Snow Overload

I didn't expect to go on another snowshoe so soon after last week's adventure, but I'm going gangbusters now that I finally have a decent set of snowshoes! (Thank you, Debbie :)) And poor overworked Heidi was pleading for a day in the mountains, so how could I say no?

Artist Point is kind of the go to in these parts, but having already done it several times, I was campaigning for something new. The snowshoe internet searches brought me to "Grace Lakes" which sounded like a perfect fit. A simple 4 mile round trip up and back - easy peasy, right? Well, I can tell you the first thing that wasn't easy about this plan is finding parking at Steven's Pass on a weekend. None of us wanted to navigate the new reservation system, and we foolishly thought that "lot four" (where the trail starts) wouldn't be full if we got there at 8:30 am. Plus it seemed that maybe the winter storm advisory warning would keep some folks away?

 That would be a no, and another no. Cars everywhere...in the ditch...spun out and blocking lanes...backed up for miles. Well, until we got over the pass, and then it looked like this...

Eek! But Heidi's trusty Ms Frizzle didn't falter and we found a spot in the lower lot that is about 10 minutes down the mountain. The bus shuttle got us back up to the main lot, where we needed to meander our way through the hordes of snowboarders and skiers to the start of the trail; adding a good two miles total to our day. 

Lone snowshoers in a sea of skiers

Once we officially started the trail we found it was decently packed down as it brings you up to some very cute cabins that can be rented out. But as soon as we left those behind, the snow got deep fast.

Easy peasy so far! Especially for free loader Sammy

Still okay

Getting difficult

We were following someone's tracks (never saw who) but the further we went, the deeper the snow got. There were places I sank in to my thighs! Falling down felt like I was being swallowed up. But we kept trying, until eventually these mystery tracks went straight up into the woods -- clearly away from the actual trail.

Help!

It only took a few feet of breaking trail in the close to two feet of new powder to realize that we wouldn't be seeing Grace Lakes this day. I don't even think we were a mile in! But it was time to wave the white flag - a beer at the lodge's Pacific Cantina was calling our names.

We done

Consolation Prize

But it's a good thing we called it quits early because the traffic going back on Hwy 2 is a nightmare that only gets worse the later it gets. So much for easy peasy. 

Ugh

But it was all worth it to hang out with good friends. Happy "a little more than you bargained for" trails.

 

Thanksgiving Sufferfest on the Crater Lake Rim

I have hosted Thanksgiving and cooked a turkey for close to 25 years. This year I needed a break. My husband agreed we should go on a little road trip for the four day holiday, but when I suggested snow backpacking in 14 degree weather, he only made a grunting noise...so I took that as a no.

But here's the thing; Ken knows how to suffer probably better than anyone I know. And though alpine climbing was never his thing, he did attempt a Rainier summit in his teens where he got stuck in a tent for three days during a snow storm. (One of many near death experiences...the best one you can read about here) Even so, I was pretty certain near freezing in a tent was most likely a situation he didn't want to live through more than once. 

They disintegrated when he put them on the heater!

But low and behold, I found he had dug out his old boots from the attic. And though clearly they were not going to work, he told me he had gone ahead and bought some new boots. So it was a "yes" after all! Crater Lake here we come!!

Sammy can't wait! But he has fur ;)

I knew it was the forecast that had finally sold it - having the opportunity to visit this National Park on two bluebird days is a rarity. With several feet of fresh snow, there was just enough of a break in the weather to plow the road to Rim Village; except we still had to snowshoe there just the same because the rule is you must park your car at the ranger station where you obtain your permit. 

No worries, it's just about an extra mile on the Raven Trail. So after checking out the cute visitor center, using the restrooms, filling out the self issued permit and getting our gear all sorted out we were finally on our way at 2 pm.

A 600 foot gain in a mile and a third isn't too bad in normal situations, but after a full hour of up and up in the snow I was EXHAUSTED. Thankfully the gift shop was open, so we could take a little break in their second floor heated observation room. 

Don't make me leave!

Another full hour went by WAY too fast, and suddenly we had an employee coming up to tell us they were closed. "Can't we just get our sleeping bags out up here?" I jokingly asked...but no, of course not. We had to snowshoe another hour and find a spot to set up our tent.

 

Can you see the UFO? (Ha ha, though Crater Lake has it's stories!)

After finding the start of the Discovery Point trail and getting our snowshoes on with frozen fingers, it was obvious the temperature was going down fast, along with the sun. The snow kept it light enough for us not to need headlamps until we made it the short mile further, but it was definitely getting dark when we stopped to make camp.

5:02 pm...we need that tent up!

