Mount Maude — Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022

Got to the Phelps Creek TH around 11pm and began on the trail just before midnight. We made good time and the trail was pretty easy to follow until just after the junction with the SFJ trail after the basin. The trail was off from my map and at times was hard to see in the dark so it slowed just down just a little, but we made it to the saddle above Upper Ice Lake around 4:30 am. Up till this point there was at most 1 short snow crossing, but from here snow is continuous up to the ridge leading to the summit. Temps were in the 40s and the snow was ice so we put on crampons. Sun was just starting to peak as we were up the ridge to the summit so we almost ran the rest of the way. The views were incredible, it was below freezing on top but as the sun hit it got warm very quickly. We spent a good hour soaking in the views and warming up before heading back, running into several marmots and taking our time looking at all the wildflowers. The trail from Leroy Basin and down was incredibly dusty but water sources were aplenty.