Dehydrator
New member
I woke up bright and early and arrived at the parking area between 7 and 7:30. There were two hikers already arrived who were waiting for the rest of their party to show up. Since I was ready to go and they were not, I got the honored privilege of "trail breaker". Light fluffy snow was gently falling from the sky and perhaps 4-6 inches had accumulated covering a thick layer of frozen slush. Any footwear would have worked but I opted for my snow shoes since they are easiest to carry on my feet.
In the previous warm days somebody badly post-holed the first section of trail from the road to the trail junction 1.3 miles in. It boggles my mind how somebody walked step after step knee deep in thick snow without get hurt or exhausted. But it is what it is.
The stream crossing was not difficult since there was not very much water flowing through it. But there was no snow bridge or easy rock-hopping. I basically walked across in ankle deep water. This would have been difficult if the water level was a bit higher which I imagine it will be once the snow begins to melt more steadily.
There wasn't much "trail breaking" to do except for knocking the snow off the branches. I stepped in one or two spruce traps and snow was deep in a few sections where it had drifted. Other than that the trail was hard-packed, free of blow downs, and easy to follow.
One more thing. There was a lot of snowmobile traffic on Sawyer River Road this afternoon. This is both annoying and possibly dangerous. Be vigilant and listen for them and stay near the shoulder of the road.
In the previous warm days somebody badly post-holed the first section of trail from the road to the trail junction 1.3 miles in. It boggles my mind how somebody walked step after step knee deep in thick snow without get hurt or exhausted. But it is what it is.
The stream crossing was not difficult since there was not very much water flowing through it. But there was no snow bridge or easy rock-hopping. I basically walked across in ankle deep water. This would have been difficult if the water level was a bit higher which I imagine it will be once the snow begins to melt more steadily.
There wasn't much "trail breaking" to do except for knocking the snow off the branches. I stepped in one or two spruce traps and snow was deep in a few sections where it had drifted. Other than that the trail was hard-packed, free of blow downs, and easy to follow.
One more thing. There was a lot of snowmobile traffic on Sawyer River Road this afternoon. This is both annoying and possibly dangerous. Be vigilant and listen for them and stay near the shoulder of the road.
