J
JesseQtheBody
Guest
My fiance and I got a 10am start on the Zander Scott Trail in search of the summit of Giant Mountain. At the register, 3 other groups had checked in, a group of 4 attempting Giant, a solo hiker attempting both Giant and RPR, and someone else on a very early solo hike themselves.
It was mid-40's at the start of our adventure. Letting the little woman lead the way, it was smooth sailing all the way until the washbowl. If there was a bridge to cross this body of water, it no longer exists. I attempted to rock hop the remnants of what appeared to be a log bridge, only to end up about knee deep in the drink. Backtracking and bushwhacking got us across. Somehow the shoes stayed dry enough to continue and we pressed on. Trail was relatively dry until around 3000'. Run-off on rocks made the trail slippery and difficult at times. Then we reached the "bump." Choosing the "Around Bump" route, we immediately encountered snow. Much more then anticipated. On ascent the spine was firm for most of the way. Our hiking budget is extremely limited, so we made a go of it without the aid of micro-spikes or snowshoes. I don't believe that snowshoes would have aided our excursion, but micro-spikes or crampons would have been plenty helpful. At snail's pace we reached the top. Windy to say the least. We met up with the aforementioned party of four, two adults and two children. Extremely friendly folks from NH. After devouring some snacks, shooting some quick pics, we descended. I apologize for tearing up the trail for future attempts, but the Nike's my fiance and I were sporting were not the shoe of choice for this expedition. We ascended quickly, except for a few falls in the weakening snow. Back to the car by 4:30. A great trip. Our 3rd of the 46.
It was mid-40's at the start of our adventure. Letting the little woman lead the way, it was smooth sailing all the way until the washbowl. If there was a bridge to cross this body of water, it no longer exists. I attempted to rock hop the remnants of what appeared to be a log bridge, only to end up about knee deep in the drink. Backtracking and bushwhacking got us across. Somehow the shoes stayed dry enough to continue and we pressed on. Trail was relatively dry until around 3000'. Run-off on rocks made the trail slippery and difficult at times. Then we reached the "bump." Choosing the "Around Bump" route, we immediately encountered snow. Much more then anticipated. On ascent the spine was firm for most of the way. Our hiking budget is extremely limited, so we made a go of it without the aid of micro-spikes or snowshoes. I don't believe that snowshoes would have aided our excursion, but micro-spikes or crampons would have been plenty helpful. At snail's pace we reached the top. Windy to say the least. We met up with the aforementioned party of four, two adults and two children. Extremely friendly folks from NH. After devouring some snacks, shooting some quick pics, we descended. I apologize for tearing up the trail for future attempts, but the Nike's my fiance and I were sporting were not the shoe of choice for this expedition. We ascended quickly, except for a few falls in the weakening snow. Back to the car by 4:30. A great trip. Our 3rd of the 46.
