Pierce & Jackson
February 1, 2009
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A new month, and back to one of our favorites, Pierce. The Clinton Road entrance off 302 was NOT plowed, so we started our hike from Highland Center. Chris aka Wenzel was (finally!) able to join us, as well as Ronnie from NY. A leisurely start got us underway about 9:20am. Overcast skies, breezy in Crawford Pass, but we quickly escaped the winds once we got into the trees.
Much more snow has fallen in the last 2 weeks since our previous trip. The trail was nicely tracked thanks to a few groups the day before, and we all wore snow shoes. We had good temps (in the positive numbers for a change!) and enjoyed ourselves in spite of lack of views. Bob pointed in the general direction of the peaks we ‘should’ be seeing, and we all ooohhhed and aaaahhhed appropriately.
We geared up before treeline, sludged through a few drifts, and found ourselves on the summit in about 2 hours from the start of the hike. While there were winds on the peak, it was pretty tame and we were comfortable. Up to this point, we had passed a couple with their dog, a single young man, and met one hiker descending Pierce as we headed up. These would be the only hikers we saw all day.
Lack of views/vis and potential drifts left us feeling that Mitzpa Hut and possibly Jackson would be a better alternative heading to Eisenhower. The very steep rocky section, while still steep, was very snow covered and we made good time to the hut. We were quite impressed by the snow drifts around the hut, yet this made a great place to stop for a few minutes and grab some snacks. Josh, who we had passed earlier on Crawford path, caught up to us at this point. We decided to all head to Jackson together.
The trail seemed to have 1-2 sets of tracks from the prior day. Some snow cover, but fairly easy to manage. We ducked through many low spots but made pretty good time to the ‘bog’ area. Here things got a bit difficult as we seemed to have lost the trail. We checked out a few spots, watched Josh and Bob independently sink to their waists in spruce traps, and scratched our heads a bit. We finally forced our way up a steep drift (temporarily losing Ronnie to a trap) and found ourselves back on the trail. The tracks we semi followed must have turned around, as we were pretty much breaking trail the last third or half mile to the peak. This was more challenging and we took turns leading. Soon enough we were at the final ascent up the cone, a bit of scrambling and by 2:20 we were all on Jackson Peak. Limited views, but a happy crowd.
Photos at the summit, and a bit of a break on the back side towards trail to Webster, then we prepared to head down. The hike off the cone was easier than expected, enough snow in the crevasses for the snowshoes to hold well. We made our way down and were treated to a few rays of sunshine coming through the trees. Approx 32 degrees at this point and we were feeling quite balmy.
A great way to celebrate Ground Hog Eve. Thanks to Chris, Ronnie and Josh for a fun day!
Length of Hike: 7:00 hours
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