Dunbar
New member
In making plans for a Saturday hike with britdog and mtnhiker, none of us really had anything specific we wanted to do. The idea popped in to my head to head for Bennies Brook slide and John and Jenn were up for it. I didn't expect conditions to be very good - it was wet and slick with a couple inches of snow but too warm for ice. So we went with the attitude that we would explore the slide and head back at any point if conditions weren't good. We carried all manner of traction gear - microspikes, snowshoes, crampons, ice axes. At least we looked cool.
In the garden parking lot we ran in to Alistair who was headed for the Saddleback slide. We wished him luck and headed on in, taking the long way past JBL. I managed to wipe out hard (twice) thanks to my microspikes catching on the metal hook for my boot laces. John and Jenn were very kind and concerned and didn't laugh at all. And they didn't bring it up multiple times throughout the rest of the day. When we reached the base of Bennies Brook, there was Alistair, Doug (hillman1), and Doug's friend Jason. They had decided against Saddleback slide since conditions weren't great and figured they might as well join us. Strength in numbers? Stupidity in numbers? Our group of six started up the slide.
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was poised directly above Lower Wolf Jaw so when it was shining clearly in was a bit blinding, but it would be in and out of the clouds all day. Snow on the slide was wet and slushy down low. We started in microspikes. There were puddles and running water to avoid (Doug managed to find a deep pool and dip his leg+iphone in the water).
Part way up, where the slide was still relatively flat, we saw what was apparently a slush slide.
It doesn't look like much, but that could easily sweep you off your feet and toss you in to a rock or something like that. It was a good reminder of what can transpire out on a slide.
We reached the junction of the new slide and the old Bennies root canal. From here the slide gets steeper. Doug and Jason switched over to crampons. The rest of us decided to stick with microspikes. As we ascended we got in to some wet and increasingly deep snow (I don't recall exactly how deep it was, but I'd have to guess a good 5-6 feet). There was no ice but the microspikes gripped the rock very well.
At the very top of the slide things got too steep and slick so we bailed into the woods a short distance before the end. The relatively short bushwhack to the trail was a big energy drain as we trudged through some deep snow on steep terrain. I switched to snowshoes which were helpful. We pushed on and were soon on the summit. The weather was warm enough that we sat around for 10-15 minutes and took some time to enjoy the rather nice views. We debated what route to take down and everyone agreed they had done the trail more than enough times, so we retraced our steps and descended the slide.
The descent went pretty smooth although all of us took a few spills. Conditions were such that in most places if you fell you weren't worried about sliding very far. We took it slow on the upper section where it was steeper. Down low it was pretty quick walking out on the slide.
Conditions ended up being pretty good for us, but they could change very fast. Seeing that slush slide was also a good reminder that slides in winter can quickly become dangerous.
Here's some -PICTURES-
In the garden parking lot we ran in to Alistair who was headed for the Saddleback slide. We wished him luck and headed on in, taking the long way past JBL. I managed to wipe out hard (twice) thanks to my microspikes catching on the metal hook for my boot laces. John and Jenn were very kind and concerned and didn't laugh at all. And they didn't bring it up multiple times throughout the rest of the day. When we reached the base of Bennies Brook, there was Alistair, Doug (hillman1), and Doug's friend Jason. They had decided against Saddleback slide since conditions weren't great and figured they might as well join us. Strength in numbers? Stupidity in numbers? Our group of six started up the slide.
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was poised directly above Lower Wolf Jaw so when it was shining clearly in was a bit blinding, but it would be in and out of the clouds all day. Snow on the slide was wet and slushy down low. We started in microspikes. There were puddles and running water to avoid (Doug managed to find a deep pool and dip his leg+iphone in the water).
Part way up, where the slide was still relatively flat, we saw what was apparently a slush slide.
It doesn't look like much, but that could easily sweep you off your feet and toss you in to a rock or something like that. It was a good reminder of what can transpire out on a slide.
We reached the junction of the new slide and the old Bennies root canal. From here the slide gets steeper. Doug and Jason switched over to crampons. The rest of us decided to stick with microspikes. As we ascended we got in to some wet and increasingly deep snow (I don't recall exactly how deep it was, but I'd have to guess a good 5-6 feet). There was no ice but the microspikes gripped the rock very well.
At the very top of the slide things got too steep and slick so we bailed into the woods a short distance before the end. The relatively short bushwhack to the trail was a big energy drain as we trudged through some deep snow on steep terrain. I switched to snowshoes which were helpful. We pushed on and were soon on the summit. The weather was warm enough that we sat around for 10-15 minutes and took some time to enjoy the rather nice views. We debated what route to take down and everyone agreed they had done the trail more than enough times, so we retraced our steps and descended the slide.
The descent went pretty smooth although all of us took a few spills. Conditions were such that in most places if you fell you weren't worried about sliding very far. We took it slow on the upper section where it was steeper. Down low it was pretty quick walking out on the slide.
Conditions ended up being pretty good for us, but they could change very fast. Seeing that slush slide was also a good reminder that slides in winter can quickly become dangerous.
Here's some -PICTURES-
