After plans of heading up Shepherds Pass were thwarted by the rather inclement weather, my bud Paul ventured north to hang for the weekend. Sunday we headed north and east into the Benton Range to explore as much as we could. While snowy and cloudy, the storm was quite lovely, and we were able to hit the whole Glass Mountain Ridge.
Glass Mountain (11,140ft)
Kelty Peak (10,617ft)
Wilfred Peak (10,030ft)
Cone Peak (10,152ft)
Some notes:
1) While the road is well-packed dirt, it was a little soft from the rains and snow. Only light dustings occurred in the vicinity of Sawmill Meadow, where we parked (9200ft).
2) A brand new covering of snow (1-2") was on everything above 9500ft, getting progressively deeper with the climb. Depths near the summits varied from 6-12". The powder was fluff-dry , reminding me of Utah snow. It actually helped a lot with traction on the obsidian scree slopes of all these peaks.
3) The ridge is very straightforward and a nice bit of up and down. Besides Glass, there are no registers or markers, nor are the other peaks named on the topos.
4) I'm sure the views regularly are quite spectacular. We saw, well, clouds . :/ Actually, they parted for a few minutes when we were on Cone to reveal Crowley Lake and parts of the Long Valley Caldera.
Lighting and fog made for a very interesting photo day. Luckily both Paul and I wore bright colors so we could see each other! A few other moments from the day:
Rest of the pics are here.
-L
Champagne Powder and Glass Mountain Dreams
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Champagne Powder and Glass Mountain Dreams
"Why do I climb? Quite simply because the mountains and I had to meet." - Colette Richard
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Re: Champagne Powder and Glass Mountain Dreams
Great trip! Wish I could have gone, but had a prior commitment. What are the hats and helmets?
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison
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Re: Champagne Powder and Glass Mountain Dreams
We came upon the helmets on Cone Peak, maybe a final resting ground? I think the one on the ground used to be up, but was blown off sometime recently. Wierd!!
Yeah, I thought of you, would've been fun playing in the snow! Maybe this coming weekend!
-L
Yeah, I thought of you, would've been fun playing in the snow! Maybe this coming weekend!
-L
"Why do I climb? Quite simply because the mountains and I had to meet." - Colette Richard
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Re: Champagne Powder and Glass Mountain Dreams
Looks and sounds like a fun time on the ridge, Laura. Lots of ridge walks for everyone this past weekend!
Walking outside is where I find what's inside.
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