
| There were thunder storms forecast that day, but we decided to head up anyways, and see how it went. We could see lightning in the south end of the Valley around Nebo, but where we were it looked more like the beginning of winter. The temperature dropped quickly as we climbed, due to the harsh wind often present in the Lone Peak Wilderness. The snow was coming at us almost horizontally. We scrambled up the granite Talus, and reached within about 100 ft of the summit by our turn around time of 2:00. Our wet fleece gloves were turning to ice, and my hands were going numb. We decided the rocks were too slick to make the class 4 traverse to the summit, but we'd come closer than we'd expected, and all felt satisfied. We'd all been on the summit before anyways, and far as we were concerned, had reached the top of the mountain.
On the way down the ridge, my fingers went numb and refused to warm up again. Fortunately, Dave Tobler let me borrow his shell mitts. Even with my soaked gloves, my hands were toasty again within an hour. I decided shell mitts are worth their small weight in gold, and I've carried a pair with me ever since.
On the way back down, the granite slabs that had offered excellent footing on the ascent were now covered in a thin layer of ice. With an inch or two of snow on top, it was hard to see where these ice sheets were. Trekking poles weren't just helpful, they were essential. Anyways, we made it down to the mud bog at the bottom, with about an 11 hour round trip. Better than my Schoolhouse Springs time in August, and that in much better weather. We were glad for the harsh weather, because it made it more of an adventure, and I was glad I hadn't lost my fingers. |