Although the weather forecast was as confused as usual, it just felt like a good day to hike Mt. Defiance. I went up the Starvation Ridge Trail (#414) which was in good condition and completely clear of snow all the way to 3700’.
Icy patches started showing up on the trail once it leveled out on the way to Warren Lake. The last 0.5 mi to the lake was so icy that I put on my Microspikes so I wouldn’t have to watch every step or go off-trail. I must say the spikes worked perfectly and stayed tight to my boots – wearing them made things go much faster. The lake was completely covered with snow.
Beyond the lake, the real snow started and I followed some old snowshoe tracks to the summit. Along the way there were views of Adams and Rainier (under the clouds),
and Hood.
Although the day started with sun, some overcast had rolled in while I was hiking up, making me think that I’d be denied a view. But by the time I reached the summit, all the clouds were gone and the view was back.
There’s about 4-6’ of snow on the summit, surrounding the decorative antenna arrays.
I made a loop by descending Trail 413 (the main trail). Again, old snowshoe tracks lead down across the snowfields to where (about 4160’) the trail starts heading down the ridge. Very soon after this point, the snow disappeared and was replaced by hard ice on the trail. I needed my Microspikes again for about 100-200’ until I reached the wilderness boundary sign – at which point all of the snow & ice just disappeared. The trail was clear (except for a few minor blowdowns) all the way back to the parking lot. About 6.5 hours RT.
Mt Defiance (Starvation Ridge) 05-Mar-2010
Mt Defiance (Starvation Ridge) 05-Mar-2010
Last edited by VanMarmot on March 8th, 2010, 8:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Mt Defiance (Starvation Ridge) 05-Mar-2010
Very nice photos so clear, you will sleep good tonight.!
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
Re: Mt Defiance (Starvation Ridge) 05-Mar-2010
Nice, very nice... I really nead to get some of those spikey deals
Shoe Shine Boy Has Left The Building!
Re: Mt Defiance (Starvation Ridge) 05-Mar-2010
I ordered mine directly from the manufacturer, but now I see that REI has them (http://www.rei.com/product/774966). Might still come in handy for the next 3-4 weeks.mayhem wrote:Nice, very nice... I really nead to get some of those spikey deals