Dock Butte — Monday, Nov. 1, 2021

I decided to do a bike and hike combo since it seems that the bridge on the road to the trailhead won't be fixed anytime soon. It will be a tough fix as some serious shoring up will have to be done prior to allowing vehicles to cross again. I did see some tracks of ORV's on the road so there must be a back way to enter this area. 

This adds 6 miles each way to get to the Blue Lake Trailhead and a 16-mile trip overall with about 3000' of elevation gain to Dock Butte. Push, ride, push, ride the bike up but the cruise down made it worth the effort. 

Though it has been nigh on two years the road has been closed, it is in surprisingly good condition. Only one large blowdown blocks it close to the official trailhead but it is a big one. The parking lot was lonely and empty when I arrived. A little snow starts here presently.

The hike up started out dry but solid snow covers the trail once atop the ridge. There is about 2-3' near the summit and it was quite firm but still good for kicking steps. This is more of a climb than a hike under the current conditions if the summit is the goal and an ice axe with traction would be handy on the steep bits near the top. The bowl below the summit where the summer trail ascends would not be friendly in avalanche prone conditions. 

On the hike down I heard an avalanche or rockslide come down above Blue Lake. Things are moving around out there.