Road:
Road mostly clear to the TH. This morning, there was one patch of black ice on the way up to the highest point (Elk Rock VP). It was quite obvious if you're paying attention. I will note that on the way back, the snow along the side of the road was melting, so if it freezes overnight, there could be more slippery patches.
Hummocks:
No pass required to park. I only did the short leg of the loop that connects to the Boundary Trail. No snow or mud.
Boundary west to JRO:
HOLY WIND. (Typical, but still gets me every time.) It starts out innocent enough...lulling you into a false sense of security. Snow patches start about 1/2 mile from the Loowit viewpoint. At this point, the icy snow wasn't hard to cross, and I didn't need spikes. One note...I implore anyone reading this and hiking it to try to stay on the trail over the snow patches. This is such a precious, fragile area, and people are trampling the vegetation trying to get around the snow. Take the path less traveled and go over it with care...there are bootprints to follow.
The wind was out in full force at Loowit VP. From there, it was just me, the howling wind, and the goat tracks. Didn't look like anyone had been up recently. I still didn't feel the need to put on traction yet. The snow was not deep (or not even existent in parts) and was still hard and crunchy in the early morning.
I got to just about JRO and put on snowshoes to get down the final short slope to the parking area. Excellent views at the observatory, and you are able to find little hidey-holes out of the wind. I still wasn't ready to go back yet, and since I had my snowshoes on, I continued on towards Harry Ridge. Snowshoes are vital at this point. (On my return, I saw several very fresh postholed footprints that quickly turned around.) The snow is insanely deep in spots, and although it was only 9:30 am, it was getting soft and sloppy. I followed the wooden poles and Gaia to find the trail. It was absolutely awesome to have this magical place all to myself. Saw the mountain goats! I also noticed someone behind me had forged his own trail and had ended up on the roof of the observatory. (do not recommend???)
I made it about 1/2 mile to a gorgeous viewpoint, where I turned around. Snow/trail conditions were still okay, but I had reached my limit with the wind. The trail was definitely getting busy on my return. Lots of people out enjoying the sun and the best WA volcano. ;)
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