[Elvis]

Pics first... then story if you're interested.  Sorry for the subpar quality this month.


This morning I met up with Smartboard and we headed eastward with our ice axes and snowshoes along Hwy 20 to check out the 'old trail' up this mountain.  Oops - forgot the tripod at home. 

It was overcast and not-yet-drippy as we set out on this exploration.  Smartboard led the way as this was his second time on this trail and he had a much better idea of the route than I did.  In some spots it was about impossible to know exactly where the trail was due to combinations of downed trees, overgrown salal (sp?) and snow.  In some instances the trail was clear, but at other times you had to look for trail clues:  cut logs or insulators from long ago up high on the trees.

We hiked up... no notable views due to dense trees and clouds.  Ran into continuous snow at about 2,500 feet but continued along with only boots.

Once in the snow, we observed that were were following deer tracks.

Smartboard opted to don his snowshoes about 3,000 feet or so and I waited until we turned around at about 12:40pm.  We could have continued onward, but my anxiety level had been increasing... getting worried about incoming rain and, more importantly, being able to retrace our steps back down.  I hate that feeling.

On the descent we realized that a deer was following our trail back down.  We did ultimately catch a glimpse of her... but the camera wasn't ready.

There were only a few brief pauses on the descent where we had to ponder or guess which direction the trail went - but we avoided any backtracking.

As we descended toward Hwy 20, the rain started in periodically, but we managed to stay warm and comfortable throughout the trip.

Ice axes weren't used and the camera spent 98% of the trip tucked away.
eTrex in the trees... no useful data.  In fact, my GPS claims we went 0.6 miles during the trek... with 16 minutes of travel time and 5 hours of resting.    In reality - the trek was about 3,100 feet of elevation gain but mileage is anyone's guess.

Thanks for reading.
Happy Trails!
~E

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Sedro-Woolley:  Where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage.
"Ill habits gather unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas."  ~John Dryden
My Trip List

[Magellan]

Where is the story?  You can tell me where the super secret trail is.  I won't tell.  It's not like it's an ice stash.

[Elvis]

I meant all the pics are at the top... then the 'story' thereafter.
 

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Sedro-Woolley:  Where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage.
"Ill habits gather unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas."  ~John Dryden
My Trip List