wildwanderer – Page 42 – Wild Wanderer

Square Top Mountain A – 13,799

RT Length:

Elevation Gain: 3252

I’m going to summarize, but if you’re interested in details you can read the entire story here

After yesterday’s summit I drove 4 hours to the next Trailhead, slept, woke up at 1:30am to 3 inches of snow, snowshoed for 3 miles, postholing up to my knees the entire way, came across an avalanche and crossed it, came to a second one that was impassable in the dark and was forced to turn back. I postholed 3 miles back, got back to my truck while it was still dark and it wouldn’t start, so I scraped 3 inches of snow off the hood, lifted it, fiddled with the battery and was on my way to the next trailhead when I saw a sign for Hanging Lake. I decided to turn my day around and check off an item on my bucket list at the same time! Now: off to my next adventure!

I arrived at the Guanella Pass Campground to a full parking area at 11am. I noticed a group ready to leave, so I waited around and snagged their parking spot when they left. I was hungry from this morning, so I quickly boiled some water and prepped a Mountain House meal. While I waited for it to cook I pulled up the weather report I’d saved from earlier in the morning (when I had reception at a truck stop down the road). Wow. The forecast had changed quite a bit in the two days I’d been mountaineering. The weather for tomorrow was now very similar to the weather right now, except 20 degrees cooler.

I took a bite of the meal while I considered what to do. (Yuck! At this point I was forcing myself to eat, but this was really bad. It tasted… old). It was 11am, and while I’d already done 10 miles and 3000’ of elevation gain today and another 6 miles and 3600’ of elevation gain yesterday, I was feeling pretty good.

OK, so looking at the forecast I can either head out now while I’m tired but the weather’s warm, or try to get some sleep (I don’t have much luck of that at trailheads) and try tomorrow after I’ve “rested”. But it’ll be cold and windy tomorrow. Both days had 44mph winds. I took another bite (disgusting!) and threw the meal away. Those things are nasty!

I made the obvious choice: I was the last one on the trail at 11:15am. I figured I had a 50/50 shot at the summit, but I’d make that choice when I made it to the upper trailhead and could see the conditions/weather first hand. The road was covered in many feet of snow and since it was late in the afternoon I needed snowshoes immediately. I didn’t take them off the entire hike.

The views of Bierstadt, the Sawtooth, and Evans were beautiful, dusted with snow

It wasn’t lost on me I was the only one hiking up the road, while I saw at least a dozen hikers on their way down, finished with their hikes (presumably of Bierstadt). Check out the snow in the parking area!

I followed a hikers trail to the Bierstadt trailhead, then crossed the road and found the trailhead at the top of Guanella Pass.

The trail starts directly behind the bathrooms. Looking at the current weather and trail conditions and measuring my present state of fitness I decided the hike was a go. I searched my pockets for the topo map and route description I’d put together a few days ago and came up empty: I’d left them on the dash of my truck. Drat. Well…. I was going for it anyway.

Here’s the route I took

Those willows though! There are wooden bridges in the area and presumably a trail, but with all the snow I wasn’t able to find either of them. So I trekked through the willows and headed towards Square Top, mindful not to trek too fast lest I fall into a willow hole.

Did you know there’s a trick to hiking through willows in the afternoon when the snow’s soft? It’s quite simple really: Figure out which way the wind blows and hike behind the individual willows. If you hike on top of them you’re violating LNT, so try not to do that (even though that works too) but if you hike behind them you hike where the snow has piled up and is more compact. In front of the willows there’s an air pocket from the snow blowing in the wind and you’ll sink.

So I trudged across the willows, only sinking up to my waist 4 or 5 times and aimed for the ridge.

Every so often I’d look back for a frame of reference, trying to find the bathrooms and remembering my intended route back.

Before getting to the ridge there are several small hills to climb over, which had more snow and were steeper than anticipated

Eventually I came to this sign, and something in my head said to go left here, instead of straight (must have been the prepping I did earlier, because this was correct).

Just for reference, directly behind the sign is a small lake.

So I turned left at the sign and continued to a small saddle and turned right and began my trudge up the ridge

There were no signs, and no cairns (I’d been expecting them?)

I just kept heading up and up and up, and actually started drinking water. For me, this is never a good sign. When I start drinking water it’s just the beginning of everything going downhill. But I hadn’t eaten all that much (2 spoonfuls of that Mountain House Chili and the same this morning of an egg and bacon MH ‘meal’) and I’d hiked a lot in the past 24 hours, so I figured I should drink.

I reached another small saddle and had a pretty good view of the cornices below Square Top

From here is where I started struggling. The wind picked up and so did the elevation gain. I kept sipping water and I even ate some dried strawberries I’d brought along (those were fantastic!). No worries though, I could see my path to the summit and just had to keep trekking. From my views earlier I knew this wasn’t the summit…

But I thought surely the summit was just behind this bump, right? Oh look, a cairn! That must be the summit behind…

I was moving slowly now, and my quads were burning (as opposed to my calves yesterday). I’d take 50 steps, and then stop to rest for 10 seconds, and then continue on

I made it to this bump, thinking surely this was it, but nope, another hill in the distance! Ouch! Ok, now I was down to 30 steps with 10 seconds to breathe. And lots and lots of sips of water. I. Was. Almost. There! I just had to keep pushing on.

I made it to the top of this bump and wanted to curse! Why, oh why was the Lord punishing me? There was another bump and a ridgeline and another summit in the distance.

Well, there was nothing for it. I continued on, thankful at least the intense elevation gain had lessened. Unfortunately the wind was insane here, and blowing directly at me. Oh, and that wasn’t the summit either: This is the summit

Also, it includes losing elevation a bit and then regaining it back. Joy.

Now, this wasn’t a particularly challenging hike, but I was tired to start, and I seriously worked for this ‘easy’ summit. It was cold, windy, and I was sore all over. It was all mental and totally worth the effort!

I’m not sure what time I summited because it was too windy/cold for me to take out my phone, but I did get a few summit photos with my DSLR

I’d originally kind of wanted to make this a loop with Argentine and Wilcox, but I’d already done Argentine Peak earlier this year, and after looking at the elevation gain/loss involved today, this was a big nope.

I decided to turn around and make this an out and back hike.

That wind never let up, and here it knocked me down a few times

(Looking back at the final push to the summit)

I made it back to where I’d originally thought the summit was and got a good view of the route I took up

The route down was steep but felt much better on my quads

This hike was slow going. I wasn’t setting any records today, and I was going slower by the minute. And that wind was causing my nose to run and run and run, making it raw, raw, raw. Ouch!

The wind was bringing in a storm. Here you can see the tracks I made on my way back down to the willows and eventually the upper trailhead area. One of the good parts about descending so late in the day was the snow had begun to re-freeze in the willows area, actually making it firmer than it was on my trek in.

When I made it to the Guanella Pass Trailhead I knew I only had less than 2 miles left to go, but I was exhausted. I followed the road back down to my truck, trying to beat the snow. I lost, and it snowed the last mile of the hike.

