Silverfox
New member
Trail Conditions: Solid hardpacked trail to beyond Mitzpah Cutoff...from there a few areas with loose snow but easy going..last couple of hundred yards to WJ trail were above tree level and icy..Webster Jackson to summit a mix of windblown pebbly ice and ice..Summit cairn barely poking above the snow,,new winter summit about 50 yards south..one crawl under blowdown around 3850 feet
Equipment: used katooluhs all the way..there were a couple of icy chutes where 12 point would have been better..Very windy out in the open so full winter gear..there was some moderate drifting towards the top..certainly much more hardpack and ice then loose snow
Comments: A random group of 5 started out at the trailhead with somewhat the same goal..ascend the ridge and determine whether Eisenhower was in reach..Beautiful walk up a well packed trail to around 4000 feet where the moan of the winds got louder and louder..quite windy as I broke above the tree line and cold..ascent to Pierce was windblown and icy..the views were stupendous in all directions with very little haze..Rest of the informal group passed on Eisenhower..a little too much exposure for me to solo I thought so after lingering at the summit a bit had a nice liesurely descent...
Equipment: used katooluhs all the way..there were a couple of icy chutes where 12 point would have been better..Very windy out in the open so full winter gear..there was some moderate drifting towards the top..certainly much more hardpack and ice then loose snow
Comments: A random group of 5 started out at the trailhead with somewhat the same goal..ascend the ridge and determine whether Eisenhower was in reach..Beautiful walk up a well packed trail to around 4000 feet where the moan of the winds got louder and louder..quite windy as I broke above the tree line and cold..ascent to Pierce was windblown and icy..the views were stupendous in all directions with very little haze..Rest of the informal group passed on Eisenhower..a little too much exposure for me to solo I thought so after lingering at the summit a bit had a nice liesurely descent...
