First Motorcycle Overnighter

Truckee
USFS Road 06
R on Fiberboard freeway
L on Burton Creek/Bunker
L on Fairway Dr
L on SR89
R @ the "Y"
R on Lake Tahoe Blvd to North Upper Truckee Road
R on US50
L on Packsaddle Pass Rd (71)-all paved
L on Mormon Emigrant Trail (5)-super highway
R on 88
to Jackson
Meet Kemen
49 south to Mokelumne Hill
L on SR26
R on Ridge Rd
L on Railroad Flat Rd
R on Summit Level Road (144).
Made camp off a northern spur.  Murphys topo index square 11 near Touch Mill
Came out to Dorrington for a Burger and a Beer off either 144 or 6N71Y
Down to Arnold for Supplies
Back Noth on 4 to Calaveras Big Trees state park.  Not much going on in this park, trees not that big, no off road riding. Did not ride to the end.
North on SR 4 to R on 52 or 5N02
Kemen pulled over at Sourgrass rec area
R on 5N72 and 5N02-2 Didn't go were we wanted and turned around
Back on 52
L on 6N17
L at 6N17 fork
Camped on a spur to the north at Topo Index Boards Crossing 13 or 14 nears Ramsey
Back to SR4 Kemen and I split
R on SR 4 Over ebbetts Pass
L on 89 through Markleeville
L at 88/89
R at Picketts Junction SR89 Over Luther Pass
R on 89 to SLT
Around the Lake to Tahoe City
Bunker to Fiber Board to 06

Labor Day in Yosemite - Commissioner's Buttress

For those that have not known me since my college days, the screen name "MrPulldown" might be a bit of a enigma. Since it has to do with the web many think that it is associated with a pull down menu. However the term pulldown, has its origins back from the last year of College. At the last house I lived at during my senior year, I lived with a bunch of rock climbing friends. A slang term for climbing was to pulldown. One day needing a screen name, I used Mr Pulldown to describe myself; I have been using that screen name ever since.

So this picture is not one I took from this trip. However I did take it one winter day many years ago. What whould a post about Yosemite be without a picture of the Valley.

Through the following years, climbing was a sport I followed with varying degrees of passion. In the most recent years, I would describe myself as a retired rock climber, though I will still climb a few times each year. This last labor day weekend was one such time.

Through one of the original climbing roommates a large block of campgrounds were reserved, the notice to congregate was sent out, and the jingle of climbing gear once again rang in my ears. This year not only did three of the four original roommates show, along with several of our friends from the same time period, but my wife, brother, father, and son was also part of the adventure. In fact this was the first time my infant son visited the Valley.

So how was Yosemite Valley Labor Day weekend 2010? HOT. When we rolled in Friday the high temp was reported to be 97 degree, with the following three days predicted to be in the mid 90's. The crowds were not much of an issue. Once our vehicles were parked in the campsite, the shuttle fulfilled all of our transportation needs. However I did find a traffic backup traveling East into the Valley right before the 41 split. Though the popular trails were at maximum capacity, the climbing spots were only moderated busy. Our crag day at the Church Bowl did not involve any waiting. I guess climbers tend to stay away from the Valley on such popular weekends.

The real climbing was done on Sunday, when my brother and I roped up to climb Commissioner's Buttress. It is a lesser known 5.9 on Manure Pile Buttress. The climb was recently featured in January 2010's issue of Rock and Ice Magazine, as one of the best unknown climbs of Yosemite. Though the name does not spark instant conversation and the one star rating doesn't get tons of press, the climb is a true Valley classic. First ascent by Galen Rowell and Joe Faint 1969, the route has often been described as "old school". What seems like an awkward fashion term, old school in this case harks to the Golden age of climbing where routes were hard and the men who put them up where even harder. CB is truly a vertical rock adventure. If you have got to the point of pumping out 5.9's in the gym, you are in no shape to lead this climb. From finger locks to off widths this climb takes you through cracks, lie backs, stems, and roofs.

