We opted for spikes instead of snow shoes and that worked out fairly well. Most of the time we sunk in less than a foot and often, the surface was frozen well enough we didn't sink in at all.
In places it looked like this:
In other places, like this:
We crossed a couple of old logging roads and finally got to a wider road at 4,200’. No trace of snowmobile tracks, so our hopes of an easier surface didn’t work out, but we had a nice set of elk prints to follow for a while. Adams was sporting a nice lenticular, too.
Elk tracks at 4,200':
Hiking north a bit then back into the forest got us to the PCT at 4,450’. Unfortunately, no trace of previous travelers so there was no way we could forge ahead the distance we would have needed to get us back to the 23 road that way. The snow was only a little deeper but it was heavier and wetter so the going was too tough as we sunk in at least a foot with each step. The snow shoes would have worked here.
Kel on the PCT:
We went back the way we came and made it back to the 23 road only 45 minutes after sundown. The sky was crystal clear as we hiked back along the road with the Milky Way brightly lit above us. We saw Mars directly ahead and the Pleaides off to the left. We were hoping to see Saturn and Jupiter as they neared their solstice conjunction but they were too far to the SW and that part of the sky was hidden by the trees.
The meanderings in the forest to find the best path of least resistance ended up giving us 5.7 miles for the day with about 1165’ EG. It felt like 20 miles though!
Hike # 107
