So what happened to the sunny forecast we were supposed to have today??
Our first option had been Kendall Peak Lakes but Hex Mountain was plan B as we drove up towards Snoqualmie Pass and it started to SNOW. Needless to say, we kept on driving right over to Roslyn and found ourselves some blue skies!
This was my third time to Hex Mountain and the first time parking on the road just before Newport Creek. We took the last spot and carried snowshoes down the road .15 miles to the turn up FR 116 is. There were a few cars here and just then a snowplow drove down the road and my friend decided to move his car up to where we were.
The snow was compact and icy and in that moment I opted to leave my snowshoes and just take microspikes rather than carry my snowshoes up the road. Not normally an issue but a workout last week had my back complaining and I was trying to be nice to it. TMI, I know. Most of our group did the same with one hardy soul carrying his and we headed up at 9:45am.
Now for the maze that is the climb to Hex Mountain. Even for those who have been here before, it is super easy to take a wrong turn especially if others before you have and at each junction you are presented with prints in either direction. Let's see if I can get this right...
1. Take a right at about .41 miles up at a Y junction. There will definitely be tracks in both directions here (the main road seems to continue left). There may be flagging and a power box in the ground on the right in the trees. Depends on snow. DO NOT LOOK AT THE MAP.
2. There will quickly be another Y junction at .45 miles, keep left.
3. Another junction at about .9 miles, keep right. You may see a few tracks left but those are most likely folks who turned left in the beginning and recorrected.
3. A hairpin turn to the right and then back again to the left.
4. Another "junction" (right hand side road or open area), keep left.
5. The road will turn to the left and come around to the Hex Mountain trail sign on your right at 1.8 miles. You made it!!!
This was, also, where the burnt trees started from the fire 2 years ago, jutting up from the white snow. Rather melancholy as it was my first time since the fire to be back, I wondered how the ridge was going to look.
From here the trail heads up towards the ridge, if there are tracks any will do. Just keep in a NE direction. The snow was still compact and spikes did fine, trying to avoid postholing as much as possible but it really wasn't an issue as long as I stayed on trail.
At about .2 more miles we were up on the ridge where it makes several climbs with a few level areas (about 3), get ready for that feeling of false summits! The summit is off to the NE, just know that the ridge to its left is what you are aiming for. We enjoyed Cle Elum Lake below and the sun shining on its shimmery waters.
The wind picked up here (normal) and we donned a layer even though we were still climbing. This meant the snow was still firm and it wasn't until about 4,000 feet that my friend put on his snowshoes due to, and his words, "his portly nature". The rest of us were yet to posthole but the snow has lost its icy nature and snowshoes would have made sense if carried in.
It was interesting to observe the wildfire affected trees: which ones had been spared, which had scars and which were completely dark. It was best to be cautious on the ridge here where there must be multiple logs down across the trail, with the snow lacking depth there was postholing around their bodies.
We reached the final ridge at 3.3 miles and made our easterly turn towards the summit. Here's were snowshoes would have been nice. A few folks were making their descent as we climbed up and there were couple gentlemen having fun with radios. My track showed 3.5 miles and 5,027 feet.
The wind had died down and the sun shone brightly giving us permission to enjoy our summit. Clouds obscured some of the prominent players in the Enchantments but we were happy with the open views nonetheless.
Ebony spikes rose out of the snow on the slopes and the normal cornices at the summit were not nearly as pronounced as last time and some rock was evident. So little snow...
A mass of dark clouds was moving over the pass and Cle Elum Lake so we decided it was time to go. Our trip down was uneventful aside from the folks coming up sharing that they had gotten turned around in the forest road maze, some turning back before the summit.
GAIA below.
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