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An old climbing buddy was visiting, so I took Wednesday off to join him for what turned out to be a splendid day on La Plata. We started at 6:00 AM from the north side trailhead and found almost no evidence of a track. Snow conditions for the first half mile were rotten, but as soon as we crossed La Plata Gulch and headed for the Northwest Ridge the pack firmed up nicely beneath a few inches of new snow. Early clouds burned off and left us with a spectacularly clear and calm morning.
We cached snowshoes at treeline and scampered up the nose of the ridge. A solitary goat track led all the way to the summit. The snow on the upper slopes was a bit too soft for efficient uphill travel, but usually a better deal than the boulders and scree on the west side. Snow squalls were building as we topped out and a big one refreshed us as we started down. The snow consistency was ideal for the above-treeline descent and surprised us by remaining firm below. Five minutes from the trailhead, we found fresh bear tracks, but bruin was nowhere in sight. Down at 3:00 PM. |
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