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| Hiking | 7.80 Miles |
4,150 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.80 Miles | 7 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.30 mph |
| 4,150 ft AEG | 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | 8 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I was unsure of the forecast in the days leading up to this, but it ended up being an almost perfect cold winter day, except for the wind, which is to be expected at higher elevations. Today had the best long distance visibility of any of my summits thus far, so the wind was mostly for "ambiance". I wore layers, like I used to for my olde thyme winter excursions with snowshoes and crampons, and was glad I did. I was fine, but Yubao was cold for the entire trip.
This was supposed to be a Meetup hike with 8 people in total, but it ended up being just me and Yubao. That was fine as we kept a decent pace, had fun, and it was a good hike. Probably safer that way, too. Light snow, frozen trail, and gravel ball bearings over frozen soil and rock meant that both of us fell more than once. The sun was warm, and we took long breaks at Juniper Saddle, and on the summit. It was still windy and cold on the summit, but not as bad as in upper Dark Canyon, so we ended up eating lunch at the ledge climb area in the sun. It was much warmer and nicer there.
This will probably be my last Needle summit for the year. It was my 9th, a respectable number, but Yubao said it was his 24th for the year. He made his goal of summiting the Needle at least once a month in 2013. I made my goal of finally having excellent long distance views up there. |
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Route Editor
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