It was about 20 degrees when we headed out and not much warmer when we returned to the can about 3 hours later. I learned a valuable lesson. If you close your trekking poles when they are wet they won't open if they are frozen. I hiked without poles for the first time in a long time. It was a great exercise in balance that I only failed at once.
Narada Falls was only going to be 500 ft of elevation gain where Rampart ridge was more that 3 times that. We ended up keeping our snowshoes strapped to our packs since most of the snow was crunchy and well packed. We were to the Longmire viewpoint in just over an hour where we snacked. An aggressive camp raider of a Gray Jay attempted a steal of my snack right out of my hands. I had flashbacks of Hitchcock for a second, but he only made one attempt.
Our goal was to g forward and connect with the Wonderland trail and take it down to Longmire, but when we came out at the Rainier vies area the tracks ended and we were looking steeply downhill. I made one attempt to see if we could continue but four step down I postholed to my crotch and barely got my foot out with the boot still on. We decided it was best to go back the way we came - almost.
At the bottom of the trail there is a little nature walk that was a little longer than the way we walked in so we took it. It was really flat and very pretty. Anyone could do the loop at the bottom. It is less than a mile round trip from Longmire parking lot.
I would tell you about all of the silly people spun out and otherwise doing silly things on our way out of the park but the Dalai Lama wants me to be more compassionate and I am trying.
Be very well and more soon....
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