{"id":22418,"date":"2023-11-21T17:35:12","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T00:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=22418"},"modified":"2023-11-21T17:38:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T00:38:19","slug":"escape-to-winter-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=22418","title":{"rendered":"Escape to Winter, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Previous: Part 1<\/a><\/p>\n

I woke up Monday to dense fog and a dusting of snow here at 8,400′. The temperature was 27 and forecast to reach 37. I hadn’t hiked yesterday \u2013 in fact, I hadn’t had a good hike in three weeks, partly because my foot condition had returned after five years pain-free. Despite the weather, I was determined to get out into this spectacular alpine landscape.<\/p>\n

I knew there’d be more snow at higher elevations \u2013 my favorite hike reaches 11,200′. The highway to the trailhead is closed in winter, and the shortcut from town to the highway is a steep and narrow dirt road. I decided to do a lower-elevation canyon hike I’d started once but never finished.<\/p>\n

But I packed my winter gear, and shortly after leaving the motel, I saw the turnoff for the dirt shortcut, and swerved into it. I’d never hiked in these mountains in snow before, so I just had to try it!<\/p>\n

I found an untracked inch of snow on the dirt road, up to 9,000′, where the highway had 2 inches. Snow was falling lightly, and the direction I was going had been plowed earlier. I was in 4wd and braked to test the traction before continuing.<\/p>\n

When I reached the trailhead parking lot, it was untracked, but as I pulled on my pack and insulated Goretex gloves and started off, I heard an engine. It was the snowplow, returning to clear the highway in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8613\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8617\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8621\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8624\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The trailhead is 9,400′, so I knew the temperature had to be in the low 20s. The only tracks in this fresh snow were from animals \u2013 elk, fox, cottontail, squirrel, something smaller.<\/p>\n

The first mile and a half skirts the long meadows and bogs that cover the level ground on this volcanic plateau, passing in and out of small stands of spruce-fir forest. This was the first time I could remember seeing the meadows in their winter colors.<\/p>\n

The first couple of miles of this trail see a lot of traffic in warmer weather, and I stumbled a lot because the snow hid irregularities like rocks, erosional ruts, and footprints in frozen mud. It would be even worse in deeper snow at higher elevations. My goal was at least to reach the spectacular viewpoint on the ridgetop. I was moving slow and making a lot of stops to enjoy a landscape renewed by snow.<\/p>\n

When I reached the last clear stretch before entering the main forest, I could see what the snow was doing to the rock formations. I was in for a real treat!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8628\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8629\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"East <\/a>
East fork of the Little Colorado River <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8633\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8635\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Main <\/a>
Main forest ahead <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rock <\/a>
Rock formation on edge of forest <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The trail climbs about 3\/4 mile through magical old-growth alpine forest before reaching the cliffs. Almost every aspen I passed had someone’s initials in its bark, but in this snow, silence, and solitude I was truly a pioneer.<\/p>\n

Many of these photos appear to be black-and-white \u2013 but they were all taken in color!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8643\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8641\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8647\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

At the foot of the cliffs, the trail switches back to traverse to the ridgetop. This is one of the most spectacular stretches of forest I’ve ever found, and as with everything else, the snow made it new.<\/p>\n

\"Foot <\/a>
Foot of the cliffs <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8654\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8657\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8659\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8662Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8665\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8666\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8667\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8669Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8671\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching the ridgetop rock formation\/viewpoint <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I knew the overlook would be socked in with fog, but who cared? The snow up here at 10,200′ ranged from 3-5 inches deep, easily walkable without needing my gaiters. But the undulating bedrock surfaces had been smoothed over by snow, so I had to take special care in climbing to the edge of the cliff.<\/p>\n

\"Rock <\/a>
Rock formations form a shallow bowl <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8685\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8686Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8693\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Working <\/a>
Working my way along the ridge past more formations <\/div> <\/div>
\"Re-entering <\/a>
Re-entering forest <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Having made it this far, I wanted to at least reach the second mass of exposed rock, about a mile farther up the ridge. That turned out to be a slow mile, with traverses of steep slopes where I could easily lose my footing and slide hundreds of feet down the mountain.<\/p>\n

After arriving, I was especially wary of crossing this outcrop, since the route is unclear and the footing precarious even when clear of snow. But I carefully made it across, and with most of the day left, decided to keep going.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8700Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching second area of exposed rock <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"That's <\/a>
That’s all rock, to the far edge <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8710\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"And <\/a>
And then, more forest <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Past that last outcrop, it’s all alpine forest to the crest of the mountain. I would just keep going until I figured it was time to turn back.<\/p>\n

But shortly after entering the forest I came to blowdown across the trail. I knew some of it had been there on my last visit, two years ago in August, and at first it was easy to step over. But I ran into more, and much worse, ahead. To avoid sliding off snow-covered logs, I ended up having to make long zigzagging detours.<\/p>\n

After bypassing dozens of these fallen logs, I finally reached the edge of a burn scar. My time was almost up, and the burn scar would allow me to log a GPS waypoint so I would know how far I’d gone.<\/p>\n

\"Blowdown <\/a>
Blowdown I can step over <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A little more complicated <\/div> <\/div>
\"Serious <\/a>
Serious detouring involved <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"And <\/a>
And again <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Burn <\/a>
Burn scar where I turned back <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I hadn’t reached the crest, but I knew I’d gone almost five miles. In snow, that’s worth 50% more! And what a place! I can think of few places that would be as magical in snow.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8728\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rock, <\/a>
Rock, lichen, snow <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking back across bedrock slope <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8732\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8733\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8736\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8738\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8739\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8740\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8741\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8742\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8744\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8745\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8746\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8747\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8748Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The fog was lifting, so when I reached the viewpoint I could see past the cloud cover to the center of the plateau, with a sliver of blue sky.<\/p>\n

I was wearing my winter boots, which offer maximum support. But on the way down, I could tell I’d done more damage to my foot. Only time will tell if I’ll be able to resume hiking this winter.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8751Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8757\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8762\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8770Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8779\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_8780\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8782\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8784\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_8785\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Today's <\/a>
Today’s route <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

When I checked the map back in the room, I found I’d reached 10,600′. And by morning the weather had cleared, so while taking the long way home east across the plateau, I stopped for a view of the mountain I’d partially climbed.<\/p>\n

\"Looking <\/a>
Looking east across the plateau. Barely visible on horizon is 10,800′ mountain I climbed a few years ago. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking back west toward the mountain I was climbing yesterday <\/div> <\/div>
\"Zoomed <\/a>
Zoomed in <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Previous: Part 1 I woke up Monday to dense fog and a dusting of snow here at 8,400′. The temperature was 27 and forecast to reach 37. I hadn’t hiked yesterday \u2013 in fact, I hadn’t had a good hike in three weeks, partly because my foot condition had returned after five years pain-free. Despite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,121,49,84,83,4,59,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2023-trips","category-baldy","category-hikes","category-mogollon-rim","category-regions","category-road-trips","category-southeast-arizona","category-whites"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_8746.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22418"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22514,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418\/revisions\/22514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}