Burley Mountain — Sunday, Apr. 2, 2017

South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley

Started down at the Cispus Center. The trails up to curtain falls were in good condition for spring. No trouble on the switchback trail past the falls. The trail at the split on the way up to the peak was blocked by small and mid sized trees in many locations but still passable without having to go off trail, ground cover choked the trail in some areas but likewise still passable. The last 1-1/2 mile the snow was passable with good boots and poles but I lost tracks about a half mile from the peak and we were not fully prepared with gaiters or a comfortable amount of time left. Snowshoes might be a bit overkill but snow baskets for poles would have helped. The snow was approximately 12-16" deep and due to the warming weather you start breaking the surface easily. Additionally as a good amount of the trail is on the north side of the mountain the light will start setting sooner so keep that in mind for turnaround time. Lastly the elevation gain is 4,000ft (not 400) as you start out at at approx 1285ft