The 39 was mostly clear of snow for the first mile beyond the gate, this section being south-facing.
A dirt side road led up to Smith water tank and a huge firebreak.
Around a mile into the trip the route turned northward. Here snow and ice blanketed the road in the shadier parts.
Despite a sign indicating sheep for the next several miles, we saw no wildlife. A couple deer had left tracks in the snow, and I think this is a fox print.
The liveliest thing along this road, aside from Cecelia, was the rocky cliff above us, which occasionally sent boulders bouncing down to the road. This probably isn't the safest stroll to take right after a big storm.
Other than a short stretch of foot-deep slushishness, and bouts of ice patches, the walk was very easy.
At Snow Spring we noticed a wildlife camera placed by Caltrans Biology. We continued to the next bend in the road, about four miles from the start, and made this our summit for the day. There were two more miles left to Islip Saddle, but I figured they would be harder miles as the snow coverage was increasing and nobody had made boot tracks for us this far up the road. Also we hadn't brought enough food for a twelve-mile snow hike.
At the bend we found a dry spot to sit at a turnout with a view of the gleaming Pacific Ocean.
We tried to dry out Cecelia's soaked socks and use some expired chemical warmers on her freezing toes. Our efforts mostly went unrewarded by nature. I told Cecelia to invest in some cheap waterproof boots. Fifty bucks or less at Big 5! They're worth it.
A couple interesting features of this road are the stone and mortar retaining walls
and this little structure
which might be a sort of emergency shelter since there was nothing inside but a small bench.
Due to the recent Bobcat Fire, much of the scenery included absolutely barren wasteland between the road and the canyon bottoms.
By the time we meandered back to the car it was mid-afternoon and the place was now a zoo full of families playing in the snow.
