Mt. Wilson attempt, 2/14/09
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 2:24 pm
My husband and I attempted to hike Mt. Wilson yesterday. We started from Chantry Flat, beginning a counter clockwise loop. We wanted to go that way, because we expected less crowds and more snow. We were right! We started our hike, under a blue, cloudless sky.
Around 3,000 feet, things started getting interesting. As the sun grew higher, it started to melt the snow and ice up in the trees. At first we got a light misting as the thaw began. Then, we experienced an all out deluge! I stopped to put on my rain shell and pack cover. We were in an icy rain forest! I’ve never seen a thaw quite like that, and the other hikers we met said the same thing.
We kept on going, gaining elevation and of course, the ice kept falling and the snow got deeper. A cloud layer came in, and it got cooler. Eventually we were alone on the trail. We followed footsteps of the only other hike who’d been that high up the Sturtevant Trail that morning. We hiked for about 10 minutes beyond the Halfway Rest sign, when we ran into that solo hiker. He said he had gone as high as he could do, but eventually lost the trail. We decided to push on. We eventually donned our gaiters as we tromped through the fresh powder. We saw how far the solo hiker had gotten, and now it was my turn to break the trail. We got into knee-deep snow, and then lost the trail. Well, actually, I felt like we may have been on it, but it was not clear. Plus there was a lot of fresh, loose snow and we saw several mini avalanches. We decided that it was prudent to turn around. My guess is we got within a quarter mile, or less, of the summit.
On our way down, we met a group of hikers with the Sierra Club. I believe they said they were doing a wilderness training class. They decided to turn around, just a little way beyond Halfway Rest. They were very kind and generous, offering us hot chocolate- which we happily accepted.
As we descended, the trail was now a bit icy, and we knew that we’d enjoyed that brief window, with all that lovely powder. Although we did not make the summit, we had a lovely hike and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Check out our pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/33777171@N06/sets ... 827355561/
Around 3,000 feet, things started getting interesting. As the sun grew higher, it started to melt the snow and ice up in the trees. At first we got a light misting as the thaw began. Then, we experienced an all out deluge! I stopped to put on my rain shell and pack cover. We were in an icy rain forest! I’ve never seen a thaw quite like that, and the other hikers we met said the same thing.
We kept on going, gaining elevation and of course, the ice kept falling and the snow got deeper. A cloud layer came in, and it got cooler. Eventually we were alone on the trail. We followed footsteps of the only other hike who’d been that high up the Sturtevant Trail that morning. We hiked for about 10 minutes beyond the Halfway Rest sign, when we ran into that solo hiker. He said he had gone as high as he could do, but eventually lost the trail. We decided to push on. We eventually donned our gaiters as we tromped through the fresh powder. We saw how far the solo hiker had gotten, and now it was my turn to break the trail. We got into knee-deep snow, and then lost the trail. Well, actually, I felt like we may have been on it, but it was not clear. Plus there was a lot of fresh, loose snow and we saw several mini avalanches. We decided that it was prudent to turn around. My guess is we got within a quarter mile, or less, of the summit.
On our way down, we met a group of hikers with the Sierra Club. I believe they said they were doing a wilderness training class. They decided to turn around, just a little way beyond Halfway Rest. They were very kind and generous, offering us hot chocolate- which we happily accepted.
As we descended, the trail was now a bit icy, and we knew that we’d enjoyed that brief window, with all that lovely powder. Although we did not make the summit, we had a lovely hike and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Check out our pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/33777171@N06/sets ... 827355561/
