Raven
Well-known member
Date of Hike: 15 April 2012
Trail Conditions: Castle Trail was mostly dry down low and snow covered on ascent starting above 3,000’. Unbroken above here. The section over the castles was a mix of deeper, drifted powder and dry rock. Above the Castles, the trail was a mix of snow and rock. Jefferson Loop Trail had some deep snow still. The snow field on the Gulfside was still quite large considering the winter – a pretty good track leads across. There’s still a bulge of snow above as well. The Randolph Path was unbroken past the Perch Path and had a few feet of snow at the higher elevations. The 0.3 mile section of Lowe’s path above the Log Cabin is fully glare ice for the duration, a beautiful frozen waterfall that had running melt-water over its entirety. Lowe’s Path is a mix of muddy and dry below here.
Special Equipment Required: crampons were a big help especially on the glare ice above the Cabin. I also used them on the ascent for awhile below the Castles. Light traction would have been fine on the Castle Trail but Lowe’s Path had 0.3 of pretty serious ice below the Randolph Path junction. Waterproof boots were a help but I was still wet late in the day.
Comments: Gorgeous day. I’ve wanted to get back to the Castellated Ridge for a long time – what a ridge that is! Post-holing in the deep drifts and holes mixed with scrambling over and around the rocks on the Castles made for a challenging day. Winds were gusting strongly on top but skies stayed partly clear. Crossing the snow field on Jefferson is always sketchy IMO. Saw some good moose tracks on Castle Trail and Randolph Path but otherwise both were unbroken. It was nice to check out the newly rebuilt Perch – great spot. Didn’t see another soul out there all day.
Trail Conditions: Castle Trail was mostly dry down low and snow covered on ascent starting above 3,000’. Unbroken above here. The section over the castles was a mix of deeper, drifted powder and dry rock. Above the Castles, the trail was a mix of snow and rock. Jefferson Loop Trail had some deep snow still. The snow field on the Gulfside was still quite large considering the winter – a pretty good track leads across. There’s still a bulge of snow above as well. The Randolph Path was unbroken past the Perch Path and had a few feet of snow at the higher elevations. The 0.3 mile section of Lowe’s path above the Log Cabin is fully glare ice for the duration, a beautiful frozen waterfall that had running melt-water over its entirety. Lowe’s Path is a mix of muddy and dry below here.
Special Equipment Required: crampons were a big help especially on the glare ice above the Cabin. I also used them on the ascent for awhile below the Castles. Light traction would have been fine on the Castle Trail but Lowe’s Path had 0.3 of pretty serious ice below the Randolph Path junction. Waterproof boots were a help but I was still wet late in the day.
Comments: Gorgeous day. I’ve wanted to get back to the Castellated Ridge for a long time – what a ridge that is! Post-holing in the deep drifts and holes mixed with scrambling over and around the rocks on the Castles made for a challenging day. Winds were gusting strongly on top but skies stayed partly clear. Crossing the snow field on Jefferson is always sketchy IMO. Saw some good moose tracks on Castle Trail and Randolph Path but otherwise both were unbroken. It was nice to check out the newly rebuilt Perch – great spot. Didn’t see another soul out there all day.
