Last wave of snow only put 1-4in or so on the ground between yesterday and New Years, less down below and more up high. Trail is well-packed up to just before treeline but gets blown over at around 11,900ft. From there I chose to go straight up the slope towards the flat rounded off-area at 12,700ft on the way to DP, snow was shallow there due to wind blowing upslope.
And boy was it windy, incessant winds blowing all of that new loose snow from DP area all the way to the summit and back. I decided to follow the summer trail and traverse the NE side of Little Pikes as the snow wasn't too deep and I only had to posthole a few steps. I walked the road back to DP since nobody else was up there. Really pretty area, forest is lush down below and there's expansive mountain views on the approach. Didn't really need snowshoes, gaiters would be helpful for stepping in drifts. I should have insulated my stuff more, a lot of time spent above 13k made my stuff freeze and shut down more than usual.
            
|
