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Peak(s):  Mt. Democrat  -  14,154 feet
Date Posted:  01/04/2010
Date Climbed:   01/03/2010
Author:  jdace82
 Mt. Democrat-Kite Lake   

Well, gave Mt. Democrat a shot this weekend but the weather had other plans for us...

Started off reasonably early, approx. 4:30, the temps were around 8 degrees with about a 30 mph wind. The road is closed at a large mine approx 3-3.5 miles from Kite lake. Not a terrible hike to the trail head, but ended up taking a little longer than expected and it was freezing cold. No need for snowshoes/crampons on the trail. Thank god for the restrooms at Kite lake; it was a nice place to get out of the wind for a bit, lol.

At Kite lake, snowshoes came in handy. Followed the standard route for about an hour and a half before it became too cold for my counterparts and we turned back. The mountain never came into view, and the wind never let up. Really wished I brought my Scarpas for this portion of the hike.

The weather got better on the way down (go figure), so I'm thinking a later start time might have been better, which seems kind of contradictory.

Would definitely recommend this hike during nice weather though, the snow conditions were great, perfect for snowshoes in the lower elevations and crampons in the upper. The views were awesome and I'm sure it would have been priceless at the top. Would also serve as a great snowboard/ski descent if you're into that.



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