I did read the rule that said to put up your tent where it couldn't be seen from the trail. We appreciated that the park wants to keep a unobstructed nature feel for the other snowshoers, but damn that hill to get up out of sight looked REALLY steep. Figuring there would be no snowshoers to see us, we opted to be naughty. Sorry, not sorry because it was SO COLD and we needed to get in the tent ASAP.

FYI, getting a Durston non free standing tent up in the snow is not easy. Honestly, I was starting to panic a little. Thank God for Ken who kept a cool head and was able to get those stakes packed in enough to hold. But the tent was wonky for sure, and felt much smaller than usual. When we finally crawled in our bags, we couldn't even think about eating or doing anything except trying to warm up. Thank God I bought ALL the warmers...hand, body, foot, toe...and we used every one. 

I've had better pitches, for sure

After a LONG night, we saw some light in the sky. WE SURVIVED! Surprised to find cell reception, I sent out this snap. Maybe 6 degrees isn't totally accurate, but Ken did have ice on his bag. I suggest investing in something rated warmer than 23 if you want to attempt this, unless you know how to suffer like Ken.

Sammy says, "I'll keep you warm"

We know we're bad...sue us

As expected, we did not see a soul until we were nearly back to Rim Village. This is when we ran into a young man we had spoken with briefly the day before. We exchanged stories and IG handles (his is eliastcobb if you want to check out his amazing photography) and then we complained about how we still had another mile to get down to our car. "I'll give you a ride!" was his reply and "Hell yes!" was our answer. We needed to hurry and get to Odell Lodge to make our snowmobile appointment at 2 pm. 

My first time! We highly recommend Odell Lodge

The rest of our road trip had zero suffering save a bit more driving than we would prefer. But we broke it up with a stop at Smith Rock State Park where Ken could relive some of his glory days. How fun to find where he had broken off a piece of rock while bouldering there decades earlier. 

Ken says he kept the piece for years...maybe we'll still find it.

"A bunch of us climbers were hanging out here under this overhang to get out of the rain while taking turns solving some problems. I was going to do a fancy move when the rock broke and I got launched backwards down this hill - right in front of Allan Watts!" I may not know the big names of climbers, but I knew Ken got to experience Smith Rock in it's infancy. It's sad those days are over, but I believe Ken and I still have adventures left in us...just probably not ones that will need a zero degree bag. Happy "worth it once it's over" trails!

Ken took me on his last trip there...1988? We just slept right on the ground back then; tents were for sissies! ;)

I even did some climbing! I wasn't half bad...but Ken was exceptional.

 

Read the earlier link to his other near death experience; it's really good and explains more about his climbing days.

We Need a LIttle Help from Our Friends...and E-Bikes

 

Rain, rain and more rain. Such is life here in the Pacific Northwest in late fall. I'm trying not to be depressed - I'm telling myself to embrace the different seasons for what they are. It isn't working. 

I actually can't remember the last time I felt this low. I go into more depth about that on my spiritual blog, but that's not what we are talking about here. This is about hiking...the depression antidote. 

And also friends, the other depression antidote. I'm SO SO VERY fortunate to have friends who are ready to say "yes"...yes I understand your sadness, yes I want to hang out with you, yes I will brave the rain with you, yes I'll bring some booze and a cheese ball. 

Heidi is our hiking Martha Stewart

 

FYI : the San Juan ferries do not allow you to make your own mimosas in their galley UNLESS you buy THEIR booze. Also none of the five shops that rent bikes in Friday Harbor are open in November, even though Google will tell you they are. These were just a couple road bumps in the plan; nothin' much to worry about when you have friends who are ready to roll with the punches.  

Thankfully Suzie's Mopeds answers their phone - so even though they are not at the store, they will get there and hook you up. (Or you could avoid all this hassle by ordering online the day before so they know to be there.) Be aware you will find that most of their stuff has been retired for the season...except exactly three e-bikes. Hooray! We were back in business!

Because we walked onto the ferry (no car) we would not be getting to the planned Mount Finlayson hike without the help of Suzie. (Actually her name was Anna...SO nice! I highly recommend.) I'm also certain we would not have gotten there without the help of the magic "E" part of the e-bike either. If you thought I was a slow hiker, you should see me bike! Thank you throttle!

It's 8 miles to the Mount Finlayson trailhead, but we whizzed right by it because it is marked as Jakle's Lagoon. No worries; we wanted to see the Cattle Point Lighthouse anyway, which is downhill another mile. Then back up that big hill (again, thank you magic E) to start the 4 mile loop hike.

I'm so glad I bit the bullet and paid for AllTrails this year. I've been thankful to have it many times, and this was no exception. Not that this is a complicated or difficult trail - it just has a few intersecting paths that seem confusing...especially if you have indulged in some mimosas. 

