Couchybar
New member
Left the HPIC trailhead a bit after 9.30 under clear skies and just over zero degree temperatures. The Van Hovenburg trail was completely snow covered and packed down all the way to tree line. My first people sighting was at Marcy dam, a group of skiers who tagged me to take their photos. Four cameras later I was on my way again. At 11 a.m at the junction to Mt. Phelps I ran into Jim Barnshaw V.P of the 46 club fresh of Phelps (his easy day after Dial or Colvin and nippletop) who reported that it was calm atop. ( I was to discover that Phelps was not Marcy). My next human encounter was a descender on skies somewhat beyond the 4000 ft sign. Green jacket and a huge smile was all I could discern as she wizzed by. Overtook the last of a group of 4 snowboarders ascending on snowshoes who then stopped to regroup at the Phelps trail intersection. I then began the ascent above tree line alone.
The broken path up the ridge was hard to follow. If any snowshoes had preceded me that day their tracks had been obliterated by the wind. Old filled in postholes were the most visible indication of the easy way. Paid the waist deep spruce trap penalty for loosing the path then headed for the rocks. Up further the spine of the ridge featured windswept bare rock with the wind making walking a straight line and staying upright an exercise in patience and determination. Progress was slow and tedious. The wind on the actual summit was sufficiently reduced to allow for secure standing on the summit rock. A picture taking opportunity that was hurriedly taken. Visibility was outstanding.
The path down was easy to follow. The cairns and blazes obvious. I passed the slowly ascending snowboarders staggered at various points on the ridge, then finally at the bowl two groups totaling five skiers starting to ascend the lee side of the ridge on skins.
Those skiers blew by me by the high water bridge just outside marcy dam. When I caught up to them at the dam I learned that they had summated around 20 minutes after my departure and had stuck around for half an hour. ( I gotta learn to ski that mountain and those narrow trails, the time I would save).
Arrived back at the HPIC trailhead at 5.08 compleating the round trip in 7.5 hours.
Required equipment:
Full face gear if you climbed up the spine.
Snowshoes or skies else misery and spruce traps
The broken path up the ridge was hard to follow. If any snowshoes had preceded me that day their tracks had been obliterated by the wind. Old filled in postholes were the most visible indication of the easy way. Paid the waist deep spruce trap penalty for loosing the path then headed for the rocks. Up further the spine of the ridge featured windswept bare rock with the wind making walking a straight line and staying upright an exercise in patience and determination. Progress was slow and tedious. The wind on the actual summit was sufficiently reduced to allow for secure standing on the summit rock. A picture taking opportunity that was hurriedly taken. Visibility was outstanding.
The path down was easy to follow. The cairns and blazes obvious. I passed the slowly ascending snowboarders staggered at various points on the ridge, then finally at the bowl two groups totaling five skiers starting to ascend the lee side of the ridge on skins.
Those skiers blew by me by the high water bridge just outside marcy dam. When I caught up to them at the dam I learned that they had summated around 20 minutes after my departure and had stuck around for half an hour. ( I gotta learn to ski that mountain and those narrow trails, the time I would save).
Arrived back at the HPIC trailhead at 5.08 compleating the round trip in 7.5 hours.
Required equipment:
Full face gear if you climbed up the spine.
Snowshoes or skies else misery and spruce traps
