Rols
New member
Date of Hike: 12/1/07
Trail Conditions: Fresh powder over some ice. 4" at the lower elevations...6" to 8" after the third river crossing....10" from the view point to the summit. Six people traveled the trail up & down so the snow is now packe down. The river was high for crossing. We opted to stay on the East side to eliminate crossing one & two. It took us about 20 min. to decide on how to cross (we chose a combination of rocks and a log to get across. If the river falls another 4 inches the crossing will be fine. It was doable today.
Special Equipment: Poles and some traction (stabilicers worked well...crampons not necessary). This is needed not only because of the ice under the snow but also for the river crossings (the rocks were all well iced over). Even with traction care was needed on the river crossing. If new snow is added this week, snow shoes could be a consideration.
Comments: It was a full Winter hike. Besides the trail conditions, Temperatures were low. We started in 8 degree temps. It warmed only slightly and before summiting it was below zero. Winds were blowing but fortunately were were well sheltered from them all day. We saw no one until just before the summit when a party of four came along. It was nice to be able to swap some friendly greetings & good humor with them along the trail. Although The road in was posted as open Thursday, we found Haystack Rd closed. We use the access past 7 Dwarfs to make our way to the trailhead which is an enjoyable way to start the hike anyway.
Rols
[email protected]
Trail Conditions: Fresh powder over some ice. 4" at the lower elevations...6" to 8" after the third river crossing....10" from the view point to the summit. Six people traveled the trail up & down so the snow is now packe down. The river was high for crossing. We opted to stay on the East side to eliminate crossing one & two. It took us about 20 min. to decide on how to cross (we chose a combination of rocks and a log to get across. If the river falls another 4 inches the crossing will be fine. It was doable today.
Special Equipment: Poles and some traction (stabilicers worked well...crampons not necessary). This is needed not only because of the ice under the snow but also for the river crossings (the rocks were all well iced over). Even with traction care was needed on the river crossing. If new snow is added this week, snow shoes could be a consideration.
Comments: It was a full Winter hike. Besides the trail conditions, Temperatures were low. We started in 8 degree temps. It warmed only slightly and before summiting it was below zero. Winds were blowing but fortunately were were well sheltered from them all day. We saw no one until just before the summit when a party of four came along. It was nice to be able to swap some friendly greetings & good humor with them along the trail. Although The road in was posted as open Thursday, we found Haystack Rd closed. We use the access past 7 Dwarfs to make our way to the trailhead which is an enjoyable way to start the hike anyway.
Rols
[email protected]