That last mile was brutal. My whole body was screaming for me to stop, but it was snowing and I was almost done and stopping was not an option. I did allow myself to crouch down a few times and grunted audibly as I stood up again (I know better than to rest like this, but it felt so good!). During this time I kept telling myself 2 things: I could do this, and there’s a bottle of Knob Creek waiting for me in my truck.

I made it back to the campground at 6:45pm, making this a 10.5 mile hike in about 7.5 hours (But I’d like to add in the past 36 hours I’d done 10,000’ of elevation gain in 26 miles, so my body had gotten quite a workout in the past day and a half).

Relive Video

When I got to my truck there were 2 other vehicles in the parking lot, but they looked like they were from tours intending to be out in the mountains overnight. I took a quick wet-wipe bath and changed my clothes in the back seat of my truck. As I was doing so it felt so good to just lie down. Amazing. Euphoric even. It’s been a few months since I’ve tired myself out this much on a hike and I just wanted to enjoy the feeling. I was numb all over, my body was humming, and I hadn’t even had a shot of whiskey yet. Or eaten. Oh yeah, I needed to do that. So I finished getting dressed and looked at what I had: The uneaten Mountain House meal… 2 uncooked Mountain House meals, a sleeve of saltine crackers, and some Ritz crackers. I was seriously missing my beef jerky! I make an amazing beef jerky that’s my staple on these longer hikes, but my kids raided it and I didn’t have any to bring with me this weekend. Ugh. Ok, Whiskey and crackers it was for dinner. I had 2 shots of whiskey, 2 Ritz crackers, and fell asleep. Only to wake up at 12:30ambecause of the wind, needing to pee. I sat there for 10 minutes trying to fall asleep but it was no use.

OK, I had options again. I could go outside where it was windy and snowing and jump back in my truck, and then spend the next 4 hours trying to get back to sleep. Or I could just get up and drive the 2 hours home now, and take a bath and be in bed by 3am. This meant I’d need to work out tomorrow (a personal rule of mine) but it seemed the better option. I was on the road and home by 2:30am, very pleased with myself. This is why I like hiking solo: I can make these kinds of decisions (like pushing on to the summit or leaving in the middle of the night) and no one has to agree or be put out by them. The only downside? Once I made it home I couldn’t sleep… so I started brainstorming better meal ideas. I’ve got to eat better so I don’t crash, and Mountain House isn’t doing it for me. Apparently I’d rather starve…

Change of Plans… The Cathedral and Hanging Lake Story

After climbing Lackawanna yesterday I drove 4 hours to Ashcroft and arrived at 1pm. The winter closure started here.

My intent was to spend the night, wake up early and attempt Cathedral Peak in the morning. There were tons of vehicles in the lot when I arrived, and groups getting ready to leave for the day.

This is a popular trailhead as a starting spot for many winter activities (mainly skiing and snowshoeing, not necessarily mountain climbing). I asked about conditions and was told the snow was firm in the morning and soft in the afternoon (lol!). I saw some snowshoers with a guide ready to go out for a short trek (dressed in jeans) and several groups on hut expeditions.

The bathroom was open but dirty, so I got out my Clorox disinfecting wipes and quickly cleaned it so I could feel better about using it over the next few days.

It was still early but I decided to make some Mountain House Stroganoff for dinner and go over my notes for tomorrow. There wasn’t any recent information on this peak, and in fact not much information at all, so I wanted to be prepared. I checked the weather report I’d saved on my phone and calculated start times. I wanted to be on the trail no later than 2:30am so I could potentially make it to the Lake by 5am, with a summit between 5-7am to avoid the warming of the snow and avy conditions.

As I was sitting there, all I could think of was how beautiful the mountains were, and how perfect the weather was right now. It was probably spectacular here in the fall. Even though I’d hiked a centennial already today I wanted to be out there hiking again. I gave it some serious thought but in the end knew the snow at this time of day would be too soft, so it wouldn’t be worth the attempt anyway.

The sun was already warming up my truck and I began to feel sleepy. By 3pm I’d decided to try and get some sleep because I was waking up super early to hike tomorrow and needed my rest after this morning’s climb. At 5pm I was woken up by an intense thunderstorm but was able to fall back asleep.

My alarm went off at 1:30am and I woke up to 3 inches of snow outside but check this out: I was warm!

I’ve never been warm sleeping at a trailhead, but for some reason I was this morning, even though it had obviously snowed. I didn’t want to get up but I also knew I didn’t have a large window of opportunity for this climb, so I had to get going. I was on the trail by 2am, following Castle Creek Road. After a little over a mile I saw a gate and a sign indicating I was to take this trail

I exited the road, climbed over a 5 foot tall ice wall and landed face first in the snow. Boy, was I glad no one was here to see me do that! How embarrassing! I picked myself up and in the 3-4 feet of snow (in the dark) struggled to get on my snowshoes. This was going to be an interesting hike!

For the next mile and a half I postholed up to my knees in the snow, doing my best to route find a class 1 trail that hadn’t been hiked in quite a while, buried under several feet of snow. I came to an avalanche area. After a few minutes I found my way around it, but quickly came to another one… or maybe it was a continuation of the first? I’m not sure, but this avalanche was very recent and in the dark I couldn’t find a way around it. This was a 15-20 foot wall of compacted snow with tree trunks and branches sticking out from every angle.

I had 2 options: Wait for daylight to see if I could find a passable route, or cut my losses, head back to my truck and drive to the next trailhead. I knew if I waited until daylight I wouldn’t have enough time to complete or even attempt the climb past the lake, so I decided to just head back. That postholing had sure worn me out! I was incredibly tired, but it was probably due a little bit to yesterday’s elevation gain/climb as well.

I hiked back to my truck as the moon rose over the mountains and in and out of the clouds. I no longer needed my flashlight and wondered to myself if the moonlight would have made a difference in my navigating the avalanche? It was 5am when I made it back to my truck. I stowed my gear and hopped in, intent on driving to the next trailhead for the peak I’d intended to hike tomorrow. For reference, here’s where I encountered the avalanche

My truck wouldn’t start. Drat! I got out, cleaned 3 inches of snow/ice off the hood of the vehicle and popped the hood. After fiddling around with the battery for a bit I was able to get the truck started and I was off. This had certainly been an interesting morning!

As I was driving to the next trailhead I saw a sign for Hanging Lake. This hike has been on my bucket list for years now, but it’s so short and so far away it hasn’t seemed worth the drive. Well, today I was right here, the new reservation system begins next week and I’ll most likely not go if I have to reserve a spot. It seemed my day was already shot and I wanted to turn it around, so I took the exit for Hanging Lake.

I arrived to a half full parking lot at 7am. (I’ll apologize here: My camera was fogged up due to the change in conditions from snow to warm, so the pictures came out a little hazy).

