There are very few trips reports for Davis after November 1, so we were not sure what to expect. And with the recent rain/snow we were not even sure if we would be able to make it to the trailhead. There was a little snow on the roadway as we approached the end of Lake Cle Elum and it increased as we turned off on the forest service road. But we were in a high clearance, AWD vehicle and had no trouble getting to the trail parking area.
We parked in about six inches of snow and broke fresh tracks as we walked the forest service road to the actual trailhead. The weather looked promising with blue skies on our way in, but the snow was heavy and wet underfoot. We wore hiking boots & spikes. Snowshoes would have been better. Overhanging branches dumped on us from above and we were soon soaked. There were sections of the trail where the snow was very thin under the trees, but as we hiked up the more open ridge, it got deeper- up to our shins.
We ended up stopping at the 3 mile mark for a break and to assess how we felt about pushing on. We were at the 4,400 foot mark and while it was warm in the sun and absolutely beautiful we decided to turn around. We are all strong hikers, but it took us 2 1/2 hours to get to this point due to the snow feeling like quicksand, and we worried about the wet slog out. The way down through the trees was miserable. Without the uphill climb to keep us warm the melting snow felt like freezing rain. Our boots, jackets and gloves turned to cold, soggy sponges. We could not wait to get back to the warm car. It was a very beautiful hike and we’re all glad we did it! Would be better in snowshoes. Not sure how much longer the trail will be accessible.
6 miles RT, 4.25 hours, 2,100 ft elevation gain
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