Up Teneriffe today with training weight. Parking lot was nearly full and the trail to the falls was crowded when I started at 12:30. Nothing in particular to report about the trail conditions lower down. Passed several people heading down the Kamikaze Trail as I headed up. One party said they hadn't intended to take that trail down, but accidentally found themselves on it instead of the new trail, which they had ascended on. Once I got near the top I saw how easy it would be to make that mistake and how lucky they were to have found any trail at all.
Snow starts around 4300' on the Kamikaze; I put on spikes here but probably could have waited until 4500' since I had poles. The summit block is snow free with a decent moat opening up. The snow is consolidated enough that I was fine in trail runners, although they weren't my intended footwear for this trip. It is quite slick and confusing with all the foot traffic through the steep snow in the trees. An ice axe wouldn't be a bad idea. Tree wells, thin snow bridges, random postholes, the works. Definitely be more careful than you think you need to be. Have a good GPS track to reference, too.
I took the new trail down; having been there before, I knew what to look for, but I can see how it would easily be missed when descending. Plenty of orange blazes guide you once you're on track, although the primary footsteps don't always follow them. Still easy to get off track without GPS. Removed spikes at 4200' but should have waited until 3900', since the interminable traverse beneath Blowdown is still almost fully snow covered.
Saw two people at the Si Connector turnoff and two more near the Roaring Creek turnoff, but that was it until meeting the Teneriffe Falls Trail again. Pretty crowded from there to the parking lot, which is signed for gate closure at 8pm.
Comments