Being true addicts to hiking/climbing/playing in snow we watched this first storm and knew Wednesday would be the day to get up and get out. We met in the SG Valley and drove one car to the trailhead. Chains were still required and Dave's Jeep with snow tires let us whiz right by the sign. The trailhead parking lot had not been plowed so we parked at a small turn-out created by the snowplow to begin our day. Someone had walked in boots about 10-steps from the TH but otherwise we broke trail to Horse Camp. We did see the x-country ski tracks of someone who had come through yesterday. We were having too much fun talking and enjoying the scenery that we lost trail and did some cross-country (e.g. forcing our way through Manzanita and Buckthorn) till we regained the trail and got to the wilderness sign. Since it was near our turn-around time we chose to make Poop-out Hill our lunch spot and turn-around point.
The day was warmer then we had expected and you could have shoed in shorts for a couple hours, but boy once the sun dips over the mtn it gets chilly quickly. This was the 2nd year in a row we got out there to make first tracks and enjoy the pristine solitude of the South Fork.
Winter in the local mountains is here! WooHoo!...
Hwy 38
Breaking trail
Only steep slope on the South Fork to Horse Camp was powdery fun
rest of the pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... nASnowyDay#
