T
the_swede
Guest
Date of Hike: 3/21/08
Trail Conditions: Started out at the trailhead on route 42 around 11 AM. At the beginning, the trail was void of snow and ice, especially in the South facing parts. There were a few patches of ice which made me believe that we would soon be running into wintery conditions. I strapped on my crampons but I just felt silly walking in them, which picked up more leaves than anything else. It wasn't until I reached Reconnoiter Rock that the snow and ice started to build up and the crampons became useful. At this point, the wind was quite gusty and some of the ledges took the full brunt of it. At the 3500 foot ledge, we took a picture break and the wind was relentless. However, the trees offered good protection. From the 3500 foot mark, slabs of ice definitely warranted crampons. The snow was mostly hard packed with a few inches of fresh powder on top. Occasionally there would be a snow drift that was a foot or so deep. Once we reached the summit clearing, we headed down until we could see Table and stopped for a lunch break. We continued on after feeling rejuvenated and tackled the remaining 200 feet or so of climbing. There was a nice section of ice that my crampons just ate away at but the rest was mainly hard packed snow. The summit of Table is not too obvious, so I continued until the trail started heading downhill, where there's an obstructed view of Slide. After this, I turned back and headed the same way I came up. By the time I got down below Reconnoiter Rock (about 3000 feet), most of the snow and ice from earlier had melted away and the only thing that was slippery were the wet leaves.
Special Equipment Required: Crampons! My friend only had stabilicers and he wasn't having a fun time. We both brought snowshoes but they weren't used.
Trail Conditions: Started out at the trailhead on route 42 around 11 AM. At the beginning, the trail was void of snow and ice, especially in the South facing parts. There were a few patches of ice which made me believe that we would soon be running into wintery conditions. I strapped on my crampons but I just felt silly walking in them, which picked up more leaves than anything else. It wasn't until I reached Reconnoiter Rock that the snow and ice started to build up and the crampons became useful. At this point, the wind was quite gusty and some of the ledges took the full brunt of it. At the 3500 foot ledge, we took a picture break and the wind was relentless. However, the trees offered good protection. From the 3500 foot mark, slabs of ice definitely warranted crampons. The snow was mostly hard packed with a few inches of fresh powder on top. Occasionally there would be a snow drift that was a foot or so deep. Once we reached the summit clearing, we headed down until we could see Table and stopped for a lunch break. We continued on after feeling rejuvenated and tackled the remaining 200 feet or so of climbing. There was a nice section of ice that my crampons just ate away at but the rest was mainly hard packed snow. The summit of Table is not too obvious, so I continued until the trail started heading downhill, where there's an obstructed view of Slide. After this, I turned back and headed the same way I came up. By the time I got down below Reconnoiter Rock (about 3000 feet), most of the snow and ice from earlier had melted away and the only thing that was slippery were the wet leaves.
Special Equipment Required: Crampons! My friend only had stabilicers and he wasn't having a fun time. We both brought snowshoes but they weren't used.
