Sunday March 15th:

Road conditions were rough about 3 miles below the trailhead on Four Mile Creek Road. The “You Will Get Stuck” sign turned out to be accurate — we initially attempted to drive farther but ended up getting stuck in a snow drift and were only able to get out using shovels and recovery boards. After that we parked there and walked the rest of the road to the trailhead, bringing the total day to about 11 miles and roughly 4,700 feet of gain round trip. The mining area around the Dauntless Mine had some icy sections, especially in shaded areas between old structures and tailings piles, so traction was helpful even before reaching the main route. Our approach stayed on the west side of the mountain and followed the standard Sherman route from the mining area up toward the saddle. Lower sections of the route were mostly dry tundra and gravel, but conditions transitioned to consistent hardpacked snow as we gained elevation. Microspikes were very helpful and we wore them for most of the climb, though an axe or crampons were not necessary. We had to cross one loose snowfield to gain the ridge, but otherwise the snowpack was firm and we experienced very little postholing. Weather was the biggest factor of the day, with temperatures around 15°F and sustained winds around 40 mph with gusts in the 60–70 mph range along the ridge and summit. Despite the wind, travel conditions were generally efficient due to the firm snow. Total round-trip time for us was about 4.5 hours. From the Sherman summit, both Sheridan and Gemini Peaks looked very accessible from the Sherman–Sheridan saddle area for anyone interested in linking additional summits while conditions remain firm. Skiing down didn’t seem very viable unless you’re willing to get in and out of gear a dozen times. You could probably ski/skin sections of Four Mile Creek Road, but it likely isn’t worth dragging skis all the way up the mountain.