The above picture is not my own. I must give credit to "Trad" from the the SuperTopo Forum .

CB starts to the right of the famous Nut Cracker route on the Manuer Pile Buttress. Stay low on the approach till you pass the large buttress, then head towards the rock. The climb starts at an odd long rock that has partially broken off the main buttress, a pine tree is located right in front of the rock. 100 feet up the main crack is a large pine tree. The first two pitches of the climb are the most notable. The rest of the climb is just to top out and is dirty and lose. The climb tops out above the nutcracker platform. Down climb 3rd/4th class to the main gully trail used for decent. The option of bailing to the right after the first two pitches is possible.

A topo of the route can be found the Reid Falcon Valley Free Climb Guide. Unfortunatly i could not find the topo in the Supertopo's Valley Guide.

So the next time you get a chance head out to the Valley and enjoy the good tidings the mountains bring, and don't forget to pulldown!

North Peak - Summer Ice Climbing

"Your going ice climbing!? In August (8th)!!??" The was the response I heard when I told people I was planning to climb an ice route up North Peak. It is not commonly known, but there are over 1700 permanent bodies of ice/snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, 118 of which can be considered true glaciers. This number is for the Sierra Nevada's alone, and do no include the robust California Glaciers of Shasta and the Cascades. (map is borrowed and route shown is not the one described in this trip report)

Sometime in college I became enthralled with climbing big frozen mountains. With a background in rock climbing and backpacking, add to it a few books and movies on Everest, put an ice axe in your hand, and stand on top of a big cold mountain in winter at sunset, and you have an instant lifelong passion. However climbing mountains in the winter is a suffer fest, which is at best enjoyed in small doses.

Glaciers are most spectacular when experienced in the summer. Only then can you appreciate them. Their fight for survival against the heat, a reminder of ice ages of the past, and old man winter's year long grasp. In the winter, when all is covered with snow and ice, a glacier is just another girl at a beauty pageant. In the summer however, when surround by rock, it stands out and commands your full attention, like the one girl you share your bed with.

With the glaciers of the world retreating, I wanted to experience more of my local glaciers before they become extinct. A recent trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, left me with a sunken feeling, as the massive glaciers I witnessed 15 years ago have almost all disappeared. In a few years the park should most likely have to change its name to Dirt and Rock National Park.

North Peak is easily the most popular California summer alpine ice climbing route. However I have never done it. I did not even know about it till I started doing research for a route this summer. Its short approach, and average grade, make it a very popular introductory route for the local guide companies.

North Peak is located just north/east of the Yosemite National Park boundary. It shares a ridge with its famous big brother, Mount Conness. The trailhead starts at Saddlebag lake. Saddlebag lake road begins on Tioga Pass (SR 120) just east of the Yosemite Park entrance. The road is partially paved, and can be accessed by most car. The Hoover Wilderness, which the peak lies within, has no visitor quota. One can easily pick up a wilderness permit the day of. We picked up on at the Bishop Ranger Station, however a Ranger mans the Kiosk at Saddlebag lake Friday through Sunday, and permits can be obtained from him. He say his waking hours are typically 6am to 9pm.

From the over night parking lot we found a trail on the east side of the lake. A water taxi can be used to cross the lake $8 round trip. Starting the hike at about 7 PM we hiked into the night. The temperature was cool in the 50 and dropped to low 40s high 30s in the middle of the night. At the southern end of Steal head lake we made a left onto a spur trail then overland towards Cascade Lake where we made camp for the night. We made hot food and repaired Roger's boot that had blown up on the trail. See:http://mrpulldown.blogspot.com/2009/08/epic-boot-failure-trezeta-double.html

Our small food sack was place on top of a short V1 boulder with no tampering. However the tea bag I left under a rock was chewed through.

