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The
summit was very rocky and exposed with many patches of ice but very little
snow. I took a number of pictures from the up here, but the
real-life views were much better than how the developed pictures looked.
Flat photos don't do justice to the three-dimensional views you get in
real life. I also took a self-portrait that didn't come out at all.
After
about a half hour in the strong wind, I started back down. I had thought
about continuing on to Mt
Eisenhower, but my water was getting low and the
wind was sapping my energy, so despite the clear weather, I decided to
call it quits and head back down.
The
most difficult part of the trail was on the north side of the Mountain
where the drifts had formed. Even the footprints I had made on the way up
had drifted over. But this stretch was fairly short and I was soon in the
trees again and out of the wind. The walk down was uneventful but I was
tired and my remaining water had gotten icy cold which upset my stomach
when I drank it. I had brought a thermos of hot chocolate, but it had
cooled off much earlier, on the way up, so after drinking it, I stashed
the thermos behind a boulder, retrieving it on the way back.
Continuing
on down, I saw several interesting icicles hanging from exposed tree roots
along the side of the trail. Near the junction with the Crawford
Connector, I met a guy on snowshoes who was on his way up to camp by
Mizpah Hut. Finally, I reached the Hostel, which was closed until 4:00 PM,
then I headed back home, stopping at a couple of gift shops on the way.
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Looking
west from the summit of Mt Pierce to the Willey Range and beyond. Most of
the photos I took didn't do justice the real-life views from up here. |
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