Winter has Arrived on Crystal Mountain

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered " -G.K. Chesterton

Who Came: Michael Lewis, Eastking, Chance, Josh
Elevation Gain: 2,500 ft?
Elevation Top: 7,000 ft
What Peak: Silver King

It's been a while since I had gone on a trip with the Eastking, this time it was time for the beginning of the greatest season of all.Winter! The trip started when Chance had a little trouble finding my house (believe me, he is certainly not the first). It was the first time we had ever met but from the start he was a really nice guy. We pick up the Eastking and are off for Crystal. At the trail head there was very slight snow off to the sides which meant time to gaitor up. The mountains looked a bit foggy, but clear patches in the sky made it seem possible for some clearings. Fortunatley our wish came true.



We hiked up through the ski lift area and then on through the woods. We had some decent conversations heading up, and showed Chance how to properly hold an ice axe. As we walked along we got to a more open slope, this is what we were waiting for. The clouds above began to clear which got us more excited for the next ridge point ahead. As we climbed near the top the clouds casted a shadow yet sun light managed to get through creating an effect to the atmosphere. This was my favorite part of the trip.






On the ridge we finish off the last few hundred feet of gain to the summit. The wind had taken some of the snow away making my job easier. It seemed ironic that the snow was deeper down below than near the summit (which makes sense). We enjoyed the summit with some views when the clouds cleared. We soon headed on down. Once back to the mid ridge point we glissaded down. For me the snow was too soft to get a good glissade down, but it was alright. When looking behind we could see some interesting cloud shadows from the rocks.






The rest of the way back was a gentile hike back down to the car without any drama. It was another good day in the mountains, and one could say "I'm putting my winter on" because now I'm wanting to get out more than before. Special Thanks to Chance who drove us and got me some free hot chocolate. Also thanks to Eastking for coordinating the trip, you guys were great!

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