The next morning we set off for the peak. We gained the North Peak Glacier via the last vegetated ramp on the left. The morning temps was in the low 60s. The night before we arrived saw temps down in the low 20s. However one or two nights of freezing was not enough to form solid ice out the neve that had resulted from a month of warm nights. Once on the glacier one gets a good view of the three snow/ice filled chutes. The left couloir looked steep and narrow. Too unstable with the soft snow to even consider. We cramponed up at the base of the glacier and walked to the burshrund for the right couloir. The shrund was small and did not span across the entire base of the right couloir. At the shrund we roped up and I took the first lead.

Ice screws were not particularly effective in the soft ice, though the longest of the screws bit firmly upon their last few threads of engagement. Without snow protection, I climbed close to the left wall, and protected the climb with primarily passive rock gear. My original plan to simultaneous climb were abandoned. The lack of solid ice protection coupled with a mountaineering boot which sole and crampon were held on by zip ties and toe clip straps, did not inspire the confidence needed for such rope travel. Instead we did the climb in about 4 pitches.

Once at the saddle of the ice we removed our crampons and moved onto rock. A few hundred vertical feet of "California" fourth class lead us to the summit. Do not over estimate this portion of the climb, for I encountered a stiff section of exposed rock, with a high pucker factor. Roping up for this portion could be considered, however it is extremely lose, and the chance of your rope knocking free a rock is almost guaranteed. Careful route finding could have yielded a more forgiving path.

At the summit we meet a Yosemite firefighter and his scientist friend. Our stay was short, as we started the decent. A walk off the back side could have been accomplished, however we chose to leave our ice gear at the saddle, and thus needed to down climb the fourth class section. Beware the lose rock. From the saddle I glasaded down the wet south face snow field. We then slowly made our way around the western shoulder of north peak, till we found a suitable place to descend back to Cascade Lake.

A miss communication resulted in light food rations for the night. One packet of ramen, and four packets of oatmeal were all we had for dinner and breakfast between the two of us. I have brought my fishing pole and had seen strikes on the water surface of the smaller of the Cascade Lakes. However the fish were after flies and had no interest in my lure. Without floating agent and a bobber, my poor flies sunk. However pity was taken upon me and I soon reeled in a small trout which I fried up as an appetizer to our main course: one pack of ramen.

Though I ended the trip with an empty stomach, my glacial desire was completely filled!

Marble Mountain Wilderness

Located in the Klamath National Forest, is a bit of wilderness called the Marble Mountains. Though seemingly unspectacular, being situated between Mt Shasta and the Trinity Alps, the Marble Mountains are in fact quite so. The unique mix is a light colored limestone with a black metamorphic rock gives many of the mountain formations a marble like appearance. At a maximum elevation of 8299 feet, Boulder Peak, Marble Mountain Wilderness does not claim to be the highest of alpine wildernesses. However with 89 lakes and 32 miles of the Pacific Crest trail located within it boundary, it holds its own as a special piece of untamed wilderness.

Not having spent much time in the northern reaches of this state, I planned to explore the Marble Mountains this last Fourth of July. My own place of residence becomes so overwhelmed with tourist, that I seek places of desolation to find relaxation. The nearest town to the wilderness is Yreka, as far north as California gets. In fact it feels more like Oregon then the rest of the state. I drove up after work solo and meet my friends who had departed a day earlier. We meet at a previously undecided location along Scott Creek Road out of Fort Jones. Since cell phone cover was unavailable once there, a ping from the SPOT http://mrpulldown.blogspot.com/2009/05/spot-personal-locator-becon.html personal locator device was sent to my cell phone as a text. I received the text while still travel along interstate five, where cell reception is plentiful. I took the coordinated from the ping and located his location on my GPS. The midnight rendezvous worked out flawlessly.