The trail is well marked and easy to follow. I walked along the river on a well kept paved trail for about half a mile

And at the official trailhead turned left

There’s a sign with some rules and information

As you can see from the sign, there are 7 bridges to cross. This hike can be summed up in a few simple pictures:

Bridges:

Stairs:

And signs every ¼ mile or so letting you know how far you’ve gone:

There were a few short sections of snow/ice, but traction would have been overkill

There were also a few waterfalls along the way

And signs of a recent avalanche

After a mile of hiking up 1000’ or so in elevation I came to a steep set of winding stairs and arrived at Hanging Lake.

Wow! Talk about beautiful!

Hanging Lake: Video

I took a selfie to prove I was there

And a few pictures of the lake itself (it has fish!!!)

I saw a sign on my way in for Spouting Rock and decided to see what that was all about. It was a 2 minute walk up more steps to an area just above Hanging Lake.

Spouting Rock is a waterfall.

The hike back down was very quick. The only drawback was navigating through all the people on the trail! This is a very popular hike, and on a Saturday morning the last weekend before the reservation system started quite busy, even for 8am.

I made it back down to the river and followed the sidewalk back to the parking lot

There’s a nice bathroom there

And the parking lot was full!

I made it back to my truck a little before 8:30am, making this a 3.5 mile hike in 1.5 hours.

Relive: Video

The hike had totally been worth it! Bucket List item checked off! I was now in a much better mood, and ready for my next adventure!

Lackawanna – 13,826

RT Length – 6 miles

Elevation Gain – 3655’

I made it to the La Plata Trailhead a little after 4am and was surprised to see someone getting ready to hike La Plata. As I was getting my gear together I heard him trek off in his snowshoes.

I started at 4:20am, excited to find the 82 open well past the La Plata trailhead. I briefly considered moving my truck, but quickly thought this wasn’t a long hike anyway: It would be nice to get in a few extra miles to make this hike a little longer.

The road was open, but there wasn’t a lot of parking available because of all the avalanche debris lining the roadway. Everything that could slide in the area apparently had slid at least once.

On a positive note, everything smelled like fresh cut pine. I followed the road for a mile in the dark and then turned right to begin the climb. This area had seen an avalanche as well, and even though they weren’t completely necessary at this point I put on my crampons and left them on for the entire hike. In the dark navigating the debris up the avalanche slide felt daunting, but in the light of day it looks pretty easy. Here’s the route I took

The gully was steep and filled with snow, so I just kept to the center and followed the gully. Even though this area had avalanched, as I neared the top of the gully I discovered it was loaded with snow ready to drop. I didn’t want to be here when the weather warmed up today!

The sun started to rise, and at about 13,000’ I started using my ice axe, following the center of the gully.

The steepest part was just below the summit ridge. Here is where my ice axe proved extremely useful and my calves started screaming. I just kept crawling forward, intent on summiting before the weather warmed the snow.

At the summit ridge the terrain became much easier. I stood up and walked toward the summit bump

This part was easy! There was a small section to climb

And I was on the summit by 7am.

Summit Video

The weather was absolutely perfect! It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold either, and there wasn’t any wind! I was able to get a video on the summit, and actually stayed and enjoyed the view for a while

OK, now it was time to head down.

In the light of day I could appreciate just how steep the gully was

About halfway down I paused to take a video of the water I could hear flowing under the snow below me. Yep, it was time to get off this waterfall

Gully Video:

I could see the effects of the avalanches all around me

After making it down the gully the last part to the road was easy, I just navigated my way around the solid ice towards the road.

From the road looking up you can see I just followed the avalanche slide up the gully

I made it back to my truck at 8:45am, making this a 6 mile hike/climb in 4.5 hours.

Relive: video

I decided to see just how far the 82 was open, so I drove down the road a bit in my truck. I made it 2.5 miles before the next closure sign, and saw evidence of multiple avalanches along the way.

With my morning over at 9am I decided to drive 4 hours to the next trailhead and rest a bit before my next adventure…

Rafting and Rappelling – Royal Gorge

I have mixed feelings about this river. I’ve been rafting here at least a dozen times, but that one time in 2009 still haunts me. I’d been invited out on the water today (with the added bonus of some potential rock climbing) and was determined not to think about what happened in that icy river 10 years ago. Instead I was going to focus on today’s experience.

I didn’t even realize you could go rafting in Colorado in April, but apparently it’s a thing! Because we were rafting we took 2 separate vehicles and met at a gas station on the way. A local 4H club was having a bake sale, and I couldn’t resist (no, I didn’t but cookies, but left a donation). 4H and FFA bring back so many awesome memories I couldn’t not donate, even just a little bit. Oh, and they were totally taking over that gas station. There were probably 15 students there with their parents. They made an impact, and the belt buckles and handmade signs were a nice touch.

In any event, we parked my truck at the end of our intended route and drove together to the launch area. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized we were nowhere the crash site (it was miles upstream). OK, I could completely relax now. Even though I try not to, on past trips I’ve been glued to the water to see if I can find where we landed. Funny thing, my success rate in actually finding the spot is about 50/50.

First things first: setting up the raft. To be honest I didn’t do much work, but it seemed straightforward. There’s tons of gear you need (or hope you don’t need) for a day on the water. After setting up I stayed by the raft and just relaxed and did yoga for a bit while he parked his car in a lot a few minutes away.

To my surprise it was a beautiful day; A bit chilly when the wind blew, but with the PFD on it wasn’t too bad. My feet were cold, but that was to be expected. I was only splashed by the water a few times, and tried to make it fun. Today’s trip down the river was more serene than any other trip I’ve taken, most likely because I’m usually in charge of 25 excited girls and the river’s flowing faster. It was nice just floating on the river, my friend doing most of the work (which I felt guilty about). On the downside the water could be loud at times and I had a hard time hearing and missed a few strokes (whoops). There were dozens of geese and lots of small birds on the water’s edge. One of my favorite parts about being in nature is seeing wildlife.

After a few hours of rafting we stopped directly underneath the Royal Gorge. I’ve never actually been to the Royal Gorge (something that needs to be rectified soon).

Our intention was to get some photos of me climbing. My main intention was to learn. I want to solo a few Centennials this summer that include rock climbing, and while I’ve climbed for years in a gym and many times with groups, I’ve never been solo, or even in charge of setting up my own equipment. That means I have no true idea what I’m doing, and that needs to change.

I found a friendly rock to hide behind and changed into my climbing gear (this was tricky; as we were directly under the viewing platform of the Royal Gorge, and I’m sure there were tourists with binoculars up there).

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I was given a quick briefing about how to secure ropes that astonished me in its reliance on trusting the strength of rocks I’ve been taught not to trust, and then started climbing. I’ve never been climbing without shoes before, and it was trickier than I’d imagined. I’ve also never self belayed, and I was clumsy to say the least. The rope kept getting longer than I wanted it to, but I wasn’t sure how to quickly shorten it.

Climbing up was pretty easy. The only difficult part was stopping for pictures. I like to keep moving, and I wasn’t too steady staying in one place. I felt nervous and unsecure, and my harness was definitely too tight.

OK, after climbing up it was time to maneuver around the rock so I could rappel down. I like bouldering, and this was exactly what this was (except for the rope and harness continually getting in the way).

