[Randito]

I wanted to scout the least accessable section of the Patrol Route in preparation for the year's event in late February. It was a gloriously beatiful day, but a bit cold -- mid 20s and a bit colder still for me riding in the pickup truck bed shuttling from Stampede to Windy pass. The PCT south from Windy Pass (which fully lived up to it's name that morning) was a bit slow going past Silver Peak as there were significant sections of water ice covering the trail need creaks and seeps. Met a family hiking up from Cottonwood lake heading for Tinkam Tarns with hockey skates and sticks to enjoy a rare in the cascades oppurtunity to skate on a mountain lake -- looked like fun. We lunched just south of Mirror lake on an open sunny slope. We moved faster after lunch and the trail had far fewer water ice sections. Only late in the day as we approached Stampede Pass did the sound of hunter's gunfire intrude on the day, but enough of us were wearing orange that we didn't feel too vunderable. Got to Stampede Pass a little before sunset.

Water ice just south of Miror Lake

Tinkam Peak

[Chico]

Cool! Yep, those where the days. Nice to see a part of it is not lost.

[RichP]

Fascinating to hear Wolf Bauer talk about the event in the link. He is 102 now, right?

[Token Civilian]

Randy: How was the trail doing? Any blowdown? My GF and I have adopted the section of the PCT from the trail junction just north of Mirror Lake south to the road near Meadow Creek. Interested to know how many trees we get to look forward to next spring. Also - the crew just had a couple adopt the next two miles south of ours, from the road near Meadow Creek to the road near Stirrup Creek.

[Randito]

The PCT from Windy Pass to the high point between Lost Creek and Meadow creek had maybe one minor blowdown -- at least I have no memory of having to climb over anything. The route we were scouting followed roads from there until picking up the PCT near Dandy Creek. From there to Stampede Pass the trail was clear. There was some big patches of water ice between Windy Pass and Mirror lake -- microspikes or something along those lines would have been useful. Without them we did a bunch of farting around -- sometimes going off trail in areas where the trailbed would be a water channel in the summer, but was a inclinded skating rink on the 15th. The creek crossing a little ways below the outlet of Mirror lake was a bit tricky -- especially for the person in our group with short legs.