Skyline Saturday

[Terawanderer]

Is anyone heading up saturday early??? I was thinking of hiking up to the snowline and back and wondered if I would see anyone from the board out there.

[zippetydude]

I might be. I'll probably be doing some snowshoeing on Sunday with the wifey, so Saturday looks like my chance. I hear it might rain in the afternoon, so I'll probably start at first light. That is, if I can get my lazy butt out of bed that early. I'm never as inspired when I have to turn around and come back down! Anyway, hope to see you out there.

z

[bluerail]

bring your spikes goofy. call me zip

..and tera, thats your JOB ? hiking !? jeez..my life just completely sucks

[zippetydude]

Steve: Where'd you go? See you at 5:30 or so?

z

[bluerail]

hope its not too late to call

[zippetydude]

Thanks Steve, for the call, for showing up (and making me show up when I wanted to sleep in!) and for the companionship on the trail. Also, for the xc guiding - that'll make a difference...

Hope you had fun on the upper section. Post pics!

Terra: Did you go? If so, we had to meet, there weren't many of us on the trail today.

z

[Terawanderer]

No....I faded. I woke up at 3am with a headache and I feel like I am getting a cold!!!!!! Thanks for checking. And Bluerail thanks for the pm that I didn't get till 9am this morning. It always helps to get extra motivation like that !! I love reading about all your hikes on this board and I will get out there soon and meet you both !!! I know I missed a great day out there !! Thanks guys !

[bluerail]

8 hrs even zip. the winter trips up that thing are just slow. the traverse was all full of slide debris and pretty deep...crampons pretty much right out of Flatrock..first set of oaks.
went to the flute right before you go up to the bench at Coffmans and took a left up that coulior, very long, but beautiful and full of snow right now with relatively little slide action...stayed in it all the way up, tops out higher than Grubbs. I believe one of the rangers referred to it as long valley chute...it kicked my butt..only ended up up to my waist for a little while.
Unless your nuts, skyline from 7000' up is still a bitch on the northside traverse..lots of snow, and a bit spooky.

will put pictures up tomorrow...but theyre kinda boring without stupid people doing stupid stuff in them. Glad to get to spend some time on the trail with you too zip.

and sorry you didnt make it tera

[bluerail]

http://bluerail.smugmug.com/Other/skyli ... 2953_Qyh2T

pictures of skyline right now if your wondering how clear the trail is

beginning of the traverse..

[zippetydude]

Great pics of the upper part of the trail in the snow!

Hey, on the way down, I scouted out a new path. You know the section where you and Fern rebuilt the trail above the place you call the gutter? Well, on the way up the trail turns left there and goes flat, or a little downhill, until you reach the saddle. Now it always struck me as kinda dumb to go up those switchbacks over the ridge as you leave the saddle, only to drop right back down once you get up to the top. Turns out, if you don't turn and go up at the saddle, but instead just keep going around on the left side of the slope, you pop out at the bottom of the downhill switchbacks, right where the trail levels out again. Check it out next time you go. Of course, you've scouted the trail way better than I have, so you probably already know about it. Have you already been that way?

z