I started rappelling and then stopped in place for a picture.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

All was going well, or at least I thought it was, as staying in one place was working. But as soon as I tried to rappel just a little bit something went wrong: I started sliding and couldn’t stop myself. Believe me, I tried, and I have the rope burns on my fingers to prove it. Luckily I was able to slow myself down so I didn’t hit the ground too hard, but I was immediately consumed by tons of negative and unproductive emotions.

I was embarrassed I’d slipped, I wasn’t quite sure how it’d happened, and yes, I was in a little bit of shock from the whole experience. Now I felt very silly for not bringing my helmet (I’d left it in the car… on purpose). I don’t fail well, but need to get over that if I want to accomplish my goals. I still don’t quite know what I’m doing when it comes to solo climbing, and this incident proved that. I’m going to need more practice before tackling this myself. I wanted to get up and try again, but was advised otherwise. So I walked down to the river to cool my burnt fingers in the water.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We did have time to hang from some rocks though….

Note to self: Now that cookie season is over I need to work on toning my arms.

Oh, and it was fun to see the Royal Gorge train go by. Everyone waves at you and you’re kind of supposed to wave back…

We gathered up our gear and rafted back down to my truck. I was amused to learn we just tied up the raft and left it on the water while we drove to get the other vehicle. This seemed pretty trusting to me, but I guess the rafting community’s pretty honest? Deflating the raft and putting it away proved similar to taking down a tent. A heavy, canvas tent made out of rubber. It was much later than I’d realized (wow! Was it really already 4:30pm?) and I’d promised the girls I’d be home by 6, so I drove a bit faster than I should have home.

OK, so lessons learned today:

You can raft the river in April
It wasn’t as cold as I’d expected on the river in April
A canyon is wider than a gorge (duh…lol!)
I’m better at taking photos than being a subject (this needs work!)
If your guide knows what they’re doing you can avoid getting wet (but it’s probably more fun to tackle the rapids instead of glide through them. Still, I appreciated staying mostly dry)
I need to do some research and practice on how to set up webbing safely (I’ve tried this before and came up empty, so I’m going to have to search again)
I need to buy webbing (maybe on my trip to get a new backpack?) and figure out exactly how much I need
Self belayed rappelling is not my strong suit. I need to practice, preferably in a place where a fall won’t be too tragic.
I may need a thicker and longer rope (mine will hold me, but it’s slippery… maybe gloves?)
I need to develop more patience with myself
I need to fail faster and not beat myself up so much when I do
While I feel like I got the perfect amount of sun, sunscreen is my friend and I can’t forget that
Knowledgeable and patient friends are invaluable
I need to visit the top of the Royal Gorge

New Mexico Highpoint – Wheeler Peak 13,161

RT Length – 14.2 miles

Elevation Gain – 4467’

The Colorado winds were high so I decided to head down to New Mexico this week to do some highpointing. Taos is actually closer to my house than many Colorado peaks, so the 4 hour drive wasn’t too demanding. In fact, it was kind of fun. When I made it past Ft Garland I saw a road sign indicating there were bighorn sheep in the area. To my surprise I immediately encountered a herd of bighorn sheep standing along the side of the road. A few minutes later I saw a sign warning of cows, and wouldn’t you know it? Cows on the road. The same thing happened with the deer and elk warning signs, and a few minutes later, even horses! I hadn’t realized there were wild horses in the San Luis Valley, but yep, there sure are! With all this good luck with animal sightings I kept hoping to see a sign indicating buffalo or elephants or zebras were in the area, but alas, wild horses were about as exotic as it got. Kudos to the group that placed those signs so accurately.

I made it to the trailhead at 4:45am and was on the trail by 5am. Oh, and I did a terrible job parking (without realizing it). I actually made it to the trailhead about half an hour earlier than expected, and only recognized I was there because I saw the “Bull of the Woods trailhead” sign as I was driving by, so I backed up, parked, and was on my way.

It wasn’t until I was on my way down I saw there was a real parking area directly below where I’d parked. Oops!

The full moon was absolutely amazing! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a good picture, but it was so bright I didn’t need my flashlight. I brought my snowshoes but didn’t put them on until I’d almost made it to treeline. There was quite a bit of snow on the trail (4 feet or so) but the snow was consolidated so I was able to just walk on top of it. There were also tracks to follow.

I could hear a stream to my right, but in the dark I wasn’t able to see the water. There were numerous trails criss-crossing the trail I was on, but as long as I kept hiking in the same direction (northeast) and aimed for the ridge I knew I was on the right track. I stayed on the widest path, or what looked like the widest path.

I knew I was supposed to cross the stream at some point, but never saw a bridge. It turns out I crossed the stream without knowing it! Here’s a look at the “stream crossing” from my way back.

Yes, that moon was full!

I made it to the Red River Canyon Overlook just as the sun was beginning to rise

At the overlook I turned right and followed the trail to the Bull of the Woods pasture (which didn’t resemble a pasture at all. Maybe it was the snow?)

The footprints stopped, so I was breaking trail from here on out. I got lost a few times trying to stay off private property, but there was so much snow it was impossible to know where the trail was on the mountain. (Hint, go left)

I stopped and put on my snowshoes and followed the ridge, making my own trail.

The section after cresting this hill was much steeper than it looks. I had to swing around to the right in order to safely climb through the snow. Here the crampons on my snowshoes came in very helpful.

Until the snow just kind of stopped. I knew more snow was coming, so instead of taking off my snowshoes I followed the faint trail of snow around Bull of the Woods Mountain. Here there was either very little snow, or large, steep drifts of 20+ feet. I was glad to have my ice axe.

I rounded Frazier Mountain and could smell sheep. I looked all around, but not seeing any figured they must have passed the area recently (but that smell was strong!). I was now presented with the La Cal Basin, which included a 300 foot loss in elevation. This is also where there was quite a bit of snow, which I decided to take advantage of. I needed to cross the basin, avoid those dicey avalanche areas, and then re-ascend the switchbacks on my left.

Crossing into the basin was a bit sketchy

And I was glad to make it to the switchbacks on the other side. Here there wasn’t much snow, so in keeping with my goal of not taking off my snowshoes (just to put them back on again) I stuck to the snow lined trail.

About halfway up the mountainside I saw a few bighorn sheep

And when I looked across the ridge I saw even more!

From here I saw what I thought was Wheeler Peak, but it was instead Mt Walter (Wheeler is beyond). I stuck to the snow to make use of my snowshoes

Sticking to the snow looked like this

And from the top of this point (13,045) I could see Mt Walter and Wheeler Peak. Sticking to the ridge (and the snow) was the way to go!

I passed Mt Walter and took a few quick photos of the signs and a selfie to prove I was there.

From here you can clearly see the summit of Wheeler Peak

Once again, I stuck to the ridge

And summited at 8:45am

Here’s the Summit Video, which I’m excited to say is the first summit video I’ve been able to take all year! I’m so glad it was warm today and sans wind.

