FreightTrain
New member
The original plan was to be in the mountains from friday night until sunday morning. The storm on friday night set us back a couple of hours and the thought of starting up the trail at 10pm was not appealing. We decided a warm night at my place and an early start on saturday morning was a better plan. We did get off to an early start and were eager to hit the trail.
Left the car with 17 deg. temps. The gail loop trail was plowed leaving a firm base with about an inch of fresh snow on it. The sleds pulled easy and we were at the trailhead in no time. The beginning of the Gail River Trail was in good shape. The snow was packed solid with a little over an inch of fresh snow on top. We got in far enough to avoid the sounds and smells of the snowmobiles zooming by on the road. We quickly packed down a spot and set up camp. It was about 10:00am when we headed up the remainder of the trail. The trail starts out easy and supported our bare boots firmly. There were a couple of blow downs that had established side loops to get around. All of the stream crossings were bridged over with ice. Although the sound of rushing water from below the ice made us step with caution, the ice was thick and strong. The trail gets steeper after crossing the gail river for the last time. The fresh snow was now at about an inch and a half deep. It was easy walking on the trail, but you knew when you were off the trail instantly. Hip deep post holes would grab you if even slightly off the "monorail".
There was a short break in the steady climb after we turned onto the Garfield Ridge Trail. This short section of trail to the hut seemed longer than I had remembered. The hut was a welcome sight with it's south facing benches clear and dry. The sun was in and out of the clouds as we ate lunch and admired the views. We decided that Gailhead would be our target and the twins would have to wait until next time. The trail to Gailhead was difficult to follow. Fresh snow had blown in previous tracks. The deep snow and low hanging braches also concealed the main path. I lost the trail shortly after the hut in a cleared section. Spruce traps made me know I was not on the trail. We recovered quickly and were on the way up. I was glad I put the hooded wind gear on to keep the snow piled on the low hanging branches from covering me. In many places there were only four to five feet of clearance between the snow covered branches and the trail below. A lot of crouching and brushing through the branches. We also used snow shoes up to the summit. It was warm and the limited views were Ok but we walked back to the hut to try and soak up a little more sunshine. The walk down to the hut was full of potential eye, ear and face pokes.
It was now 5 hours since we left the camp and time to get back before dark. We were able to make good time using snow shoes for the extra stability and traction going down the steeper sections of the trail. Burritos, a couple of beers and a good fire finished off the day. It got down into the single digits during the night and we climbed out of the bags in 13 deg temps. Packing up was easy. It was difficult to leave the cloudless sky and drive back home. All in all, a great weekend in the whites.
Left the car with 17 deg. temps. The gail loop trail was plowed leaving a firm base with about an inch of fresh snow on it. The sleds pulled easy and we were at the trailhead in no time. The beginning of the Gail River Trail was in good shape. The snow was packed solid with a little over an inch of fresh snow on top. We got in far enough to avoid the sounds and smells of the snowmobiles zooming by on the road. We quickly packed down a spot and set up camp. It was about 10:00am when we headed up the remainder of the trail. The trail starts out easy and supported our bare boots firmly. There were a couple of blow downs that had established side loops to get around. All of the stream crossings were bridged over with ice. Although the sound of rushing water from below the ice made us step with caution, the ice was thick and strong. The trail gets steeper after crossing the gail river for the last time. The fresh snow was now at about an inch and a half deep. It was easy walking on the trail, but you knew when you were off the trail instantly. Hip deep post holes would grab you if even slightly off the "monorail".
There was a short break in the steady climb after we turned onto the Garfield Ridge Trail. This short section of trail to the hut seemed longer than I had remembered. The hut was a welcome sight with it's south facing benches clear and dry. The sun was in and out of the clouds as we ate lunch and admired the views. We decided that Gailhead would be our target and the twins would have to wait until next time. The trail to Gailhead was difficult to follow. Fresh snow had blown in previous tracks. The deep snow and low hanging braches also concealed the main path. I lost the trail shortly after the hut in a cleared section. Spruce traps made me know I was not on the trail. We recovered quickly and were on the way up. I was glad I put the hooded wind gear on to keep the snow piled on the low hanging branches from covering me. In many places there were only four to five feet of clearance between the snow covered branches and the trail below. A lot of crouching and brushing through the branches. We also used snow shoes up to the summit. It was warm and the limited views were Ok but we walked back to the hut to try and soak up a little more sunshine. The walk down to the hut was full of potential eye, ear and face pokes.
It was now 5 hours since we left the camp and time to get back before dark. We were able to make good time using snow shoes for the extra stability and traction going down the steeper sections of the trail. Burritos, a couple of beers and a good fire finished off the day. It got down into the single digits during the night and we climbed out of the bags in 13 deg temps. Packing up was easy. It was difficult to leave the cloudless sky and drive back home. All in all, a great weekend in the whites.
Glad the Galehead trip went well.
