Elevation Gain: Approximately 500 ft.
Time: 1:00 am - 3:00 pm
Weather: Rainy, rainy, and even a little more rainy...
This was my first real winter hike of the year. I had gone on a hike a few weeks ago when it began to snow while we were out, but this was a trip specifically designed for the snow. I had gotten my snowshoes about two and a half weeks ago and couldn't wait to get out and use them. Although, this hike almost didn't happen.
First, I woke up on the couch about an hour before I wanted to get up, and I thought I could go lay in bed for an hour and then get up and go. I woke up three hours later at 10:00 am. I rushed through the house to get dressed and geared up. Thankfully I had preped a lot last night. I was in the car and moving by 10:15, stopped to fill up on gas, then was on the road at 10:25, when I realized I did not grab my camera. Oh well, I will have to use my cell phone camera, not nearly as good of photos, but better than nothing.
By 11:45 am, I was in the small town of Ashford, WA. The trail system I was heading to is only a few miles outside Ashford. I remember as I made the turn onto the forrest roads, I was hoping the Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) website was correct when describing the roads as clear all the way to the trailhead. I saw a sign that said, Upper Sno-Park to the right, but on my map It only had the "Lower Sno-Park" as my destination. I went left and climbed higher. This was the first bad choice I made driving today. I kept climbing up and up, and winding around the mountain. After about 5 miles, I started seeing a lot of snow. Quickly the road became one lane of tracks, and my car was locked into following them. I said to myself, I have got to turn around when I can and go back to that turn. I found a place, and worked my car slowly around. Killed the car twice and was definitely smelling something funky from under the hood. I got turned around and was heading back the right way.
I quickly came across two cars that were much more equipped for snow than myself and got one to roll down their window. I asked if he knew where the Mount Tahoma Trails were, he said about half a mile up the road the way I was coming down. They went around, and I decided to turn an follow, a second bad decision. I made it back to the place where I had turned around, and this time kept following the guys in front. There was a fork where they went right, and I followed. A thousand feet later we were all stopped. The lead car was all sorts of stuck, and he was a mad man with his car. I watched his car move perpendicular to the direction of the car was facing for about 50 feet, before he was able to correct it. I immediately began the process of turning around. It was much tougher on my car in this area, and I was definitely regretting my decision to snowshoe today. Got turned, car smelled really bad, and the car felt awkward in its handling for the next few minutes. I was leaving at this point to go home and go to a little place called Point Defiance in Tacoma. It is not really "backcounrty," but it has trails and I said I could use it once on my quest for 52.
As I was driving out, I came to a place were there was only one path in the snow and another car was coming. I was able to move over, allowing him to pass. He rolled down his window, and I asked if he knew where the MTTA trailhead was. He confirmed I missed my turn. I drove back and finally took the turn I should have taken long ago. After about two-tenths of a mile, there were so many signs confirming I was on the right path my spirits were lifting. I did take another wrong turn, but I was only on that road for half a mile before I realized I had made the wrong turn. This time it was really scary, since I had to reverse down the hill. When I got back to the turn, I straightened out. I was finally able to drive all the way up to about 3000 ft. to the Middle Sno-Park Trailhead. There was snow for about the last mile, but not on the roads. The roads were plowed, just like the website said. Above the trailhead, the road was covered in snow which had been groomed.
I parked, geared up for the non-stop rain that I was going to have today, and I walked through the parking lot to the groomed road above. I was so excited, that as soon as I hit snow I put on my snowshoes. I looked at the map at the trailhead, did not quite figure out were I was and I began walking. It was fun, even though the road was groomed. I did not need my snowshoes for my weight, but for their spiked grip in the snow. I also had new snow baskets on my poles. I was having fun, and I was drifting from side to side, walking in the banks on the sides of the road.
Right about the time that I had accepted I would be hiking a road the entire hike, I came to a trail off to the left. It was the Lower Yurt Trail. Looking where it led, I was so pumped. No tracks were leading the way, the trees were more narrow, and the climb looked steep. I went for a good 25 minutes breaking fresh tracks in the snow. This was the best part of the whole day. I was so happy that I did not go home and find a hike. This was the most fun I had out on a hike in a while. The picture below was taken before I climber up the trail. You can see the untouched snow I was about break up with my tracks.
Orchid: Fresh tracks on the Lower Yurt Trail.
Onion: The number of wrong turns, and thus bad driving conditions I got my self into.
Picture:
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