After a couple of disappointing adventures where either the snow was ouchy courtesy of the wind or rotten due to warm weather and rain, finding good, quality snow was important. So important I was willing to risk a return to the Cursed Trailhead.
Granted, it's been quite a while since the curse has manifested, but in its day the curse was quite frightening. Kid trip: FAIL. Snowshoe trip: FAIL. Second snowshoe trip: FAIL. Third snowshoe trip: FAIL. Fall trip: WASPS. (To be fair, there were a couple of successful trips, too, but that doesn't make for a dramatic telling.)
There was little snow on the road to the trailhead and nobody there when we arrived. The trail climbs quickly and the snow got deeper as we ascended into the valley. There were no overflowing creeks flooding the trail. No rotten snow. Just delightful powder about calf-deep that billowed as we walked.
When we reached the summit there were blue skies and a big mountain and a tower to climb. Yeah, the boy shouldn't have climbed the tower, but it was stable and a fall would have been cushioned by the snow. Plus it made for great photos.
On the way down we saw only one other party and were treated to frequent spectacles of snow falling from trees lit by the sun. It was truly not cursed.
We did see an opportunity for cursing to happen. There is a tangle of BIG trees suspended directly over the trail held up only by friction. If one of those trees fails the whole thing will come tumbling down. We did not tempt the curse and kept moving.
📍On the lands of the Wenatchi people.
