The Hamilton Mountain trail was snow-free up to the first good view point at 1600’,
but soon thereafter picked up about 6” of new snow – just enough to fill in the old boot tracks. I had snowshoes and Microspikes but used neither. It was clear enough early on (before 9am) for a view of Hood.
The wind came back with a vengeance on the summit and extra layers of clothing were immediately needed to stave off its bite. The summit sign seems to be taking a beating - either from the weather or excessive memorializing of reaching the top.
Using the sign as a brace (it was very hard to hold the camera steady in the wind), I got this shot of a very snow covered Table Mountain, with an even snowier Adams in the distance.
I continued N along the ridge to make a loop and ran into very strong winds (30+ mph) at the saddle. The wind had scoured the snow off the saddle in some places,
while piling it into 3-4’ drifts in others. In one location, frozen boot tracks had served as a resist to the etching action of the wind, leaving “prints” of boots that were 2-3” thick.
Once past the saddle, the wind ceased and I was able to hike down the road in calmer, but not any warmer, conditions. There was about 6-8” of snow on the road, but it was over a solid base so, once again, there was no need for snowshoes (but I take comfort in the extra exercise gained from carrying them up and down Hamilton).
Just after I reached the Hardy Creek Trail, the clouds moved in and direct sunlight became but a memory. This was also where my camera’s battery finally succumbed to either overwork or the cold. Back at the TH, the wind was still going full blast – to the point where I had to lean into it to move forward. This must have looked odd to drivers zooming past on 14 but ... I ... just ... wanted ... to ... reach ... the ... heater ... in ... my ... car...