Video: Wheeler Peak NM

OK, time to turn back. Here’s what the route looks like back from Wheeler Peak… just stick to the ridge

Yep, lots of snow! I was glad to have my ice axe. Snowshoes were a must the entire way back down.

I started crossing the basin again, and unfortunately the sun had warmed up the snow. Snow kept collecting under my snowshoes and I had to keep stopping to kick it off. I made it back to Frazier Hill and saw those sheep I’d smelled earlier (I KNEW they were there somewhere!)

Following the trail in the light of day proved much easier than in the dark, with the added bonus of being able to follow my snowshoe tracks.

I made it back to Bull of the Woods pasture and once again found footprints. Lots and lots of prints, both human and animal.

The only downside to the warmth of the sun (besides clumps of snow in my snowshoes)? Rollerballs the size of dinner plates

As I followed the trail back to the stream I was actually able to see the stream

I didn’t see anyone all day until I was about half a mile from the trailhead on my way back down. I talked with a gentlemen about the conditions on the trail. He said he’s hiked these trails for years and was surprised I’d summited today. He was even more surprised when I told him I’d started at 5am. In fact, he didn’t entirely believe me. I made it back to the trailhead at noon, and when I stopped my Strava tracker I was told I’d sent a new app record for completing this hike. Pretty cool! I’d hiked the 14.2 miles of 4467’ in elevation gain in 7 hours.

Just for fun, here’s the relive of my hike. Note: Obviously I summited today, yet the tracker shows my high point was just shy of Mt Walter at 13,139’ (not Mt Wheeler at 13,167’), which is one of the reasons I take what these trackers record with a grain of salt. I’ve had people tell me because my tracker doesn’t show a summit that I didn’t summit. I call those people summit snobs and unfollow them from my account(s). No one needs that kind of drama in their life!

Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/2302667578

Oh, and the good news? I was finally able to get my New Mexico Starbucks mug in Taos! I’ve been trying for years to get a New Mexico mug to add to my collection, but they’re always out when I visit. Funny, the mug doesn’t mention aliens at all…

Also, the ski season in Taos is over, which was a real shame because there was so much snow! And, Taos is beautiful! Majestic even. I had no idea!

Marble Mountain A – 13,266

RT Length: 11.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 4682’

I’d attempted this peak a few weeks ago but had to turn back due to high winds above treeline. Today I was ready to try again, armed with a beautiful weather forecast and a full night’s sleep.

Since I’d been here 2 weeks ago and knew it had snowed here quite a big since then I didn’t even attempt to drive to the upper South Colony Lakes trailhead. I made it to the South Colony Lakes lower 2WD trailhead at 4am to one other vehicle in the lot. It looked as if someone was sleeping in their truck. I got together my gear and was on the trail around 4:15am. After hiking about 100 yards I came upon snow on the 4WD road and was glad I’d parked in the lower lot.

Unfortunately, it looked like someone had attempted to drive up the road in the past few days. When the road got too much snow on it they drove off the dirt road, kept driving parallel to the road, and then when they felt there was less snow went back to the main road.

This tears up everything people! Don’t do this! It also looks like they learned their lesson because they got stuck in a snow drift. I’m guessing there’s about 4 feet of snow here. Not only did they get stuck, they tore up the road trying to get out, which will make it more difficult for drivers to make it to the upper trailhead once conditions actually improve.

The road in was well packed in areas, soft in others, and covered in 2-6 feet of snow. It was still dark so I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anyone drove in behind me or was hiking with a flashlight but didn’t see anyone. I put on my snowshoes at the Rainbow Trail Trailhead.

This trailhead is still inaccessible by vehicle and covered in snow.

I had a map with me, but since I’d just done most of this hike 2 weeks ago I never took it out of my pack. From the Rainbow Trail I turned left (northeast) and followed the slope up to the ridgecrest. Here the tracks I’d put in earlier were still in place, and it looked like a few others had been here since then, so there was a faint trail to follow

At the top of the slope I immediately turned right and followed the ridge. The ridge looks mostly flat, but does gain in elevation, all except for one area where it dips down a couple hundred feet and then inclines again.

This was supposed to be a 7-10 mile hike, with about 3500’ in elevation gain, but for some reason it felt like a lot more than that. It seemed I was below treeline for much, much longer than I should have been, yet I knew I was still on track because as the sun rose I could see Humboldt peeking at me through the trees to my right.

Finally (and I mean finally) I crested a vertical slope

And made it to treeline.

Here the snow was hard packed and I was glad I had snowshoes (crampons would have been necessary otherwise). I traded my trekking pole for my ice axe and started up the hill.

The wind picked up, and remained a steady 15mph until I made it back below treeline. In this area it was impossible to avoid the snow

But as soon as I was up over this hill I had the option to stick to the snow or hike on tundra instead. I was tired of the snowshoes, so I took them off and kept to the right, following the ridge.

The view of the Crestones and Humboldt was beautiful!

The rest of the route was pretty straightforward, but I was curiously more tired than I should have been for just 3500’ in elevation gain. I was seriously worried I was losing my touch, or that I was getting out of shape? As I neared the summit the terrain became more rocky and steep. I found myself zig-zagging my way up, doing my best to avoid the random snow patch that had me post holing up to my thighs

I summited to some amazing views of Humboldt, the Crestones, and a bunch of 13ers!

17 crestones

Here’s my summit photo

18 Marble Mountain A 13266

It was a beautiful day, but that wind made it cold and my fingers were starting to burn so I turned around and headed back down the slope. Here’s a look at the way I came

Here’s what it looks like just above treeline. Snowshoes were helpful (and here I put them back on). I appreciated the full coverage of snow

The ridge back once again seemed to take longer than necessary. It felt like I was in the trees forever! I was still glad I had my snowshoes

The wind stopped below treeline and the temperature increased dramatically. I took off my hat and gloves and noticed my hands had some minor damage, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in a few days. I saw a couple of early season mosquitoes on the ridge, which were easily distinguishable against the white backdrop of snow. I made it back to the Rainbow Trail and followed it to the Lower South Colony Lakes trail, noticing the temperatures had warmed up the snow quite a bit and once again praising my snowshoes: The road was becoming a slushy mess.

I fully expected to see people hiking up the trail or skinning, or something, but I never did. I didn’t see another person the entire day, and as I rounded the corner and could see the parking lot it became apparent why: my truck was the only vehicle in the lot! I’d had the entire mountain to myself today!

It had been a beautiful day to hike: Little wind, warm temperatures, and solitude. When I checked my tracker it said I’d gone 11.6 miles and gained 4682’ in elevation in 6.5 hours. No wonder I’d felt out of shape! I’d expected a 7-10 mile, 3500’ elevation hike. As I’d been hiking I’d begun to doubt my physical fitness, but these new numbers seemed much more accurate.

Here’s my Relive (which I like this time because it portrays the snow above treeline)

https://www.relive.cc/view/2272842012

I drove home feeling I’d gotten in a good workout today. This is a great ridge hike!

Avy Concerns

This winter summiting has been a challenge. I feel I’ve had to turn back more than I ever have, maybe more than all the other times I’ve been hiking combined. It hurts to turn back. It’s a pain that’s both mental and physical, and a decision I don’t make lightly. Or often.

