Date: Sunday January 19, 2025
Location: Hummocks TH to JRO
Arrival Time: 9am
Number of cars upon arrival: 1. It appeared to have been there overnight as the hood and windshield were frosty, however we did see anyone coming down as we headed up to JRO and the car was gone when we returned. Maybe they hiked via the So Coldwater Trail?
Road conditions: Dry and clear except for a few shaded areas
Weather conditions: Sunny and cold. Light wind approaching and at JRO
Trail conditions: Good. Conditions ranged from dry dirt to ice crystals to snow cover. On the return, the crystalized sections were muddy, as expected. We packed snowshoes and micro spikes but never needed either.
One guy passed us on the way up. He continued past JRO where we saw him putting on his snowshoes. As we were departing JRO a couple with a dog arrived, they later ran past us. We passed a small handful of people and one more dog heading up before we reached the Hummocks Trail again. Once back on the Hummocks trail we passed a few more groups of people before hitting the parking lot.
**Of note, the outhouses that were at Coldwater Lake have been removed, and the actual restrooms there are still closed (due to vandalism damage). *The outhouses at the Hummocks TH had been removed previously as we noticed they were gone last time we were here (that was okay because the Coldwater VC was still open weekends at that time). They closed for the season the day after we were last here- so no entry to those restrooms).
Hike features: 360 views
Wildlife: It was pretty quiet on the wildlife front. None of the usual elk but did spy several mountain goats below the viewpoint at JRO.
Number of cars upon return:13
Mileage: 9.5
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