Dix was most enjoyable. It was a heck of a long walk in and out but SO much easier w/out snowshoes! The cold temps hardened the trail enough that it wasn’t muddy, though beyond the lean-to there was a lot of running water on the trail under the ice. The two of us put on our microspikes for the stream crossing at the lean-to and then kept them on all the way up and all the way out. The really steep part above the slide would have been impossible without them, but the microspikes handled it with aplomb. The slide itself was awesome; a true river of ice!
Above timberline we got blasted so hard that walking was difficult. The sky was dark with patches of blue but no sun and the krumholz was still all snow-covered and rime-frosted. With the cold and the wind it felt very alpine up there. We had intermittent views of the Great Range and there were patches of sun on Giant & RPR. Nippletop and Dial were in the clear. After scurrying across the rocks to touch the summit bolt we quickly retreated below the junction with the Hunter’s Pass trail where it was finally still again and we stopped for a few minutes to refuel.
The walk out actually seemed easier than coming in because we wore the microspikes all the way to the road. It was the first time I'd used mine. I think I will use them often from now on. Total time up and down was 9 hours; on the trail at 7:30/out by 4:30. Not fast by kids' standards, but maybe OK for a codger and codgerette whose combined ages total 145. This was #33 toward nundie's W.
Above timberline we got blasted so hard that walking was difficult. The sky was dark with patches of blue but no sun and the krumholz was still all snow-covered and rime-frosted. With the cold and the wind it felt very alpine up there. We had intermittent views of the Great Range and there were patches of sun on Giant & RPR. Nippletop and Dial were in the clear. After scurrying across the rocks to touch the summit bolt we quickly retreated below the junction with the Hunter’s Pass trail where it was finally still again and we stopped for a few minutes to refuel.
The walk out actually seemed easier than coming in because we wore the microspikes all the way to the road. It was the first time I'd used mine. I think I will use them often from now on. Total time up and down was 9 hours; on the trail at 7:30/out by 4:30. Not fast by kids' standards, but maybe OK for a codger and codgerette whose combined ages total 145. This was #33 toward nundie's W.
