Continued from the previous page . . .

ROCKS, MUD, THEN SNOW: ARE WE HAVING FUN YET??

Yes, indeed! This page continues the ascent to the ice field.

I started finding isolated patches of snow on the trail within the first mile. Where there wasn't soft snow, most of the trail in the first two miles was muddy because of recent rainfall and/or snowmelt. Wet rocks were slick, too.

These pictures continue in order as I climbed higher:

 

 

As you'd expect, there was more snow above treeline as I climbed higher:

 

The last two miles were mostly covered in deep snow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was rather slow going because I was trying to follow the trench and/or footprints of the hikers ahead of me. This was easier when the trail was undulating through rolling terrain, as in the photos above.

In some places the slope was very steep; I had to be careful to stay on course so I didn't take a long slide down to the cliff next to the glacier:

 

 

 

The last mile was sort of a large plateau that was very wide and much less steep.

My problem there was trying to figure out whether to follow trenches made by other hikers or break trail where the rangers put up trail markers yesterday. Although the sign at the trailhead said to follow the flags, it would have been much more difficult for me to step into the deep snow there that hadn't been packed down yet.

 

 

About 1/3 mile from my turnaround point I came to a wooden shelter and peeked inside:

Overnight camping is allowed along this trail but no one is supposed to sleep in this shelter. It is for emergencies only.

Above treeline, and especially through all the snow, I stopped frequently to look around me.

The higher I got, the more I could see in every direction -- deep into the canyons and valleys with braided glacial streams draining into the Resurrection River, down to the blue ice of Exit Glacier extending three miles from the ice field, out over the panorama of green mountainsides, rock cliffs, and white peaks  . . .

I was totally mesmerized by all of it. As I approached the ice field, however, the vast expanse of white snow to the south and west became my primary focus: 

This was a first for me and I wanted to savor it.

Continued on the next page  . . . wandering around the edge of the ice field

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the ultra Lab

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© 2012 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil