After about 2 miles in, we were in snow the rest of the way up. I slipped on a set of Yaktraks once we hit the snow. Traction devices on your feet only do so much when the snow isn’t hard-packed. Lots of slipping and sliding. And I was the idiot that didn’t bring trekking poles! Scott offered me a set, but I didn’t think I’d really need them. I managed without, but things would’ve been much easier with them, that’s for sure.
There were a few places we couldn’t find the trail so we’d just climb straight up in the snow. I actually love this kind of “bushwhacking” on hikes, but there were a few really steep spots where I was afraid of falling. And I’m a baby when it comes to heights!
We didn’t make the summit, but made it just below the saddle. We made the decision to turn around there because of time, and because the approach to the saddle was sketchy. It needs a few more weeks to melt down. Coming back down was fun since we got to glissade down on our butts in a few different places. It was an absolute blast!
On the drive home we talked about the “run” and how weak it looks on paper. Less than 10 miles in 4 hours... Are you kidding me? Even with the vertical, it seems pretty pathetic. I can tell you that I’m spent though! This is why I measure my long efforts in time on my feet, and not in miles. There’s no way to express the amount of work we put in out there, for such small numbers (other than the time of course).
