Snow! - Breitenbush Lk to near Jeff Park Ridge - 10/22/16

[johnspeth]

That looks like "old snow", the kind that is more or less permanent despite weather that likes to melt it. Is that true?

[gratefultrails]

Amazing photos, what an insanely beautiful area! It's funny how Ollalie Butte looks a bit like Maiden peak from a certain angle. I wonder if there's more snow on those trails because of the many north-facing slopes?

[mattisnotfrench]

That looks like "old snow", the kind that is more or less permanent despite weather that likes to melt it. Is that true?

There is semi-permanent snow on the north side of Park Ridge, but the snowfield has been known to melt off in low-snow years (as in 2015). But it doesn't look like the OP made it to the main snowfield right below the crest of the ridge. It is very hard to get lost there but very easy to lose the trail itself on the ridge.

Amazing photos, what an insanely beautiful area! It's funny how Ollalie Butte looks a bit like Maiden peak from a certain angle. I wonder if there's more snow on those trails because of the many north-facing slopes?

Precisely. Because of its high elevation (6,000 feet and up) and its north-facing aspect, this area holds some snow very late into the summer, and gets snowed in very early in the fall. I would say it has a shorter season than all but a small handful of trails in the state for this reason.