Pleasant View Ridge Photos
We started on the western edge of Juniper Hills, gaining Pleasant View Ridge at BM 4852. At this elevation, there was little if any snow, and progress up the steep slopes was relatively straightforward as what is often loose sand had frozen solid overnight.
We soon encountered thin, patchy snow that was surprisingly firm. It appeared that no new snow had fallen overnight at this elevation. A thin coating of surface hoar provided good grip -- a good thing as the crampons were in the car and it was way too early to put on the snowshoes.
We maintained steady progress up the ridge, with the snow reaching an honest snowpack just below View 6586. We managed without the snowshoes for a bit longer, but intermittent postholing became regular postholing a bit below Point 7025. We put on showshoes near there.
The snowshoes became essential as we crossed over breakable crust atop buried buckthorn. Even with the snowshoes, we occasionally broke through into the brush, sinking in to our waists. I suppose this made for some humorous moments, if puncture wounds are a funny thing.
Progress became substantially more difficult as we began the ascent of Pallett Point. The snowshoes were holding well, but this portion of the ridge had seen a bit of overnight snowfall, and the underlying snowpack was softer as well, making every step upward a bit more work than lower down on the ridge.
Nonetheless, we pushed on to Will Thrall Peak. The stretch from Pallett to Will Thrall Peak was incredibly beautiful. Thin rime covered tall pines, and deep drifts formed sizable cornices on the northward facing slopes. The blazing white was a stunning contrast to the brown deserts below.
As the summit of Will Thrall Peak is fully treed, the panorama was somewhat limited. But we still caught a full view of the Devil's Punchbowl and the upper section of PVR leading onward beyond Burkhart Saddle.
My thanks to Elwood for another great day in the mountains...
