in my book...

You guys did the trip that Kate Matrosova's dreamed of...
cb

 

[strider]

Congrats on that achievement. 2:45 to summit Madison in winter is pretty cool in my book. I would barely be on Madison in summer and you guys are on Adams in winter. I think I've done about 90% of that route but probably in about 5 separate hikes. What you got up your sleeve for an encore?

Thanks! When I tried this two years ago, I took nearly 5 hrs to get to Madison, and nearly 7 hrs to get to Adams (albeit with a lot of milling about around the hut deciding whether or not to continue). I knew I was moving too slow that day and bailed at Adams. For this trip, I cut my base weight down significantly - lighter parka, lighter pack, no bivy gear, less food and water, and microspikes instead of crampons. Except for the stop at LOC to melt snow, we kept moving pretty much the whole time. I was also definitely in better shape this time around!

When we did the traverse in the summer of 2015, we took 2:43 to get up Madison, and completed the trip in 14:35 - only seven minutes faster overall.