Our destination for this weekend were the Wright Lakes. Upper and Lower. Lower Wright Lake was more spectacular with Boulder peak terminating its base into blue waters. These lakes can be access by two trailheads Boulder Creek Trail, and Big Meadow. Boulder Creek, once the most popular trail to Wright Lake, climbs an insane 3500 feet in 2.5 miles. This trail noted in guide books as one of, if not thee hardest trails of the entire wilderness. This trail head can be access from forest service Road 44N45. However a less physically demanding route was selected. From a trail head off of FS43N23 the Big Meadow trail head could be reached. N41deg35.528' W123deg 02.793'. This particular Forest Service road was a bit rough and should be accessed with a 4wd truck or SUV, though a skilled driver with a 2wd truck or Subi could most likely access it as well. From a brief discussion with a US Forest Service representative, the land which the trail head is on is private property. The landowners are kind enough to allow public access, so please be courtesy, travel at a conservative speed and mind your litter.

Big Meadow is aptly named, a large alpinisk meadow. Views of Mt Shasta to the west were quite inspiring. A glimpse of what we believed to be the Trinity Alps were had to the the East. The trails in these neck of the woods however are not well marks, and not maintained. Have a good topographical map, compass, and diligently navigate your route. An altimeter and GPS are very helpful as well, especially if you are a first timers to this area, since I found my self off trail very often.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.585597,-123.066359&spn=0.029531,0.076818&t=p&z=14
Gaining the ridge to the North of Big Meadow, a small sign was discovered stating that Wright Lake was just on the other side. N41 deg 35.409' W 123 deg 3.518'. Upper Wright was soon in sight and passed as we headed to lower Wright. At lower Wright Lake we made camp for the night. Small snow fields on the northern slope of Boulder Peak allowed for post hike cold beers; a treat rarely experienced in the back county.

The fourth of July weekend was hit with a sudden heat wave. The entire month prior was cold and rainy, rare for the West. Temperature in Redding were of 100+ degrees. However at Wrights lake temps were moderate 70's.

Fish were not plentiful in the lake, though evidence of past successful catches were discovered in the form of poorly disposed fish carcases. Although the fish and game department has recently ceased stocking many lakes, the Wrights were not on the list of non-stocked lakes. The non stocking of California Lakes is a result of a law suit to protect the frog populations of many of these lakes. Though the relationship between fish population and frog populations appear to be inversely proportional, no studies have been made to substantiate those claims. The use of lures did nothing to attract fish to their trailing treble hooks. However I did have one fish hook up after a dab of power bait was used. Unfortunately this experienced late season trout, was able to wiggle itself free, once I brought him into the shallows and let up on my line pressure, as I climbed down to the water. One possible explanation of the low fish population was the due to the creature we spotted in the water. Once thought to be the monster of Lower Wright Lake, cooler heads concluded that the creature was most likely a river otter or a weasel of some sort.

To celebrate our countries independence, we decided to climb Boulder peak, the highest point in the Marble Mountains. Though the climb was mostly a hike with a small 3rd class section at the top, it was still the highlight of the trip. I originally wanted to gain the north ridge and climb the ridge to the summit. However I was convinced that a hike around the back would give a guaranteed summit bag, as well as less of a chance of a disastrous epic.

Boulder creek is formed by the water flowing out of Lower Wright Lake. At the mouth area of the lake we found a cleverly built water wheel.


Following the Boulder Creek Trail North along Boulder Creek, the trail eventually settles on the west side of the creek and wraps over the ridge into 2nd Valley. An older couple we meet on the trail described 2nd Valley as paradise lost. Though truly beautiful, the lost part of the phrase describes the trail system more accurately. This is Second Valley with a view of the back side of Boulder Peak. From this angle the north ridge of the peak looks pretty tough. Maybe it was a good decision to do the hike around.

All through the wilderness, there were signs of abundant wildlife (except fish). Bear scat littered the trail. At several dried creek and ponds, we found swarms of butterflies and bear prints. We never had a bear sighting nor did we have an issue with food storage. The mere presence of humans were enough to detract these bears. Hanging our food was sufficient in keeping it safe.

The summit bid consisted of several switchbacks up the SW talus slope, then a short 3rd class scramble to the top. We signed the summit registry and was off for cold beers back at camp. Rather then taking the the east ridge of back to the trail, we did some impulse mountaineering down a steep and loose drainage straight back to the lake.

