MEB
New member
I thought for sure after last weekend’s warm weather a lot of the snow would have melted. As sis and I drove down the Kanc it did appear as though most of it was gone, at least down low. Wrong. Forever the optimist…I like to think the best but more often than not things are always just a bit different than what I had imagined.
We met Andy at the Pine Bend trailhead and started off sans snowshoes. Oh boy, those first 10 steps or so were so nice and quiet! I could actually hear what everyone was saying. I’ve forgotten how quiet it is when there is no snow to crunch through. Anyway, the snow-free trail ended quickly….crunch, crunch, crunch. After the first stream crossing we put the snowshoes on and continued. The remainder of the stream crossings were all manageable even with the snowshoes on.
As we tackled the first steep section our pace slowed down considerably. There is just so much snow! It’s all wet and mushy right now so that with each step you weren’t sure if you would sink in, slide back or just plain fall right over. It was like walking in cold mashed potatoes all day long. I got a little bit ahead of Andy and Sis…..oh, you should have heard them mumbling and grumbling, then silence, then a burst of laughter. Very entertaining.
After losing the trail a few times, eating some bark and branches, and clearing some blow downs we finally reached the summit. Just beyond the summit Andy made an interesting find, I almost let it ruin my day but then I came to my senses. We decided to leave our packs here and after a nice break we headed over to Middle Tri and then back.
Now the fun begins! There was no way to stay upright on the way down, well at least Andy and I couldn’t. Somehow Rachel was able to keep her balance and snow-telied most of the way…secretly I, kept hoping she would fall but darn it, when she sets her mind to something there is no messing with it. I tried and tried but the snow was so mushy and slippery it was easier just to slide down on my butt. Oh, it was so cold, especially when it went down my backside!
Burrrrrrr! And not to mention it hurt like heck when I tried to slow myself down with my hands. Ouch!
Anyway, we made it safely back to the car being a little wet, tired and very hungry. Thanks Andy and Rachel for another fun day of April hiking.
-MEB
We met Andy at the Pine Bend trailhead and started off sans snowshoes. Oh boy, those first 10 steps or so were so nice and quiet! I could actually hear what everyone was saying. I’ve forgotten how quiet it is when there is no snow to crunch through. Anyway, the snow-free trail ended quickly….crunch, crunch, crunch. After the first stream crossing we put the snowshoes on and continued. The remainder of the stream crossings were all manageable even with the snowshoes on.
As we tackled the first steep section our pace slowed down considerably. There is just so much snow! It’s all wet and mushy right now so that with each step you weren’t sure if you would sink in, slide back or just plain fall right over. It was like walking in cold mashed potatoes all day long. I got a little bit ahead of Andy and Sis…..oh, you should have heard them mumbling and grumbling, then silence, then a burst of laughter. Very entertaining.
After losing the trail a few times, eating some bark and branches, and clearing some blow downs we finally reached the summit. Just beyond the summit Andy made an interesting find, I almost let it ruin my day but then I came to my senses. We decided to leave our packs here and after a nice break we headed over to Middle Tri and then back.
Now the fun begins! There was no way to stay upright on the way down, well at least Andy and I couldn’t. Somehow Rachel was able to keep her balance and snow-telied most of the way…secretly I, kept hoping she would fall but darn it, when she sets her mind to something there is no messing with it. I tried and tried but the snow was so mushy and slippery it was easier just to slide down on my butt. Oh, it was so cold, especially when it went down my backside!
Burrrrrrr! And not to mention it hurt like heck when I tried to slow myself down with my hands. Ouch! Anyway, we made it safely back to the car being a little wet, tired and very hungry. Thanks Andy and Rachel for another fun day of April hiking.
-MEB
