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| Hiking | 10.30 Miles |
1,850 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.30 Miles | 4 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.76 mph |
| 1,850 ft AEG | 26 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I love hiking Mount Saint Helena, but the weather today was an added treat to the typical great views and workout.
I drove down to Middletown to see the damage from last summer's fires. There wasn't much to see because scorched hillsides are unfortunately all too common around these parts.
The first mile reminded me that I haven't done a decent hike since October, but it's always good to get going early. The dirt road started soon enough, and led to some seriously amateur-looking climbers. The weather was still glorious with bright sunlight and a few puffy clouds and light wind. However, I saw dark clouds with noticeable precipitation as soon as the trail approached the upper basin at the 3500' mark.
I kept going because the precip looked to be at least 20 miles further north and headed west-to-east. I kept noticing the shadows from the dark clouds inching closer as the storm now began to head south, but without the rumble of distant thunder. I called off lunch at the summit because all of the ground north of the mountain that I could see was dark. I met 2 people at the summit, then headed back to the trail head with lunch in my pockets.
The snow started real slow about a mile below the summit, and then picked up as I approached the climbers' spot. I had begun hiking with one of the people I met at the summit and also with a couple who had a black and tan coonhound, and we went all the way to the bottom. The snow wasn't serious, but it was very cool.
My biggest regret was not taking gloves, but that goes to show how spoiled I've gotten here. "How can it be snowing up here on this 4000' mountain on the last day in January?" |
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