Today was going up up up starting at the ranger station, down to the 120 trailhead by Bear creek lodge. About 10 mins into the run on 120 I saw a coyote for the first time ever in person! After that I followed 121 down to the park entrance and took 110 going up. At Saddle junction I took 160 to Mt Kit Carson wanting to see if many huckleberries were still around and found there are still a ton. I headed back down after taking in an incredible view from the top of KC and got on 140 to go catch the views at the top of Mt Spokane. 

Trails are in great shape and if you haven't already I'd recommend checking out trails 130 & 160 at Kit Carson. The WTA has done some great work on 130 and the vegetation in the area makes both of them scenic and a lot of fun to hike/run on.

Spring is coming slowly up on Mount Spokane. Highway 206 up to the Lower Loop Road Trailhead is snow free. Patchy snow in the woods begins below Bear Creek Lodge (about 3000'), and from the ranger station up most of the ground is snow covered, though the depth is greatly reduced from its winter high. The Lower Loop Road Trailhead is snow free, and the Snow Park Pass sign is down. All you need is a regular Discover Pass. Hiked from the lower hairpin trailhead up to Saddle Junction via Tr. 100 & Tr 110, returning the same way. On the lower half of the route there are a few patches of bare trail, but the way is mostly covered with snow. By far the best footing is along the compacted, raised treadway left from the winter's snowshoe traffic. Snowshoes were unnecessary and would have been a nuisance, but Yak Trax were needed to maintain secure footing on the narrowing and rounding ridge of solid material. Step to either side of the old snowshoe track and you posthole to the calf or knee. Up close to Saddle Junction the compacted tread was lost in more recent snow and footing got trickier, but not bad. Snowshoes might be useful from there on if going higher on the mountain. Snow depth at Saddle Junction is still 2/3 of the way up the side of outhouse. No trees down over the trail. Streams are running strong and buds are beginning to swell. Caught a swish of movement in the forest along Burping Brook too tiny to be a chipmunk, so I'm guessing vole or something like that. Had a great afternoon enjoying the periodic graupel showers and having the trail all to myself.

First of all, about the "Snow conditions," this was a snowshoe hike. Of course the trail was completely covered with snow. The snow did not present any unusual danger such as avalanches. The trail I took was well packed and frequently traveled. I had considered another route, up trail 100 to trail 130 and back on trail 140, but trail 100 to the upper Sno-Park lot vanished without tracks, and I could not find the next blue diamond after a turn sign, so I turned back. As I headed toward Mt.Spokane on a cloudy day, I was looking for an active way to get out of the house. Little did I realize as the road climbed up the mountain, I would also find myself above the depressing gloomy weather in town as well. By the time I reached the park, I needed to put on my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare. Today would be an escape from more than just the four walls of the house. I started out from the lower loop Sno-Park lot on the Kit Carson Loop Road. I left the road almost immediately on trail 100. I intended to hike uphill, but the trail was covered in snow, and I knew I lacked the way finding expertise and experience to locate it alone. When I hike by myself, or even with my favorite dog (who stayed home today,) I am very sensitive to my need to keep myself within my personal limits. It has never been my goal to be the object of a search and rescue mission. Discretion guiding my steps, I headed the other way on trail 100, avoiding the family with a small child, two dogs and new snowshoes hiking below me on the more traveled loop road. Properly appreciating the WTA built bridge over Burping Brook, I headed slightly uphill until I reached the junction with trail 110. I took a turn more directly uphill, traversing forests that I recalled from a summer hike as filled with blooming bear grass. All that remained were the stems bearing seed pods poking through the snow. I passed one hiker heading downhill, but otherwise had the entire trail to myself. The trail itself was well packed by previous hikers. The sky was clear blue and the sun added a little warmth to my day when it found a way through the trees. A creek crossing about half way up made me even more appreciative of the bridge I had crossed previously. Somehow, I managed to drop off the snow bank and climb up the other side without incident. As you can see from my pictures, the trees were whitened with snow and hoarfrost and the sky was a brilliant blue as I neared the saddle junction. I met three other snowshoers there who had packed trail 140 to the CCC cabin to take a break. We chatted for a moment, then I headed the other way on trail 140 down the hill toward the snowshoe cabin at Smith Gap. This trail was well traveled and easy to follow. I had never hiked it in the summer, avoiding the cyclists who use it as a downhill run. Some parts were a bit steeper than I would have liked, but I managed just fine. There was one tree down on the trail which I could step over. Another tree presented more of an obstacle and there was a path around it. The detour was a challenge due to its steepness, but again, I managed. When I reached Smith Gap, I took a brief break to enjoy a snack in the beautiful cabin there. Someone had built a fire, and I added a couple of logs to pass the gift of warmth on to hikers who I am certain followed me in resting there. The rest of my hike on the Kit Carson Loop was like traveling in a super highway after enjoying single track trails for most of my day out. I reached my car long before dark, and well after the family with the well dressed dogs had headed down the mountain for what some people consider civilization.

I did an Easter morning trail run on one of my favorite loops: from the switchback parking lot up trail 110 to Saddle Junction, then down trail 140 to Smith Gap (and the snowshoe hut), then across trail 100 to return to the trail head. I didn't encounter any snow at all until I was nearly to Saddle Junction. I was originally intending to go up trail 160 to Mt. Kit Carson, too, but decided not to since there was still patchy snow & ice up that high. The trails I ran are all downfall-free and in good condition.

It's hard to describe this hike using the dropdown menu. Really, this was two different hikes: one that started in 2013 & ended in 2014, followed by a little nap, and then restarted and expanded! Hike #1: start at 10pm. Hike to the summit to catch the fireworks displays at midnight. There were too many clouds to see much, just little flashes of light in the clouds far below--but above, the stars were so bright! Nature's fireworks win out, with the clouds blocking the light pollution from the cities. Then descend to the Mountaineers' chalet to sleep a little. Hike #2: start at 10am. Meet the group for the State Parks New Year's Day hike. It was very low turnout, but we had a first-time snowshoer who got the full tour! We went up to the summit, then dropped down the other side on trail 140, then connected back with trail 130 to return to the SnoPark lot. I hear that town was foggy all day long, but we were in the sun!