Today’s trip was doomed from the start: I’d only had 2 hours of sleep, I didn’t much care to eat breakfast, and I was both emotionally and physically exhausted from a week of little sleep and lots of problem solving. I decided to head out anyway because when it comes to winter hiking I still don’t know what I don’t know and I need to be on the ground experiencing the conditions as often as possible so I can learn and fail fast for future summiting success.

On the drive in I noticed there had been an avalanche recently that had caused quite a bit of damage. Avy danger is serious and real this year people!

There was no parking at the trailhead because it was covered in snow, so I continued driving and found a turnout about three tenths of a mile away and considered this close enough. Since this is near a winter road closure I didn’t see another vehicle the entire morning. I set out and hiked in the middle of the road back to the trailhead and immediately put on my snowshoes.

The snow here was deep. I’d say about 6 feet or so. My instructions said to follow a service road, and luckily I could tell where it was. I could also tell no one had been on this trail in quite a while. I’m guessing it’s been months.

And then suddenly I couldn’t find the road, or a trail, or signs of either. I knew I was supposed to follow the stream, but here the snow really started to pile up and falling into the stream became a genuine danger. In places the snow was about 10 feet deep and very soft. It was still dark as I was postholing up to my waist at 5:30am and all I could think was how messy this hike would be on my way out. It wasn’t going to be pretty. As I trekked further into Echo Canyon the snow got thicker and any sign of a trail was nonexistent.

I made it about a mile into the canyon and as the sun started to rise I noticed I was in an area very similar to the one I’d see avalanche about half a mile away: The slope was the same, the angle was the same, and it was loaded with snow. That did it. I decided to turn back. I didn’t like the wet slab conditions, avalanche danger, or intense early morning postholing I’d encountered.

I was bummed, but considered this the right call. And then it hit me: I was about 5 miles away from La Plata! I knew that trail very well: I’d just make it back to my truck, drive to the La Plata trailhead, and hike until I felt like turning back. I knew at this point a summit wasn’t going to happen today, no matter where I hiked, but at least I could get in some elevation gain, right?

OK, on to plan B. There weren’t any other vehicles in the La Plata parking lot, despite it now being 6:30am. It looked like it was going to be a quiet day on the mountain for me.

I started along the closed 2WD road and saw the utility truck that was there back in January is still in its same place, accompanied by more snow.

There was a ton of snow on the trail but there was a well packed trench through the trees

I followed the trench over the creek

And continued up the slope, intending to make it to treeline and then turn back. Maybe I’d get a good look at the headwall to see how much snow it had? I was in a bit of a sour mood because I knew there was no way I was getting in a summit today. I wasn’t too fond of the conditions on this side of the mountain either: there was a ton of snow and none of it looked too stable. However, I also knew it wasn’t in a prior avalanche path. Still… crispy snow on steep slopes isn’t a good thing.

I was tired, I was hungry, I was lethargic, and now I was hearing voices coming from above me on the trail. I stopped, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating. There hadn’t been any other vehicles in the parking lot, but I was definitely hearing man and woman talking to each other from above me on the slope. Maybe they’d parked somewhere else and skinned up? In any event, with the snow conditions the way they were I did not want to hike below other people for fear of them starting an avalanche above me. I immediately turned around and headed back to my truck.

This day had gone from disappointing to worse. So I tried to keep my mind positive: What had I learned today? How had today been worth getting up at 2am, driving for 3 hours, and turning around twice within the span of the next 2 hours?

Well, I saw firsthand the powerful force that is an avalanche. The snow had destroyed trees that were 3 feet around, breaking them like matchsticks. I needed the reminder avalanche danger is no joke. I also learned that just because a trailhead is accessible doesn’t mean the trail is climbable. Another lesson learned: I need more sleep before attempting a hike, and even though I’m not hungry in the morning, I need to force myself to eat before hitting the trail: Low blood sugar makes me grumpy.

On the way out I took some pictures of the stream and just enjoyed being out in nature without being cold.

I made it back to my car around 8am and looked at my tracker: 4.81 miles and 1514’ in elevation gain. Boy, was that disappointing! I decided to call it a day, drive back home, and get some sleep.

Bald Mountain A – 13,703

RT Length: 9 miles

Elevation gain: 3300’

I was supposed to hike yesterday. I got up at 2am and drove up and through Woodland Park to increasing snow. I checked my weather app and it looked like it was going to snow in this area until 8am. I made it to Lake George and was forced to turn around due to road conditions (they don’t plow this road at night). So while I’d done my research and the weather conditions were good on the peak I’d intended to hike, the only road into that hike had bad weather and I was forced to turn around. Bummer! What’s worse is I’d already had quite a bit of coffee, so when I made it home around 5am I was unable to go back to sleep. Oh well, I ran on the treadmill, got a lot of much needed cleaning done, took my daughter ice skating, did some grocery shopping, and made it to bed a bit early to try again the next day.

OK, round two. I chose a different peak for today because of weather reasons. I drove almost the exact same roads as I had last night and thankfully they were completely clear: You’d never know it had snowed yesterday. I made it to the Baldy Trailhead around 4:45am and there were several other cars already parked in the lot.

I gathered my gear and was on the trail around 5am. The 4WD road was closed, but the hike along the road was packed down from previous skiers/hikers. I wore my snowshoes from the parking lot, but they weren’t really necessary (I just didn’t want to carry them). They were necessary at the Iowa Mill.

This part of the hike was quite peaceful. I made it to the Iowa Mill while it was still dark and here is where the road ended and I encountered tons of ski tracks. I got out my map and saw there was supposed to be a dirt road that switchbacked up the slope, but since I couldn’t find the road under all this snow and I’m not a fan of switchbacking I just aimed south and hiked straight up the slope. This was very efficient and quite a workout on my calves. There weren’t any ski marks here, or footprints. In the dark the slope seemed steep, but I knew it was less than 30 degrees. Also, in the dark it seemed to last forever! I just kept aiming towards the radio tower and trudged on. I could see what looked like a mine in the distance I’d like to explore on my way down and made a mental note to check it out later.

I made it to the radio towers and took out my phone to take pictures. It immediately died and I stuck it back in my pocket. It’s a good thing I always lug around my DSLR while hiking. For those of you wondering what Breckenridge looks like from 12000’ at 6am, here you go:

OK, I’d made it to the radio towers

From the radio towers here’s the view of the remaining route

This was going to be easy! All I had to do was follow the ridge to the summit. There were many ups and downs. Here’s a look at the first up

and a few more

Around now the sun was beginning to rise. Alpine sunrises are totally worth 2am wake up times! I took a few minutes to just stop and enjoy.

There are cairns indicating you should go right (west)around the mountain, but with this much snow it’s much easier to just stick to the ridge (at this point I took the cairned route, but don’t recommend it). The cornices are very large but also very avoidable.

The sun had only just risen, but I could already tell it was going to be a bluebird day for most of the day, despite the cloudy forecast. As I looked in the distance I could see clouds, but they wouldn’t be getting in the way of my hike today.

