Kettle Crest North, Columbia Mountain Snowshoe — Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013

Columbia Mountain is a fantastic summer day hike, but it's also a fabulous winter snowshoe trek. When I arrived on Friday afternoon, I found only two other cars at the trailhead; both of these groups explored the Kettle Crest South (a popular backcountry ski trip). There were no tracks up Columbia, which I soon discovered to be both a blessing and a curse. While I had the whole mountain to myself, it was very difficult to break trail the whole way up while also carrying nearly fifty pounds in my pack! Even I started to doubt my sanity: I didn't start hiking until 4pm; I was slow because I was breaking trail and there was quite a bit of downfall; I found it difficult to find the trail from the Kettle Crest to Columbia Mountain (there are no trail markers here--one must depend upon following the faint path of half-limbless trees, which is not an easy task by headlamp). However, the view from the top on this nearly-fullmoon night made it all worthwhile. If you go, get an earlier start than I did--I've hiked this trail so many times in the past that I can't get too lost up there, but it's not easy to find the route in the dark. I would recommend a tent, although one could camp inside the cabin (snow drifts in through cracks between the logs--at least bring a bivy sack or be prepared for a cold night). A SnoPark Pass is required for the Sherman Pass trailhead in the winter months; check avy conditions before you go.