Attempting Carr Peak

Steve wanted to hike up Carr Peak this morning and I was willing to go with him.  There was snow on the peak, but we didn't know how deep it would be.  I brought Zeke and Minnie.  Minnie does well in cold weather and likes the snow.  Steve brought his dog Trace.  Today's high in town was 55F, that meant it would be in the low 40s at the peak.  I wore four top layers and two bottom layers.  I should have packed my baclava.  My face was the only exposed part of me.

We met in the picnic area at 7:50am and got to the Ramsey vista trail at 8:30am.  The road was free of ice and snow, although there was a dusting of snow on the north slopes  No one else was in the parking lot, although there were several campers in the campground.

The hike started out easy.  The ground was moist from the snow and rain Thursday night.  But when we looked at Carr Peak, the summit was shrouded by fast-moving clouds.  We never did see the peak.  It looked cold, and it was, and the wind gusted ferociously.  We could see the frost from the trailhead.  If the sun had been out, that frost would have glistened brightly.

Steve kept a steady pace.  I stayed ahead of him but kept him within view.  Minnie is slow and her slow pace kept me from getting too far ahead of Steve.   Zeke stayed mostly by my side until a deer pranced across the trail and the two boys took chase. The dogs had fun and I was happy to see Minnie having fun, too.  I usually keep her at home on long hikes but she had no trouble today.  Trace didn't seem bothered by the snow and darted in all directions looking for things to chase.

  

There was about an inch of snow near the start.  The snow wasn't an obstacle.  It was the icy foot prints from earlier hikers that created a hazard.  We agreed to hike as far as it was safe to do so.  Just before the lower aspen grove, Steve said he didn't feel comfortable going any higher because getting back down would be more treacherous.  My Merrell Accentors were not giving me much traction. We turned around at the 1.6 mile.  I didn't mind.  We turned around just below the clouds above us.  The wind was only getting stronger and it certainly wasn't getting any warmer.  It was not ideal hiking conditions, even for winter.

A young couple in the parking lot took off for a hike as we got back to the car.  The woman was bundled up but the man wore a sleeveless down vest.  I doubt they went very far.

We both noted the many vehicles driving uphill as we were going downhill.  We were in town a few hours and the clouds over the mountains only got denser.  We did the right thing by turning around.  I can handle the cold and the snow.  I can not handle the ice.

More rain is in the forecast for Thursday, and that means snow in the mountains.  I will try to bag Carr Peak before the next rain.