It would have been nice to have more daylight to explore the island. I really wanted to revisit English Camp; but we will have to save that for another day. I know I have friends that will be ready and waiting. Happy "depression busting" trails (and friends!)

Sammy was glad I didn't forget him this time!

Pushing Our Luck on Ptarmigan Ridge

 

Sammy is mad at me. Second time in a row I forgot to take him. I left my thermos of hot chocolate on the counter as well; but more importantly, I forgot to put my headlamp in my day pack. "No worries," I thought, "there's no way I'll need it." Tempting fate is a bad habit of mine. 

Debbie and I were not getting an early start, so I really wasn't expecting to get too many miles in. Though this being another "must do" hike, I was hoping to see as much of Ptarmigan Ridge as possible. I got a small taste of it on my very first backpack on Chain Lakes Loop 14 years ago, so it holds some nostalgia for me. Spending the night at another climber's camp would be AMAZING, but I knew it wasn't in the cards. Today was just about spending some time with one of my very best friends, so if we needed to turn around before getting to the end, that was totally fine. 

Expecting to find a parking spot in the Artist Point lot at 11am is a foolhardy plan. We kept circling anyway. Then, seeing that there was actually plenty of space at the end of a row where the traffic cone had been set, my rule follower friend suggested that the cone could be moved over just a smidge. Being a "is it a rule, or a suggestion" type of person, I was all about it. Then I put my "expired in September" forest road parking pass up (don't yell at me - I'll buy another one soon) and we were off to see how far we could get. 

It's been YEARS since I hiked with Debbie. (Stories here, here. here, here, here, here, and here. We've had some good times.) Therefore, I had forgotten what a go-getter she is. Apparently she had forgotten too - because she confessed on the drive there she was worried she was going to hold me back...me being such a pro now and all. OH BROTHER! 

I may hike a lot, but I'm not good at it. I'm slow, I'm clumsy (proof is coming later in story) I'm direction-ally challenged and worst of all, I take risks I shouldn't. My only "skills" are I'm stupid enough to love the suffering and I can easily sacrifice hygiene. 

Can you see the Ptarmigan? He's right on trail!

Anyway, you guessed it, I could barely keep up with Debbie. She kept going, and going, and going. This trail is particularly addicting...so we both couldn't help to continually say "just a little further." I kept checking my AllTrails app - and dang, we were actually getting close to the end. But the thing is, the AllTrails end point is "The Portals East"...a place we had no business going to. This is from the Washington Trail Association:

"At 4.5 miles and 5970 feet is a plateau suitable for camping, and what maps show as the end of the trail. Beyond the plateau, a primitive boot trail continues up the rocky hill to East Peak (also known as The Portals East)...The up-close views are outstanding, but the path requires route-finding skills and possibly mountaineering experience (depending on snow conditions). Each hiker must decide where their stopping point is, before returning the way they came."

So close...and yet so far away

We had actually made it to the end; except the trail was still beckoning us up further. "We need to turn around," I scolded, "neither of us have headlamps and it's almost 3:30." 

"You're right," Debbie agreed, "but just look up there...it's like it's the top of the world." (Video) Seeing those stars in her eyes - how could I say no? We may not have had headlamps, but we did have micro spikes. And it's going to be much faster going back. When is it dark? Around 7pm? Okay...just a little further.

Heading up!

Of course, once you're on top of the world, you can see there is still another top of the world "just a little further." We got to it at 3:41. Except you know it; another top of the world was still in sight. But even though we may be stupid, we're not complete idiots...we knew it was time to turn around.

It's hard to see with the snow, but in the middle is an awesome camp site surrounded by rock...I knew we should have brought my tent! ;)

We would have made it back before dark just fine if not for my fall. I've fallen MANY times during my "pro" hiking career, but I think this one hurt the worst. The adrenaline rush caused me to feel a little nauseous, and then VERY dizzy. It took a good 10 minutes of laying there before I could get up. But luckily, I could get up - and most importantly, I could still hike reasonably fast. An injury would have been "a situation," as Debbie put it. 

It was sobering. You can only push your luck so far before it catches up to you. It really is time to break my tempting fate ways. I would really prefer to not ever have to deal with "a situation" - but I know I need to be better prepared to face one need be. 

As it was, luck was still on my side, and we got to the car JUST as darkness fell. (With no ticket!) For future hikes I promise to buy another headlamp that always stays in my day pack. Happy "prepared for when luck runs out" trails!

It's pretty dang dark at 7:20!

And to whoever made this cute little guy - thank you! He made our night :)