Though a great weekend was had, I do not foresee myself traveling back to the Marbles anytime soon. I find the lower elevation topography to be less spectacular then the Sierra Nevada's I call home. The next time I trek up to these parts I would like to explore something new. However that said, I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in this wild corner of the world.

Downieville Downhill - My kind of Biathlon part II

If you live in Tahoe, you often hear talk of Downieville as the mecca of mountain biking. I actually think that Tahoe itself is the mecca. It just goes to show "the grass is greener" mentality of people. However you can not deny that Downieville does provide some fabulous riding, especially the world famous Downieville downhill. The DV DH is a 15 mile long ride which links several trails, drops 4000', and has about 1/4 miles worth of climbing. It is of moderate technical difficulty, except for a couple of challenging obstacles.

The ride starts at the top of Packer Saddle. From Highway 49 turn north at Bassests onto Gold Lake Rd. Take the fist left over the bridge onto Packer Lake Rd. Take the first Right to stay on Packer Lake Rd to Packer Saddle. Once over the saddle take a left at the "T", and you will find a well established parking lot a few hundred yards from the "T".

The most difficult part of the DV DH is setting up the car shuttle. To avoid the grueling Downieville Uphill, most people shuttle the ride. Setting up the shuttle takes two cars, a long time and a lot of driving. A good option is the use Downieville Outfitters. Each van ride to the top cost about twenty bucks. These guys also rent bikes. http://www.downievilleoutfitters.com/

There are two basic options for the downhill. Pauley Creek, or Butcher's Ranch. Butcher's Ranch Trail is the most popular and starts almost immediately from the top, where as the Pauley Creek Trail requires a few miles of dirt road riding to the trail head. Actually the true start of BR starts a little bit down the dirt road, but most people take Sunrise trail to link to BR. Sunrise at the time however still had many snow patches, which resulted in mud holes. I felt bad about having a ten person crew tear through those holes, but we did not know of its condition. The beginning of the trail is south facing and great. It isn't till a little ways in that you find yourself on the cold, snowy, muddy, north face.

BR seamlessly joins up with Pauley Creek trail. Then onto the third divide, dirt road, through the campsite, first divide, and into town.
http://www.downievilleclassic.com/images/downieville_course_08.gif

My Kind of Biathlon - Rafting the Yuba / Mnt Biking Downieville

The institute of marriage has strayed far from the traditions which once defined it. Thus most aspects of weddings have also become non standard. Me, being very traditional, had my bachelor party in Las Vegas. However some of our good local friends opted to have a joint bachelor/batchelorette party. Well I think that it started as a batchelorette party, but it sounded so cool that all the boys wanted in as well. So this last weekend we traveled down to Downieville to raft the North Fork of the Yuba and to ride the Downieville Downhill.

Tucked aways in Sierra County lies the small town of Downieville. Established in 1849, it was originally called "Forks", due to the fact the town sits at the confluence of the Yuba and the Downie River. But the town was soon renamed after William Downie.

We stayed in Tahoe Friday night was planning on leaving for our trip in the morning. I was extremely apprehensive. It had been raining all week, very odd for spring, and the temps had dropped dramatically that day. The section of the river we were going to raft include a class five rapid name "Maytag" which I assume is for the washing machine action it resembles. Since Downieville is located about 3000feet in elevation, the temps were moderate. The river was also running very low. Snow melt, from the Sierra Buttes, rather than rain run off feeds the river, and our early thaw this year, made for a rather dry river by this weekend.

With the crew decked out in wet/dry suits, and various foul weather gear we meet at the put in. Goodyear bar is the put in location, however the actual put in was 1/8 to 1/4 mile north of the Goodyear bar turn off. We had three boats rigged, including the girls boat, which had an oar frame in the back.

