Four days ago, I did this hike but was stopped 0.3 miles from the summit due to the depth of the snow. My dog Rev was having a difficult time climbing a 45 degree slope in 2 feet of powder. That trip report is here. With all the rain we received on Christmas Eve, I knew the conditions today would be ripe to reach the summit now. I grabbed Rev and we paid another visit.
This time, the stream was actually visible in the slide. The snow pack was now greatly reduced and it was also consolidated so the snowshoeing was easy.
 |
| Visible water in the slide today |
 |
| The summit is in site |
On the first trip here, we turned around at the bottom of the headwall of the slide. This was .3 miles shy of the summit. Today, it only took us 15 minutes to finish the hike. We went right of the headwall and hugged the edge of a cliff band until we reached the summit ridge.
 |
| We climbed along the edge of this rock face |
 |
| This cloudy morning didn't give way until I was back near the bottom |
 |
| The headwall of the slide |
On the ridge we turned left and stayed on the right side as we climbed. It was an easy walk in an open pine forest. 5 minutes and we were on the summit. It was really a pretty spot, even though there were no far reaching views. Some of the pines had hanging moss. It felt very peaceful. The weather probably contributed to that feeling.
 |
| Anorange ribbon marked the true summit |
In these snow conditions, it was a fast walk downhill. We went from top to bottom in about 50 minutes. Since 4 days ago, A large birch tree has fallen across the trail, about 1.5 miles from the car. Unfortunately it is in a spot that is great for skiing. I'm sure someone will cut it up in the near future.
 |
| Note the open woods |
Hike Stats:
Hike Distance: 5.3 miles
Hike Time: 3 hours
Total Vertical Gain: ~ 1700'
 |
| The the image of the route to enlarge |
 |
| Wilmington Peak was the morning hike; Catamount Mountain was the afternoon hike. See both here. |
No comments:
Post a Comment