Gothic Basin — Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018

Mountain Loop Highway seems to get most of my attention in the shoulder season - it's alpine regions tend to become accessible earlier and stay accessible longer than Hwy 20 but its impending closure gives some incentive to explore in late fall. Last night's trip to this classic was mostly smooth sailing, but microspikes were a must and snowshoes (or skis) will be necessary any day now (and/or depending on temperature changes).

Early creek crossings were uneventful, snow started about 2.5-3 miles in - the waterfall crossings can get a little icy, so take your time. This is also applicable around 3.25-3.75 where there are some steep rocks with ice running down on the trail. Once on consistent snow, there are a few spots where the trail switchbacks up a rock or around a tree, so if you lose the trail, you've probably missed a turn. Snow is probably around 6 inches in the basin but the bootpack is pretty solid, especially when things get colder later in the day so we left the snowshoes on our packs. Keep in mind that the incoming forecast is calling for a few inches soon, so this might be a very different hike even tomorrow. 

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