12/15 Sunday. My first snowshoe this season.
6 of us met at the P&R. The event organizer arrived ~25 minute late, looking like he just rolled off the bed.
2 more would meet us at the TH of
Frog Mountain, near Blanca Lake TH.
This is a brand new trail built by WTA.
Only Sarah has done this trail (this summer).
As we approached Jack Pass, the snow on the road got a bit deeper and deeper.
Then we saw a car in a very slow process of turning around. A guy from that car walked towards us.
It turns out to be Gorav, one of our party. Their car made it to Jack Pass, but almost got stuck in the snow.
So, they were going to park somewhere lower with less snow.
We backed out and turned around too. Parked 2 zigzags down, maybe 0.5 miles.
Walked to Jack Pass.
There, we found our event organizer and his passenger, and their car stuck in snow.
A truck was trying to drag it out.
They came from a different road. 4 roads branch from here.
The tolling was slow going, and snow started falling.
We all decided that the 6 of us should go ahead, while the 2 of them get their car moved.
There is a sign here at Jack Pass to "Frog Mountain".
Looks like a spur road. A short distance later, we reached a large parking lot.
This photo was taken when we came back, because it was snowing and foggy when we first arrived.
A trailhead post with detail of the trail.
We seem to be the first bunch to hike this in the last few days. No obvious boot track to follow.
The first 2 miles in the trees are more or less easy to follow.
Once on the open slope, it was a guess. Too much snow had fallen to cover all the tracks.
Gorav was breaking the trail till the last 0.5 miles.
Then He and Sarah stopped at this cornice looking slope. By then, we were in the clouds.
This photo and the next were taken on a way back, when the fog had mostly parted.
I told them I'd try for another half an hour and turn around at 1:30pm, since we were pretty close.
Went over this bump (cornice on the left, and steepish slope on the right), and back in trees.
They followed my track.
10 minutes later, at the next open slope, it doesn't look safe to continue according to the map, which is traversing this slope to avoid going over a "false summit".
They turned around.
I cut into the trees towards to ridge using ice axe (not much of a help, because of the powdery snow. But I took only one pole, so the axe helps me to stablize).
Once on the ridge, it is actually pretty gentle, but had to gain one bump before dropping down to a mild saddle before the final flat-ish summit. So anticlimax, that I had to check my map to make sure that I was at the summit.
I reached at 1:32, pretty tired just breaking snow for only half a mile (I'm out of shape).
Snapped a couple of foggy photos, and began to turn around.
Then I saw Khanh: the only person in the group who followed me to the summit.
We sat and ate lunch, I was very hungry (breakfast was at 6am!).
Took more photos (equally foggy), whiled away some time, hoping for the clouds to part. Could feel the sun trying to break through.
We turned around at 1:50pm.
View got better as the fog lifted. The clouds moving in and out makes the whole scene very picturesque.
Saw the rest of my group, and 2 other small groups.
Our hiker leader was post-holing, because he ditched his snowshoes very early on (seems a very counter-intuitive decision to me).
Once in the safe track, Khanh started cutting zigzags.
Gorav and I followed these short cuts.
I reached the TH at 3:49, and 10 minutes later, the car.
Gorav and Khanh drove back. Sarah and I had to wait for our driver.
Then we were stuck in the Hwy-2 traffic for ~1 hour.
They decided to stop at Monroe for Thai food.
I napped instead.
Got back home past 9pm! What a waste of time, at least I caught up some sleep. Still I'm glad to have gone to the mountains.
Total ~2400', < 8 miles because we cut at least 1 mile out on the way down, but had to walk the road for about a mile.
Took the old trail up and down, with my laptop - it's a work day.
Snow starts ~3000'. Dumped by the trees at times, for a couple of hundred feet, it felt like walking in the snow, until it was high and cold enough.
Once out in the open, it's a winter wonderland. Very pretty. Despite of the clouds, could see out in the Olympics.
I put on the pikes just below the trail junction.
The mailbox on the summit was not buried in snow. It was quite cold and windy on the summit, so didn't linger.
Snapped a few photos avoiding other hikers, 5 mins top.
I was wearing just a long sleep shirt going up. Now had to put on a puffy + a shell.
This rocky section is steep at times. Care is needed on the way down.
I brought ice axe, but never used it. Better to carry two hiking poles.
In the trees, the old trail isn't that steep. Not sure why the new trail is constructed.
At 11:55pm, I went up to the roof. A lot of people. With all the thin clouds, it wasn't cold.
This year, there's more light installation than before.
The fireworks is good, almost 20 minutes.
We visited Gallery Ergo in the belly of Pike Place Market.
It was a bit strange, as the whole market was closed and security guards were eyeing on us.
This wall is a new exhibition of a mid-west artist.
12/7, Saturday, noon. This year, the 
12/6. Friday. Went to an 