The rapids are mostly class two and three, with a fourth class thrown in occasionally. Soon after lunch we eddied out to examine the crux of the river: Maytag. The pucker factor was high as we examined the giant hole which we were to drop into. With the river flow being low, the result was both good and bad. The good was the the large recirculating pool at the bottom was not so great. The bad was the a large rock was then exposed at the bottom of the hole, which was a potential hazard.

All three boats hit the rapid with various degrees of cleanliness. However the river gods seem to shine upon us for none of the poor lines had negative results.

Though we hit the largest rapid of the trip we were not out of the woods yet. On some class three or two rapid we seemed to have wrapped our boat on a rock/tree. This in fact provided the most excitement of the trip. After freeing the boat, we eventually make it to Indian Valley Campground. This is the take out. From the river your only clues that this is the location is by the presence of a the campsite. It is not easy to spot.

That night we camped at Indian Valley campground, and the next day we went and hit the Downieville Downhill. But I will save that story for another day.

Desert 2009

It was Friday and raining as I loaded camping gear into the truck. So much for postponing our desert trip till May 1, when the weather was nice. Since the storm was coming from the coast, I did not think that it would have too much energy after it crossed the Sierra Nevada's. Because of the weather we took Kevin's truck with the camper shell, in order to keep our gear dry. I kissed my wife goodbye as I climbed into the driver seat. Next stop Reno.

A stop in town gained us some very important supplies. Gas, food, beer, ice and ammo. A quick bite to eat and we were off, eastbound interstate 80. Not having seen my friend in a while, we were soon engrossed in conversation and missed our exit onto highway 447. No problem we will just turn around at the next exit. 15 miles later, I decided to make an illegal U-turn. This u-turn involved a 1/4 mile plus jaunt on a dirt road in order to hit the highway in the opposite direction. I guess you don't put off ramps when there is nothing to go to. This gives you an idea of how desolate Nevada is.

At the Town of Gerlach we turned off the main road and headed up Solider Meadow Road. It had been raining lightly off and on the entire drive thus far, but we were hoping that the dried lake bed would be able absorb the moisture. It didn't. I have seen the sign "Impassible when wet" before, but could not imagine the gouppiness of the mud created by the slit of the lake bed. We backed out of the access area on four mud doughnuts. I guess no playa for us on this trip.

It rained on and off and on the entire weekend, making this the muddiest desert trip thus far. But the rain didn't seem to dampen our sprits too much. The weather was relatively warm, and the volume of rain was not that great; that is why it is a desert!

Heading north on Solider Meadow Road, a nice graded gravel road, we made good time and were soon north of the Black Rock Desert Playa. It was close to three in the morning, so we pulled off a spur road and made camp.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41.0891,-119.1475&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

The next day we drove further north towards High Rock Canyon. The Canyon now has seasonal closures for raptor breading. A little bummed about not being able to travel that direction, but the sight of several raptors circling over head made me feel that the closure was at least warranted. What always amazes me about this corner of the country is how wild it is. Our animal sighting for this trip included: raptors, deer, pronghorn antelope, herds of wild horses, and coyotes. We have not seen the herds of wild Donkeys in several years, and hope that they still exist.

That night we made our camp along Hays Canyon Road before it dropped into the Surprise Valley. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41.3185,-119.9261&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 Cedarville in Modoc County would have been the closest land mark. Our trek north had taken us within 35 miles of the Oregon border.

Much of the land out there is partly ranch and open grazing. As we were searching for a spot to camp we spotted a dead calf near the road. It had recently died and was still intacked. That night we heard several coyote howling. The next morning as we were driving out, we were about to pass the spot where the calf was spotted the night before. In the middle of the road was a large mass, however it did not look like the calf we spotted yesterday. As we got closer, I saw a coyote back itself out from inside the calf. It was eating it from the inside out. Gnarrr. What we found unusual was that further down the road we saw another dead calf, both were white.