I’m not sure what time I summited (my phone was still dead and while I had a charger I didn’t much care). The summit was flat and snow covered, so much that even the wind shelter was invisible. I wanted to get a picture with the mountains in the background so this is what I came up with.

Not only was today a bluebird day, there was no wind! This was fantastic! I wasn’t even cold (it had to be warmer than the forecasted 18 degrees… it felt more like it was in the 30s). My fingers and toes weren’t cold either. Woot!

Here’s a look back at the way I’d summited

OK, so on the way up I’d taken the cairn way around the side of the mountain, but I could tell from my view here it’d be an easier hike if I just stuck with the ridge, avoiding all of the exposed rocks on the west side. The climb was a bit steeper in areas, but that just meant I got to use my ice axe

Using my ice axe means shadowselfie time

Here’s more proof it’s better to stick to the ridge

I made it back to the radio towers and in the light of day could see the slope here is a popular backcountry ski area.

This is when I realized I hadn’t seen another person all day, yet there had been several other vehicles in the parking lot when I’d arrived, with signs that clearly said no overnight parking/camping. Hmmm.

All the tracks were to my left (west) but I really wanted to get a look at that mine, so I went right. It was nothing special, or it could have been more special when less covered in snow. In other words, there wasn’t much to see.

From here you can just follow the wires back to the Iowa Mill, but I decided instead to cut across the slope and pick up the trail the way I’d come. I could see my morning tracks from where I was, so I just aimed for them and cut across the slope. I debated glissading but in the end decided against it as it would put me far away from my earlier tracks.

It’s actually a bit steeper than it looks (although apparently not 30 degrees)

Back at treeline all the ski tracks came together and I was able to find the road again.

Here’s the Iowa Mill in daylight

The hike out was very straightforward. I saw three skiers hiking up as I was hiking out (the only people I saw all day). I was glad I’d gotten an early start: I wouldn’t want to be hiking the slope while others were trying to ski.

The entire hike today had been very enjoyable. The weather was perfect, there weren’t other people on the trail, I got to make my own route for much of the way, and I even used my ice axe for a bit. Nothing had been too technical, which allowed me to get in some really good thinking.

I made it back to my truck at 9:30 am, making this a 9 mile hike in 4.5 hours. I changed my clothes and put on sandals in place of my shoes for the drive home. I took a good look at my feet, surprised they hadn’t hurt today like on so many of my recent winter condition hikes. My feet were a yellow-white, and I mentally high-fived myself, not exactly sure how but thinking I’d avoided an attack. My truck wouldn’t start so I adjusted the battery (that fixed it) and looked at the temperature: 21 degrees at the trailhead. Wow! It had been cold out there! I just hadn’t noticed because there hadn’t been any wind and I’d been exercising.

About 10 minutes down the road my left toes started hurting quite a bit. The pain was a very intense burning sensation. I immediately knew what was going on but kept driving anyway, as there was nothing I could do about it. I looked down and yes, my toes were blue. Ugh! When I made it to the town of Alma I stopped to take a quick picture for documentation purposes (they looked much better at this point) and just kept driving. When I have an attack they go from white to blue to red. Red is the good color. My toes were still hurting but since my left foot was the only one affected I could still drive. I saved this picture for the end, as well as one of the less graphic pictures of my digital ulcers from last month. By now I’m used to this, and know it’s a consequence I’m willing to pay for getting above treeline in winter/spring. Apparently it happens even when my toes don’t get cold. Luckily, as long as I baby them they only take about a week to heal, which ends up being perfect for my next week’s hike!

Marble Mountain

RT Length: 8.8 miles

Elevation Gain: 2540’

I knew I wasn’t going to summit from the time I made it to the trailhead. It was still dark, but through the moonlight I could see an outline of the mountains covered in clouds. So much for those sunny skies and that 20% chance of snow today. Yes, I knew I wasn’t going to summit from the time I made it to the trailhead, but there wasn’t really another hike with better weather anywhere in the state so I made the decision I was going to get in a good hike anyway and just turn around when I felt it was necessary.

It’s been too long since I’ve done a serious hike. Over a month in fact. And by serious I mean something above treeline (Guadalupe Peak had the mileage and elevation gain but topping out below 9K didn’t count). I was beginning to feel like I was out of shape.

I arrived at the Lower South Colony Lakes trailhead at 5am to cars parked in front of the 2WD road in, blocking my drive any further. I immediately questioned their choice of parking spots but soon realized the road was impassable, so it didn’t really matter anyway. And here’s a shock: there was a couple sleeping UNDER their truck. I’m afraid I woke them up on my drive in (sorry guys! I turned off my headlights as soon as I realized you were sleeping!). They rolled over in their sleeping bags and went back to sleep as I gathered my gear and set out, thinking “Boy, were they brave!” It was frigid out here this morning, but you couldn’t beat the view of the stars and full moon.

I started out at about 5:20am carrying my gear, but quickly stopped to put on my snowshoes. Parking at the South Colony Lakes trailhead would add over 4 miles to the hike, but they would be an easy 4 miles along a dirt road.

Well, a dirt road covered in 2-3 feet of snow. Luckily there was a trench already in place.

I followed the trench up to the Rainbow Trail Trailhead, where the trench immediately stopped.

From here on out I was trenching the trail myself. This was my view as I navigated my way around the mountainside

This part was a bit sketchy: I’ve never trenched along a hillside before. Up a hill sure, but never straight across. Here’s a view looking back at some of my fancy footwork (it’s steeper than it looks)

I rounded the corner, hiked a bit up a hill, and found myself at an obvious juncture to turn right and follow the ridge. Well, maybe not obvious (there weren’t any signs or anything) but I could tell this was the ridge and to follow it I must turn right.

This is where the wind started picking up. I was in the trees, yet the wind was howling all around me. I’ve never experienced such wind while still below treeline. There was also quite a bit more snow along the ridgeline than I’d expected. It was at a minimum 4 feet deep, with drifts that went over 10 feet.

No maps or special navigation tools were needed: I just kept following the ridge. The fun part was hiking up and down the drifts, checking for stability as I went.

I kept trudging along and the wind kept increasing. The blustery weather was coming from Humboldt, kicking up snow and flinging it around like little chards of glass. I knew the wind was forecasted to be 20-25mph today, but the forecast didn’t mention sustained winds that didn’t let up. This would have been useful information. Also, I’m pretty sure the winds were higher than 25mph above treeline.

Video: Marble Ridge

The entire hike along the ridge I kept thinking of Sir Edmund Hillary’s quote: It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. That was indeed true. Pushing and overcoming our limits is what makes the experience worthwhile. However, I’ve learned to be a little more cautions when it comes to wind and weather. My fingers are still recovering from Sherman over a month ago, and I didn’t want to reinjure them too soon. Yes, I knew I wasn’t summiting today, but I wanted to at least make it to treeline. On the positive side I wasn’t cold and I could still feel my fingers and toes.

