Tom Rankin
Well-known member
We took Sunday off while some other people at the Jack Rabbit braved the cold and wind. I'll let them speak for themselves...
We got up early on Monday and hit the 'trail' to Sawteeth at just before 7:00. The almost full moon was still visible in a clear and very cold sky (around 0) making for a pretty start.
We signed in at the gate, and wore snowshoes from the start. It started getting lighter as we walked down the road. By the time we got to Lower Ausable Lake, we could see the sun shining on the Great Range. Amazingly, we never saw any other hikers all day, but we did see 2 snowmobilers heading across the lake.
The snow fall from 36 hours ago was minimal. There was just a dusting down low, and it only increased slightly as we ascended. (The contrast from 2 days ago was amazing! Everything was frozen solid now, and MUCH colder! Read my TR from 1/14 for comparison). The winds were light until we got up to the saddle between Sawteeth and Pyramid/Gothics, but from then on, they were gusting enough to ocassionally alter our steps. This caused some snow drifts of up to a foot. Even though a lot of snow melted off in the past few days, there was still 2-3' of snow to posthole into if you strayed off the trail! We got to the saddle in about 3 hours, but decided to keep on going because of the wind.
The hike from the saddle to the summit is by far the most steep and icy part of this climb. There is one stretch of about 30 feet that was completly iced over. With a little careful climbing we made it up. After this, there were a few tricky spots, but we made it safely. Speaking of safely, the ice axes and crampons were stowed safely in the car!
After a few more minutes, we were on top. The views were great! We took a few pics and headed back right away. The steep parts on the way back down were interesting, to say the least! We both butt slid (unintentionally) on the steep ice and came to a rude stop at the bottom! Ouch!
On the way back, we stopped for a break and walked over to Rainbow Falls. You can see it from the trail from up high on the side, but you can take a side trail to right underneath the falls. I had never been there before, and it was truly spectacular! I just couldn't stop taking pictures. The falls were mostly frozen, but a good amount of water was still running down. The sun was just beginning to shine on the top of the falls, so all the colors were still visible.
Tearing ourselves away, we walked back down the loooooooooong road back to the car and the looooooooong road back home. It was a great day!
(Pictures will be posted when I get to a 'real' internet connection! )
We got up early on Monday and hit the 'trail' to Sawteeth at just before 7:00. The almost full moon was still visible in a clear and very cold sky (around 0) making for a pretty start.
We signed in at the gate, and wore snowshoes from the start. It started getting lighter as we walked down the road. By the time we got to Lower Ausable Lake, we could see the sun shining on the Great Range. Amazingly, we never saw any other hikers all day, but we did see 2 snowmobilers heading across the lake.
The snow fall from 36 hours ago was minimal. There was just a dusting down low, and it only increased slightly as we ascended. (The contrast from 2 days ago was amazing! Everything was frozen solid now, and MUCH colder! Read my TR from 1/14 for comparison). The winds were light until we got up to the saddle between Sawteeth and Pyramid/Gothics, but from then on, they were gusting enough to ocassionally alter our steps. This caused some snow drifts of up to a foot. Even though a lot of snow melted off in the past few days, there was still 2-3' of snow to posthole into if you strayed off the trail! We got to the saddle in about 3 hours, but decided to keep on going because of the wind.
The hike from the saddle to the summit is by far the most steep and icy part of this climb. There is one stretch of about 30 feet that was completly iced over. With a little careful climbing we made it up. After this, there were a few tricky spots, but we made it safely. Speaking of safely, the ice axes and crampons were stowed safely in the car!
After a few more minutes, we were on top. The views were great! We took a few pics and headed back right away. The steep parts on the way back down were interesting, to say the least! We both butt slid (unintentionally) on the steep ice and came to a rude stop at the bottom! Ouch!
On the way back, we stopped for a break and walked over to Rainbow Falls. You can see it from the trail from up high on the side, but you can take a side trail to right underneath the falls. I had never been there before, and it was truly spectacular! I just couldn't stop taking pictures. The falls were mostly frozen, but a good amount of water was still running down. The sun was just beginning to shine on the top of the falls, so all the colors were still visible.
Tearing ourselves away, we walked back down the loooooooooong road back to the car and the looooooooong road back home. It was a great day!
(Pictures will be posted when I get to a 'real' internet connection! )
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