We enjoyed an overnight at Snow Peak cabin this week – such a special place! This was the first time we’d stayed, though we’ve visited on day hikes before. We were glad we knew the trail well this time! We came in from Sherman Pass, opting to go clockwise around Sherman Peak for fun. Type 2 fun, as it turned out. There is still significant snow on the north side of the mountain. The trail up to the loop was fine, though there is plenty of water on trail and several blowdowns to navigate. Trail work had been done to clear some of them – others are still waiting for some love. Intermittent snow provided interest. After the turn onto the loop, we ran into more and more snow until the trail was completely covered. Because the snow is melting so quickly, boot tracks from other hikers weren’t always obvious, though they did provide some guidance. There was much post holing as we worked our way up the mountain. Though we were carrying snowshoes, we didn’t end up putting them on due to steep slopes and slushy snow. It seemed wiser to stay in our boots – boots were pretty much required. Microspikes wouldn’t have helped the first afternoon, though would have been helpful (not necessary) in places on our way out the next morning. We honestly had fun, though worked very hard through slow going. After we took the turn off the loop toward Snow Peak cabin, water was abundant. No need to carry in water right now – or likely for at least the next couple weeks. Runoff has created some nice (likely seasonal) streams and we filled up about half a mile from the cabin. Again, snow was the largest feature and required some navigation and decision making. Trees are flagged so we never lost our route. Finally, about half a mile from the cabin, the snow abated and dirt path reasserted itself. We were quite happy at that point. We navigated 27 downed trees on the way in.
Note: as you get close to the cabin, there’s a sign on a tree pointing to a trail to the right that says “Cabin”. Don’t take it right now. Go straight. That trail will lead you around a mostly clear trail directly to the cabin. The “Cabin” trail is snow clogged and all the small trees get in the way of seeing the cabin. We wandered around there for several minutes before we found our way to the cabin.
The cabin itself is lovely, well stocked, and comfortable. It was warm enough that we didn’t need to make a fire and actually had the door/windows open for a while to cool the place off. It was about 70 degrees the afternoon we arrived. We were lucky to have a tiny crescent moon and the hint of northern lights (there was a magnetic storm, but it was still too light during the most severe part of it). We loved the masses of stars and saw a few meteors, too. Did not choose to summit Snow Peak because we were worn out from the hike in and weren’t sure what the hike out would be like.
Once we got back up to the Snow Peak trail junction and were on the south side of Sherman Peak trail, life was pretty good. There was intermittent snow once we’d descended a bit, but the upper mile or so was clear and made for relaxed hiking. Again, plenty of water available. We navigated 18 downed trees on the way out.
Comments