When I got to treeline the views were terrible! There was only a 20% chance of snow today, but the high winds were developing their own weather above treeline, flinging snow and creating clouds as they went. Despite predictions snow was indeed falling on the summit. The wind here knocked me down. I stood back up again and was knocked down again. It was like I was living a Chumbawamba song.

I was close to the summit (I’m guessing about a mile) but from experience knew in these types of winds are too much for my body to bear for the hour or more it would take to summit and make it back down to treeline. I would have turned into a popsicle. The winds were also supposed to increase in the afternoon, so I took a picture in my mind of the route for next time and headed back through the trees the way I’d come.

What’s this? My tracks were completely gone! I’d just hiked through this area no more than 15 minutes ago, yet my snowshoe tracks had been filled in from blowing snow. Wow!

I tried to get a picture of Humboldt, but ended up getting a shadowselfie instead and a peak covered in blowing snow.

Hiking back down the ridge was much easier than hiking up the ridge, even with my tracks gone. Eventually I came back to the trail junction and the wind stopped. Here my tracks were in place, and alongside them another set of tracks. Hmm. That was curious? They just seemed to stop. It looked like an animal had walked out into the open just to use the restroom. Then I looked closer and noticed that wasn’t the story at all: Something had been caught by a large bird and became breakfast!

After crossing the hillside and following my tracks I made it back down to the Rainbow Trail trailhead. Behind the sign is the parking lot I would have used if the road were clear. This parking area is currently covered in a few feet of snow.

As I reached the sign I looked back up at Marble Mountain and was a bit miffed to notice the wind had apparently stopped on the summit. The summit looked calm, clear, and was mocking me at my current position. I started second guessing my decision to turn back.

Just then a big gust of wind began again from the Humboldt side and both mountains (and the Crestones) were clouded in ice again. They remained that way even after I’d made it to my truck and was driving back home.

The 2+ miles back to the Lower South Colony Lakes trailhead was peaceful and quiet in the early afternoon, and getting warmer by the minute. My left pinky toe was hurting something awful, but by now I’m used to this. I saw some fox tracks that I hadn’t earlier

I made it back to my truck at about 9:45am, surprised to notice the ground was now muddy at the trailhead.

I looked at my tracker(s) and saw I’d only hiked a little over 2500’ in elevation. It had seemed like so much more, but I had been breaking trail, which takes quite a bit of energy.

On my drive home I had the opportunity to race a horse drawn carriage. Yes, I’m sure the horse knew we were racing.

I also came along a herd of bighorn sheep in the exact area that has signs indicating they were there. It’s one of the first times I’ve seen such an accurate sign. Only one of the Bighorn Sheep seemed interested in my presence.

OK, so in the end this had been a worthwhile day. No, I didn’t summit, but I did get in a good hike. I saw some wildlife and practiced my “trenching on a slope” skills, so I’m considering today a win. Oh, and also I didn’t get frostbite. Well, at least not on my fingers. I did reignite the frostnip on my pinky toe that had recently healed, but it isn’t as bad as before. I’m sure it will heal faster this time!

Washington DC Highpoint – Point Reno 409′

RT Length: 43.5 miles (4.5 walking)

Elevation Gain: 1570′ (I’m suspicious of this number)

I’m currently in Reston, Virginia for work, and before flying here I did a quick search to see how far away it was from the Virginia Highpoint. About 6 hours, which was way too far, but I noticed it was about 20 miles from the Washington DC Highpoint, Point Reno. That was interesting. While Point Reno isn’t one of the “official 50” because Washington DC isn’t a state, I felt it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to check off a highpoint, so I did some more research.

The highest point in Washington DC isn’t really all that high: Point Reno only has an elevation of 409′, but since most of Washington DC is just above sea level, I might get some good views.

My challenge was I didn’t have a vehicle, but the Metro was supposed to drop off very close to the highpoint (ironic, I know). So all I had to do was get to a Metro station, make a few connections, and I should be good. The closest Metro station to where I was staying was a mile and a half away. Challenge accepted.

I woke up at 4am, ran on the treadmill for an hour, came back and was ready to go before 6am. It was very, very dark outside, with the exception of the full moon and some street lights. This 1.5 mile walk to the Metro Station was going to be interesting. My directions took me off the main streets and on a side bike route that looked a bit sketchy to me. Especially in the dark. I wished I’d brought a flashlight, but honestly hadn’t even thought darkness would be an issue. On the plus side I was waking up birds as I passed them, and I was pretty sure there was a golf course to my left. About halfway there runners started coming towards me with their headlamps shining and I felt a bit safer.

Finding the Metro Station was easier than I’d anticipated.

I walked up to the ticket counter to buy a pass but the attendant directed me to the automatic kiosk instead, and when I told him which stations I was using as switching points he gave me quicker directions. I thanked him and was on my way.

I took the Silver Line to Metro Central Station, got off and switched to the Red Line towards Shady Grove. This brought me to the Tenleytown-AU station. I had my phone but decided to people watch instead. Oh, and rummaged through my backpack, where I realized in fact I did have a flashlight with me. Oh well, I’d made it without one just the same.

Metros and Subways and Lightrails are interesting, but not too difficult to navigate once you know how they work. I had no problem making transfers and finding correct platforms. Also, I really felt comforted looking at the map and listening to each station being named as we stopped, reaffirming I was going in the correct direction. Until this man boarded and for some reason stood right in front of the map. He was oblivious to the fact I was appreciating its usefulness. Oh well, I had no hiccups and the whole process was much quicker than anticipated.

Once at Tenleytown-AU I exited the station and got my bearings.

It was dark when I got on the first Metro, but by the time I exited at Tenleytown the sun had some up. I headed north and when I made it to a soccer field I turned right. I was a little worried because it looked like I was on school property and school was supposed to start soon, but no one looked like they were going to stop me, so I continued hiking up over a hill.

I crossed a dirt path, and much sooner than I’d anticipated I came upon the ‘summit marker’. For some reason I’d thought finding it would have proven more difficult.

I quickly sat down on the grass and took a selfie to prove I was there, and then got up and left.

Nope, no views.

Video: Point Reno

Here are a few pictures I took while standing at the highpoint.

It felt weird to be celebrating checking off another one on my list with all these middle and highschoolers trudging to school. They probably thought I was weird. There were signs however indicating this was the high point, so I’m sure they must be used to highpointers taking selfies on the hill?

Here’s what the outside of the Tenleytown station looks like

And a few metro pictures. It was busy!

The walk back from the Reston station was much nicer in daylight.

Passing under bridges wasn’t quite so scary either

Here’s the start of the bike trail that brought me close to the Reston station (about .4 miles away)

I made it back to my hotel room at around 9am, making this a 43.5 mile journey in just under 3.5 hours. Looking at my stats I walked about 4.5 of those miles, and it looks like I had 1570′ in elevation gain, but that’s highly questionable. I’d put the number at closer to 100′.

So even though this was an easy highpoint, it still felt like an adventure navigating the Metro through town and people watching. Now to get to work!

Just for fun, here’s the relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/2226883108