Pretty busy summer for me with impending retirement. I've only been on the trail 3x this year, but spent 10 days biking in Italy.....boohoo. I was looking to knock out White River to Longmire CCW (60 miles) during this 2 day weather window, and finish the remainder (32 miles) before all the roads closed. Last year I finished the Wonderland on Oct 22 for #31. My plan was to arrive at Longmire by dinner time, spend the night at the Inn, and get picked up on Thursday morning. However, I had enough food to go the distance if the forecast changed for the better and things were going well.
I hit the trail at White River at 5:45 AM and immediately was in snow at 30 degrees. I brought all the right clothing tho so quite enjoyed the starry night and brisk temps, plus the trail was stamped well enough to maintain normal pace. When I reached the trail intersection for the Wonderland below Sunrise the pace slowed somewhat as the snow was not consolidated. What a glorious sunrise and morning, with Sunrise living up to the moniker. By the time I reached the open areas above 6500', I was high stepping in loose snow, sometimes with no footprints to assist due to drifting. I crested Skyscraper Pass the looked toward Mystic Lake, noting that the lake was surrounded by snow. As I found a rock to relax in the sun to snack and contemplate, I gauged my progress in these conditions and made note of all the areas I would need to transit over 4500' in the coming hours, including most of the night. Sure I could bail if need be at Ipsut or the West Side road, but the point was to stay on trail. I decided to turn back as my chances of success were extremely limited by the conditions. One of the benefits of being within two hours of the park and doing fast transits of the Wonderland is taking advantage of good weather windows. Today would have required a tent, different bag, different pad and a permit for 4 or 5 days, none of which I had. So instead I got to enjoy this chilly but beautiful sun drenched day in winter like conditions on October 1 and headed back from whence I came. OF NOTE, I only had my new iPhone 11 Pro for the camera....does a pretty nice job. And if I'm not working and there is a spate of 3 days of good weather before the end of the month, I may just go for it again. Cheers!
Nice we were camped at White River and did day trips to Sunrise and Glacier Basin after loose snow changed our minds on Burroughs GB loop and Summerland. It was beautiful but cold last weekend. Probably followed your tracks.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Any post processing or are they straight off the camera in your iPhone 11 Pro?