[wildernessed]

Steve and I decided to head for It 6056' on the Mission Ridge Plateau with the blue sky forecast leaving the fog zone in the Wenatchee Valley. Ugh. Mission Ridge looked pathetic as we parked at the North end of it's lot. We headed up the Squilchuck Trail which is microspike mandatory and with those some parts are still sketchy. Thick, solid, clear ice most of the way with water running over it.

The Squilchuck Trail from Mission Ridges parking lot to the plateau was mainly compact ice.

Once we hit the plateau the snow was wet and slushy and anywhere from 1' - 4' deep through the convoluted terrain with a lot of rock and downed trees uncovered. The poorest quality and least amount of snow I have ever seen up there in January, usually you are wallowing in powder and sinking even with snow shoes. It was a beautiful day, but given the conditions a real worker. We eventually saw and ascended It and the boulders were very loose. The mud on the lower ridge was part of the package.

Section of Lake Clara partially melted out.

Steve enjoying the slush and basalt.

From a ridge high spot the first sighting of It.

It and the ridge we have to get to to the right.

Ascending It and it's very loose boulders. Usually this time of year there are many feet of snow on top of this.

On top someone recently built a summit cairn and it was quite windy, but warm and sunny. We had great views with our lunch and coffee. Returning was even better at one point in a low area I was above my waist in crap snow with my right ankle caught in some tree limbs far below which took about 10 min. to get out of. We angled Easterly and picked up a snow shoe path South of Lake Clara and followed that until it became a trail at the West side of Lake Marion. We stopped there took off the snow shoes and put on the microspikes once again and Steve noticed fish rising in the water. From there it was a cautious down hill back to the vehicle. For a short trip it was a worker given the conditions, but awesome as always being out in the woods.

Wenatchee somewhere under the fog.

Saska - Emerald - Cardinal

On top of It having lunch and coffee while taking in the views.

2 labels

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[iron]

way to go for It!

[MLHSN]

wow, not much snow up there.

[Chico]

[wildernessed]

[iron]

[HitTheTrail]

And if you look at the Mission Ridge ski area stats you see they only have a 20" base at the top (6800'). Not a good year for snow in Eastern Washington. Yet. The same thing sort of happened last year and it ended ok. But it looks like a good place to get up above the fog.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

[wildernessed]

Yeah it was warmer on Mission Ridge's summit than it was in Wenatchee.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[Chico]

[Leafguy]

[HitTheTrail]