Fat Tuesday
New member
Executive Summary:
• Isolation via Rocky Branch, etc.
• Nif, Adventurous and Fat Tuesday
• And pink cans of Sofia Coppola bubbly
• 8 hours
• Sunny, single digits and WINDY
Details:
Nif, Adventurous and I met up at the Rocky Branch trailhead at 7:00. Original plan had been to at least go in via Glen Boulder, but the -50 wind chill forecast squelched that real fast.
Nif and Kim (literally) peeled in and promptly realized that Kim’s microspikes had forgotten themselves at Jen’s friend’s house in Jackson, so they went to retrieve them. This gave me time to review a PM that BobC had kindly sent me with beta from his trip on Saturday.
Jen, Kim and microspikes returned and we hit the trail at 7:40 a.m. Traces of snow for the first mile, icy patches set in soon after. We reached the forest boundary at 9:00, I think. Wind was howling through the sparse hardwoods and I wore five layers and down mittens. Beyond the boundary we encountered hockey rink-like sheets of ice interspersed with muddy sinkholes under thin ice layers.
We reached the first river crossing at 9:30 and…. Completely frozen over! Contrary to BobC’s experience on Sat, we cruised right over a strong snow/ice/log bridge. Second crossing was cake too, just had to seek out the thickest ice. A half mile later we followed what we thought was the trail across the rocky branch again, and then realized that we had added our own optional river crossing. We quickly crossed back and found the trail again.
Jen--who, though recovering from surgery was still lightning fast—shot ahead and found the bushwhack around river crossing #3, which looks like it would’ve been tough. Crossing #4 was simple and we were up and away towards the Davis Path. Tons of ice covered mud still. I may have been wearing 7 layers at this point.
As we climbed towards the campsites snow cover increased to something like six inches. It was really beautiful. Still super windy though. We made it to the summit spur at about 11:40 and suited up for the conditions. Face masks, goggles and microspikes.
Wind was howling at around 40 mph and as we left tree cover I fixed my eyes on the summit cairn and essentially dove for it. I was all set to run back to treeline when Kim shouted above the wind “I think it’s over _there_!”
Blast! A few steps further. We stumbled up to the true summit cairn, tagged it, and snapped a couple photos. The presis were in view, with sun, blowing snow and passing clouds romanticizing the scene, but we could not stop to admire. It was brutally windy and I could barely stay upright.
We descended quickly, regrouped below the spur and headed back, stopping to eat lunch after the 2nd rocky branch crossing.
Back in the parking lot we drank our champagne-in-a-can and then headed to Moat Mountain for provisions.
What a day! Jen and Kim were amazing companions and oh yeah- it was my 48th! Five years and three months and I’m done with that flippin list! Cold and windy, but we all agreed that the trails were so much faster because of the ice cover. I’d really wanted to do Glen Boulder but it actually felt quite cathartic to conquer the trail that conquered me twice within the last month. Even my friend the grouse shrunk back in fear this time.
Huzzah, Isolation is finally underfoot. (Though I do still need it in calendar winter....)
**A few photos to come. Our cameras were frozen for most of the trip and when they weren’t, it was too cold stop, pull out cameras and pose.
• Isolation via Rocky Branch, etc.
• Nif, Adventurous and Fat Tuesday
• And pink cans of Sofia Coppola bubbly
• 8 hours
• Sunny, single digits and WINDY
Details:
Nif, Adventurous and I met up at the Rocky Branch trailhead at 7:00. Original plan had been to at least go in via Glen Boulder, but the -50 wind chill forecast squelched that real fast.
Nif and Kim (literally) peeled in and promptly realized that Kim’s microspikes had forgotten themselves at Jen’s friend’s house in Jackson, so they went to retrieve them. This gave me time to review a PM that BobC had kindly sent me with beta from his trip on Saturday.
Jen, Kim and microspikes returned and we hit the trail at 7:40 a.m. Traces of snow for the first mile, icy patches set in soon after. We reached the forest boundary at 9:00, I think. Wind was howling through the sparse hardwoods and I wore five layers and down mittens. Beyond the boundary we encountered hockey rink-like sheets of ice interspersed with muddy sinkholes under thin ice layers.
We reached the first river crossing at 9:30 and…. Completely frozen over! Contrary to BobC’s experience on Sat, we cruised right over a strong snow/ice/log bridge. Second crossing was cake too, just had to seek out the thickest ice. A half mile later we followed what we thought was the trail across the rocky branch again, and then realized that we had added our own optional river crossing. We quickly crossed back and found the trail again.
Jen--who, though recovering from surgery was still lightning fast—shot ahead and found the bushwhack around river crossing #3, which looks like it would’ve been tough. Crossing #4 was simple and we were up and away towards the Davis Path. Tons of ice covered mud still. I may have been wearing 7 layers at this point.
As we climbed towards the campsites snow cover increased to something like six inches. It was really beautiful. Still super windy though. We made it to the summit spur at about 11:40 and suited up for the conditions. Face masks, goggles and microspikes.
Wind was howling at around 40 mph and as we left tree cover I fixed my eyes on the summit cairn and essentially dove for it. I was all set to run back to treeline when Kim shouted above the wind “I think it’s over _there_!”
Blast! A few steps further. We stumbled up to the true summit cairn, tagged it, and snapped a couple photos. The presis were in view, with sun, blowing snow and passing clouds romanticizing the scene, but we could not stop to admire. It was brutally windy and I could barely stay upright.
We descended quickly, regrouped below the spur and headed back, stopping to eat lunch after the 2nd rocky branch crossing.
Back in the parking lot we drank our champagne-in-a-can and then headed to Moat Mountain for provisions.
What a day! Jen and Kim were amazing companions and oh yeah- it was my 48th! Five years and three months and I’m done with that flippin list! Cold and windy, but we all agreed that the trails were so much faster because of the ice cover. I’d really wanted to do Glen Boulder but it actually felt quite cathartic to conquer the trail that conquered me twice within the last month. Even my friend the grouse shrunk back in fear this time.
Huzzah, Isolation is finally underfoot. (Though I do still need it in calendar winter....)
**A few photos to come. Our cameras were frozen for most of the trip and when they weren’t, it was too cold stop, pull out cameras and pose.
