Walter on a Mountain and Mama's Frozen Bra

Walter and I had a most excellent day today. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and decided to go on a little hike in the snow. We were at the hairpin turn parking lot on Mt. Spokane by 7:30am and on the trail by 7:45. The sky was clear and beautiful but I have no idea how cold it was up there. All I know is that it was damn cold. We headed up trail 100 to 110 and up to the saddle between Beauty Mountain and Mt. Kit Carson. Then we went up 170 to the summit of Mt. Kit Carson. I had forgotten just how steep the last section of the trail is and my legs were hurting pretty bad by the time I got up to the top. For about half the way up on 110 I did not have to use my snow shoes because the snow was so icy and packed down that I did not sink. I planned on us having a wee picnic at the top and even brought something to sit on, but even though the sun was shining it was really cold and the wind was strong. My water bottle was frozen as were my nipples. A very big bit of advice...don't wear a cotton bra in the cold if you are going to sweat. Seriously, my bra was crunchy.

We hung out on top for a bit and took a few pictures, then headed back down trail 115. Unlike 110, this one does not switchback at all but goes straight up and down. There were a few spots where I thought I was going to end up flipping over, but my snow shoes are excellent and have really good grip. If anyone wants to know what kind to buy, I absolutely recommend the MSR Denali. I thought these snow shoes were a bit of a joke when I rented them at REI a few years ago, but was immediately won over. Unlike the typical aluminum ones with a big rubber deck, these are all hard plastic. Every time I use them I am more and more impressed. They have big sharp crampons on the toe and metal grippers that run the entire length to keep you from sliding on a side hill as well as more traction projections molded into the plastic. They have the best bindings of any snow shoes I have used. Each is independent so if one loosens, it will not affect the others, and they are totally easy to put on and take off. When we got back to the car I was watching a guy take off some aluminum ones and he had to basically almost sit on his butt to undo the laces. With these you just give them a yank and they are off. And they only cost around $100!!!! There are longer floatation tails that can be put on for walking in really deep dry powder, but these have been fine for my weight in our typically heavier snow. AND, a cool thing is that the crampons can be removed by undoing two cotter pins if you just need them for walking on ice. The only thing I don't like about them is if the snow is really hard or icy, they can be a bit on the noisy side. But I LOVE them. So, MSR is getting some free advertising!

We only saw a few people on the trails, probably because we started so early. We hooked up with the Loop Road to head back to the parking lot. When we got part way down 115 we stopped and had some lunch. It was then that I realized my trim athletic poodle has put on a few pounds this fall. He is still cute though. Though I froze my nipples off and realized that I have let my dog go to seed, it was a damn fine day.

Pictures from top to bottom: The sign for Mt. Kit Carson (we came down this trial, not up), Valley View, my snowshoes, the summit of Mt. Kit Carson, cute Walter, a view towards the Kettle Range, Mt. Spokane from Mt. K-C, a view on the way down.