Holy cow! I can't believe you did this hike just a few days after the punishment we faced on Mt Evergreen! mad props! I'm still thawing out and this is the first day i haven't been limping.
Nice photos, as always. And i adamantly support you playing hooky from work for hiking.
Yes, I shudder to think what night time temps would be and/or if some wind kicked in. There's no way I would have brought Holly in these temps.
That was on my mind the whole way up. I was very careful; slow going up an down in the forest, no glissading in the snow. The descent was doubly slow because I'd collapsed one of my trekking poles to store while using my axe in the snow. I took it out again for the descent but the twist locks had frozen shut and I couldn't extend it!
I was happy to know someone else was up there too, and that the tower could be reached if I had trouble. I also carried my shovel, insulated pad, and a bivy bag just in case.
The descent on this one certainly wasn't knee friendly.
Anyone have a map of the route you and the previous group used?
I'm going to try going there this Sunday (12/27).
Here's a rough map of my route. I didn't bring the GPS. Once you find where to park the route is self explanatory. The ridge is broad in the trees but well defined enough that it's easy to follow. Very little downfall and brush. I stayed on it the whole way up until a snow-covered boulder field just below the summer trail. Then I just made a bee line to the summit following Josh/BadDog tracks.
My altimeter was off but I think I parked around 2800 ft (my meter read 3200 ft). I saw a campsite/pullout with a fire ring on my right just before a lefthand turn onto the next switchback in the road. Just beyond the turn the road widens enough to park. On the uphill side there was a faint but easily spotted path leading up into the trees. The road had snow on it beyond this point.
The map shows if you start at that elevation you should hike across another road switchback but I didn't ever cross it. The other hiker who went up the road to the trailhead said the road did have another switchback or two but didn't seem like one could access the road from higher than where I started.
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