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| Snowshoeing | 9.78 Miles |
2,761 AEG |
| | Snowshoeing | 9.78 Miles | 5 Hrs 11 Mns | | 2.04 mph |
| 2,761 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I've wanted to snowshoe the Kendrick trail for a couple of years now, but it offers a few challenges. First, Coconino NF closes the roads that access the trailhead in winter. Second, the trail is south-facing, which means that unless it's very cold or cloudy, the snow has a very limited life of quality conditions. And of course, the snow pack itself is questionable due to the southern exposure because it melts from the ground up and the top down simultaneously.
So basically this is best attempted after a good storm in December or January when it's coldest, in a year that has dumped a lot of snow, while somehow figuring out how to get to the trailhead. Yeah. Long odds.
And today didn't meet the criteria either!  But I knew it had snowed on the mountain, and the snow level was high enough that getting to the trailhead was possible. Surprisingly however, nobody else there! 
It took me a bit longer than expected on the climb to reach good snow pack, but the lower sections were pleasant to hike as well. There was a single set of footprints from after the last storm but before this one. I'd guess another Norwegian. 
I was happy to have brought my rain jacket as the fresh snow was melting off the trees on the way up and I would have been soaked. That didn't last too long though and most of the day featured pretty good snow showers. I was hoping for the clouds to break and get dramatic, but the peak stayed socked in and I never got any distant views.
There are signs of fire on the peak, but it's sporadic. Plenty of trees alive and standing, but also fewer than before. There's a short section of burn near the top of the switchbacks that wasn't there before.
The fallen tree has been removed from the cabin, but it's locked closed now. Looking inside, it appears to have been rigged to withstand winter snowfall. I hope more permanent repairs occur this summer.
Things look good enough to maintain favorite backpacking destination status.  |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
