I went out with severao friends for 2 night, 3 days and the weather was amazing to say the least. As for the trail,we brought snowshoes and skis but started out with em strapped to our packs. For the first mile to mile and a half it was bare trail or intermittent snow patches easily crossable. After the first couple miles you get to a fair amount more snow and much less trail. The snow is somewhat soft but in the shade but we all strapped in to walk the rest of the way from about 2 miles. Very easy routefinding, and excellent views if you decide to scramble a couple nearby peaks. Prepare for snow camping and very soft snow during the day. We saw 3 to 4 ft of snow at 6000 ft. Good water sources halfway down the trail. Clean parking lot,toilet,no broken glass. Excellent trip! Cheers

What an amazing day to be out in the Teanaway! Looking for a dog friendly hike we hadn’t yet done, I opted for Esmerelda Basin today. Having done Lake Ingalls 6 or 7 times, I’d always imagined Esmerelda to be the less desirable trail in that area (that sounds harsh, but I just love Ingalls so much!) Boy was I wrong - with a fresh layer of snow and lots of sun, this too is a beautiful hike! Unlike every other time I’ve been to the Ingalls/Esmerelda trailhead, today there was only one other car in the parking lot. It was really cold (37 degrees at the trailhead), but a beautiful sunny day and I quickly heated up as we got going and peeled off my long sleeves. Hit the trail a few minutes before 1:00 and snow appeared as soon as we passed the junction for Ingalls/Longs Pass, quickly changing from a faint dusting along the trail to covering the trail. It was much snowier than I expected, and soon we were hiking through sections of snow 3-4” deep, mixed with frozen water runoff and intermittent bare spots of muddy trail (no need for traction devices just yet). One downed tree to climb over and one to crawl under, both manageable, along with other small limbs and debris, probably from the wind storms over the weekend. After climbing under the downed tree, it was smooth sailing from here up to the junction of the County Line trail where we cut over to head to the ridge above Lake Ann. The snow continues to get deeper as you make your way up County Line and was close to foot deep in places as we made the last ½ mile push up to the ridge (again still mixed with rock, so snowshoes wouldn’t have been that helpful – although poles might have been). Once we reached the ridge, the combo of wind and a bit of shade made it too cold to sit still. Layers went back on and after a few pics, we headed back down. As we made our way off the ridge I spotted a couple lone larches hanging out in the snow, still sort of intact, and that made the day for me! We kept moving as quickly as possible to stay warm and beat the setting sun, and made it back to the parking lot by 5:00. As far as the drive, the pot holes (now giant mud puddles) are pretty bad for the first 3 miles, but the rest of #9737 to the trailhead is pretty smooth and almost looks as though it was graded recently? I was in that same area two weeks prior and it seemed to be a lot worse then, but maybe that’s my imagination. :)

Started out at Esmeralda Basin trail head on the morning of the 4th intending to backpack the Ingalls Peak Loop over two nights and three days. No issues getting to the unnamed pass looking over Lake Ann. Trail in good condition with mderate traffic. Getting down to Lake Ann a bit more difficult as trail is mostly obscured by snow, so glissaded most of it. Heading towards Van Epps Pass from Lake Ann it looked like I might have been the first to make the attempt this year. Many blow downs and quite a lot of snow, but very peaceful and full of wild fowers. Trail moderately difficult to find in a few places but should be easy once snow is gone. Van Epps Pass full of mosquitoes and a bit of 4x4 trash strewn about, so decided to head down the rest of the County Line Trail and link up with Van Epps. This is where it got interesting. The mining road leading to Van Epps trail was alternately buried in deep snow or strewn about with massive trees uprooted by avalanches. At the bottom of the road, I found an incomprehensible system of dead-end 4x4 trails and foot paths, all leading into snow-bound oblivion. I could not find the Van Epps trail head after an hour of hard searching; I fear it may have been obliterated over the winter. Camped at Van Epps and headed back out the way I came next morning. Maybe try the loop again in August.