We had run several hundred miles since last fuel up, and despite the extra 10 gallons we carried, our tank was close to running dry. We reached the town of Gerlach and filled up. Since this was short trip, we had not had our fill of "yeee ha ing", and decided to take an extra dirt route out from Gerlach. I believe the road we took was Empire Mountain Road, just north of the town. However this road was difficult to follow. A large set of power lines run in this area. Power lines all have a service road running under it. Our desired road cris crosses the power line, and thus the roads become mixed. The road which sees more traffic become the main road, and over time the lesser road disappears. I tried to stay the course but soon became lost in the desert. At one point Kevin said, " you can't just drive through the desert,we need to turn back." I thought that was a very amusing quote coming from him.

From Reno to Reno we did 500 miles, of which at least half was on dirt. This years desert trip did not have anything too spectacular occur. We snapped off a few pictures here and there. They never seem to properly portray the vastness and beauty I have come to love of the desert. But regardless, enjoy.

Echo Lake, Ralston Peak- Ski camping

At the end of many of my trips, my buddy Kevin and I always say good bye with a parting hand shake and him saying, "another one for the books". This last trip however he did not...

Planning a group trip is always difficult. First there is the time of year which is best suited for each particular event. Spring=back country skiing and camping. Next a weekend should be worked out at least a month in advance which excludes the least number of people. And finally you need mother nature to agree with your plans.

This last weekend March 28th was the set day for my spring backcountry ski/camp trip. The initial list started at 13 interested and ended up with about 6. 50% is about normal turn out for this kind of stuff. Here is a snap shot of the group in front of Pyramid Peak.

The trip started at about noon from Echo Lake Sno-Park trail head. Logistics included a $5 per day sno-park permit, purchased ahead of time at local vendors. http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1233 A wilderness permit, since we were in the desolation wilderness. $5 per person per night. $10 max per person, $100 max per group. Though I typically do not get permits for the winter, I did this trip due to its size and the good example I was setting.

Soon after traveling up Echo Lake Road, you arrive at Echo Lakes (1 mile). This was the first time I got to test out my ski pulk. I estimate the load to be about 50-60 lbs. It is much easier to pull heavy loads , across flat surfaces on a sled, than to carry it on your back. With Skippy hooked up to me, and I to the sled, we made short work of lower Echo Lake.

The weather was perfect 60 degrees.

We soon climbed up above the lakes and made camp on the hillside right above Tamarack Lake. A short ski to the lake, supplied us with water from a breach in the snow at the lakes inlet. We had brought extra fuel for melting snow, but was please that we did not have to. I dis like the taste of "fried" water.

Saturday. This was our summit day, but my idea of climbing and skiing Pyramid peak were a little too lofty. Instead we climbed up to Hypress Meadow and the ridge that over looked the Aloha Lake Basin. From there our group split up. Some want to check out Aloha Lake, others wanted to climb Ralston peak.

It did not appear that the summit of Ralston Peak had a suitable route to ski off off. But we found a suitable drop in along the ridge. The pillowy appearance of the snow, was truly so, thanks to the mid day sun.

Saturday night an intense wind storm hit us. It dropped the temperature significantly, but no moisture was associated with the wind and clouds. Wind storms are always so violent, when experienced from the inside of a tent. Those without ear plugs did not get a good nights sleep.

Sunday we packed up early. There was a bit of anxiety within the group in the presence of unsettling weather. No second cup of coffee, just pack and go. However, as base camp was reduced to six packs, the clouds broke and the sun came out.

From camp to Upper Echo Lake was a 200 foot decent. I handed sled duties over to my wife, who was undoubtedly the strongest skier of the group. I had a back up tether attached to the top of the sled, which helped keep it from rolling on steep traverses. The skills Leslie has been honing for the last 20 years really showed as she effortlessly guided the sled to lake level.

The last leg of the journey was 2.5 mile trek across the top of the a well frozen Echo Lake.

Kevin and I never did start a "book" to log our adventures. We always meant to document our trips, primarily for reference sake. I guess he knew that with this blog, the idle reference of documentation, aimed at criticizing our shortcoming, was no longer needed. Thanks Blogger: we now have a book, and one for it!