Started just after sunrise. The road from the cemetery to right below the trailhead turnoff was passable for a passenger van with no 4WD or carriage scraping. The trail (follow the arrow to the left) was in good condition to tree line. In the willow-filled valley, there was mud across the trail in many places and almost swampy conditions at times. It is a very steep hike out of the valley to the ridge, and the footing is definitely poor for the hike down. After crossing the smooth (green) part of the ridge to the large scree slope, the trail gets hard to follow and the hiking becomes strenuous at times until you top out and can see the final summit ridge. No ice on the trail.
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