[smokeydon]

Although Bald only reaches a height of 4,795` it is a rugged peak that is both fun and exciting. The narrow ridge crest and the class 3 rock near the summit demand attention ( especially when its wet and icy ). This is the Bald Mountain by Lake Kalcema off the Mtn loop Hwy. The deer creek road is currently driveable 3 miles up before hitting continuous snow. the off trail route up Bald leaves the road just before lake Kalcema via the forested Ne ridge. The route is steep and the crest narrow, with cliffs on the east side. The ridge was socked in today with no views. In the summer one would probably climb the ridge right to the summit, but with the current snow conditions I opted to traverse under the north face near the top and ascend the final 100 ft or so up the NW shoulder. This was still very tricky and steep. The snow was thin and I kept breaking through the rocks and the final class 3 moves were wet and slippery. On the way down the sun started to come out and it turned the snow into wet cement. The conditions were so bad that with every step my snowshoes wanted to act more like skis and propell me off the cliffs. I decided to do the desent without snowshoes. Even though I was sinking over my knees with every step it was much safer than with snowshoes. Time: 2 1/2 hrs up, 1 hr down

[McPilchuck]

...interesting, very interesting, indeed. McPil