This weekend was my inaugural “Take the Wonder Pup Backpacking” trip. For our destination, I chose the Esmeralda Loop, which circles the Esmeralda massif via De Roux campground, Gallagher Head Lake, Fortune Creek Pass, and Esmeralda Basin. Stats, including the Lake Ann pass side hike, are approximately 14.5 miles, 3400 net gain. In a nutshell, it was a wonderful trip. Perhaps given the weather forecast, I only met four other backpackers...all women. ‘Nuff said there ;-) But there were only two other women at Gallagher Head Lake, and nobody at Fortune Creek Pass or the pass overlooking Lake Ann. Glorious! My route included an early evening start from the Esmeralda Basin TH, and down the side trail to De Roux. From there I went in maybe a quarter mile, and stealth camped near the bridge. The next morning I headed up to Gallagher Head Lake, where I set up camp, battening down the hatches for the upcoming storm. The Wonder Pup and I then scrambled Gallagher Head, enjoying the view until the first rumble of thunder. After double checking the rainfly and guy lines and tucking the foot print well under the tent, we settled in for the duration. While hail pounded on the tent, and claps of thunder echoed up and down the canyon, I leaned back and enjoyed gourmet cheese and a good book. The next morning we broke camp, and headed north along the 4x4 track, downhill to the intersection with the Esmeralda Basin Trail. A mother-daughter pair passed on the welcome news that the route was almost snow free. We had the trail, and the pass to ourselves…enjoying lunch and a clear blue sky view. From there, we side hiked to the pass overlooking Lake Ann. If anything, the day was even more beautiful. We enjoyed the gorgeous sun all the way down to the TH. Now for specific notes: Side trail between Esmeralda TH and De Roux campground: Going downhill, start on the road. The trail will be on your right, shortly after you start. It’s pretty obvious; lots of rock in place. There are loads of road…er...trail apples. The trail heads almost directly into the campground. Going uphill, you’d need to turn left onto the De Roux road, just before the Iron Ranger (pay station). Boulder-De Roux trail: Good shape. Again, it’s a horse trail. Trail to Gallagher Head Lake: Good shape. Snowy patches, which will take a few more weeks to melt out. No traction devices required. There is one creek crossing which is iffy. I crossed at what looked like the trail. It looks like the trail kept going further downstream before crossing, but this spot looked the best. At any rate, head downstream a bit you’ll find the trail. Gallagher Head Lake: Soggy, with lots of snowy patches. The lake is melted out, and the creeks are roaring. I camped near the bottom of the canyon, for lightning safety, but the combination of standard-issue downhill morning cold temps, plus the snow, made for a nippy night. Fortune Creek 4WD road: Still lots of snow, in many places more than ground. It’s on the north side of Esmeralda, and almost entirely in the trees, so I doubt it will melt out anytime soon. I would have preferred my Yak Trax here, but did okay with my excellent tread boots. The last major creek I went boots-off, as it was up to mid-calf on me (I’m 5’6”), and the log crossing was chancy. Esmeralda Basin Trail: Snow free most of the way up to the pass, except for a few easily-negotiated snow fields across meadows. No snow along any slope traverses. Fortune Creek Pass: Snow free along the ridgeline, and along the small knoll to the south (where we had lunch). A few blowdowns, one of which required creativity. There’s a largish snow field just over the ridge and to the north. It’s got a safe runout, and it looks like a great place to practice glissading. More snow patches down to the County Line/Lake Ann trail. There are nice campsites on either side of the pass, and even near the crest. County Line/Lake Ann Trail: No snow except in the meadows. The trail can be slightly tricky to follow, but there are several cairns, and the way over the snow is easy to discern. No snow on any steep portions. I didn’t descend to Lake Ann, but it appears partly melted out, with some higher-ground campsites available. Esmeralda Basin Trail, County Line to TH: Great shape, with several creek crossings which get more (ahem) damp the further down the hill you are. There are some minor snow fields above the intersection with the Ingalls Lake trail, and below the fork with the old road. Flora: It’s the beginning of wildflower season, certainly not the middle. Fauna: One chipmunk and one grouse. Perhaps they didn’t like the thought of meeting the Wonder Pup. Random thoughts: Lots of water available on the trail, although less so on the trail between the Fortune Creek 4X4 road and the pass. Reasonably waterproof boots with sturdy soles are recommended. Trekking poles are nice for the snow. Road: There was a flash flood during the thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon/evening. A mudslide covered the road at approximately mile 6.5, for about a tenth of a mile. Crews were working on the road all day on Sunday. I heard they were letting sedans through, but I appreciated my high clearance 4WD. Other than that, there are some deep potholes above the horse camp, but it’s fine for anyone being careful. It takes about a half hour from the 29 Pines intersection to the TH.