I finally participated in my first meetup hike. I joined meetup in 2012, but since most of my hikes were summer hikes on established trails with a group of friends, I didn’t see the need for meetup. Thinking back, I think it’s been three years since I went on a hike that I did not plan.
This year I am going on winter/cold weather hikes more frequently and am exploring cross-country routes. Since most of my hiking partners lack the necessary equipment for cold weather hiking, I’ve been hiking solo. Joining a group of knowledgeable hikers is a welcome change.
The Plan
The hike was planned & led by JG, whom I meet on my Alto Diablo hike Jan 17. We emailed back and forth a few times so that I could leave a detailed itinerary and map with my wife. We planned to hike from the South Fork TH to South Fork Meadows. From SFM we would take a cross-country route to the summit of Charlton Peak (10,806′). Multiple forecasts showed that we should be prepared for temperatures ranging from 24-32°, the possibility of rain at the trailhead and snow showers above 9k, and up to 40 mph wind gusts. The same storm system was expected to leave 4-6″ of fresh snow in the 48 hrs leading up to our hike. The forecast made packing for the hike difficult; I had a difficult time deciding what I should wear in terms of layers for my torso especially. Being prepared for the possible rain and wind, while not overheating was my main concern.
The Outcome
We moved quickly for the first 4.5 miles despite dealing with a mix of rain and snow. Fortunately the trail was in good shape and traction wasn’t a problem. Soon after we reached South Fork Meadows, we started using our snowshoes. Around 9200′ we started following another hikers path and by the time we got to 9400′ we were well off of our intended route. We continued to follow the hiker’s tracks as we tried to find a decent route to put us back on the ridge we wanted to follow. We eventually found a good spot to do so, but the next .25 mile took us 30 minutes to cover and the last mile to the peak took us about 2 hrs. At times I was postholing to mid-thigh; there appeared to be 1-2 ft of fresh powder and this made the going very slow. By the time we reached the peak, it was snowing hard and the wind picked up; I would guess the forecast of 40 mph wind gusts was accurate. We quickly took a few pictures and headed back down. The weather continued to be stormy for our descent on the cross-country route, so we moved quickly. Once we reached South Fork Meadows, we removed our snowshoes and ate lunch. We covered the ~4.5 miles back to the trailhead in about 90 minutes.
This is poor quality video, but I think it captures the conditions (wind especially) as we neared Charlton Peak.
Gear
Being a winter hike, my pack was heavier than usual. When I left the house, it was 27 lbs including food, water and my winter gear.
Notable Gear
- MSR Denali Classic Snowshoes
- Performed as expected. With the steep incline on this hike televators would have been helpful.
- Columbia Sportswear Modern Logger Pants
- They were perfect for this hike. The inseam ventilation enabled me to regulate my temperature.
- Layering System for my torso:
- I am confident that this system can keep me warm down to 20 degrees at a minimum. On the ascent, I only wore my outer layer and short sleeve base layer:
- Outer Layer – Columbia Watertight Omni-Tech Jacket
- Mid-Layer – Columbia Boundary Line Fleece
- Insulation Layer – GoLite Demaree 800 Fill Down Jacket
- Longsleeve Base – Champion Double Dry Competitor Compression Long Sleeve
- Short Sleeve Base – Champion Double Dry Performance T-Shirt
- I am confident that this system can keep me warm down to 20 degrees at a minimum. On the ascent, I only wore my outer layer and short sleeve base layer:
I wish I had brought…
- Snow Baskets
- I need to find snow baskets for my current poles or buy poles that have them. At times I was sinking in up the the grips.
Geek Stats
- Notes:
- Timing breakdown
- 6 hr 15 min ascent || 3 hr 49 min descent, including 20 min break
- 6 hr 15 min ascent || 3 hr 49 min descent, including 20 min break
- Timing breakdown
The photo gallery below will load slowly. Thank you for your patience.
J.G.
Epic trip. Had we kept to the planned route instead of following that guy’s track we would have had an easier time on the ridge. That last mile to the peak covered 1126′ gain in DEEP powder. The descent was beyond fun in that powder. GREAT TRIP.
TheHikingGeek
I agree. Thanks for the planning the trip and inviting me to come along!
CatB
HG, what is the device (at the end of your photo gallery) you were wearing or carrying that tallies your stats?
TheHikingGeek
Hi Cat,
That’s the ‘trip computer’ screen on my Garmin Dakota 20. That screen is configurable to show a variety of stats/info, some more useful than others. I listed the ones I use the most below.
I like to take a picture of the trip computer on the summit and when I return to the TH. Whenever I import my GPS tracks into a program, I ‘lose’ mileage; I can import the same file into 3 different programs and get 3 different miles totals. I’ve seen the variance as high as 10%.
Options for Trip Computer Screen:
3 Accuracy of GPS – The current accuracy of your GPS determined position.
4 Battery Level – Battery charge level.
10 Elevation – Current altitude above sea level.
15 GPS Signal Strength – Strength of satellites’ signals.
16 Heading – The direction in which you are currently moving.
18 Location (lat/lon) – Current location as latitude/longitude coordinates.
20 Odometer – Total distance travelled since last reset*).
21 Off Course – The distance you are off the desired course.
22 Pointer – Arrow that indicates the direction to travel to the next point on a route.
25 Speed – Moving Avg. Average speed without the time with no motion since the last reset*).
26 Speed – Overall Avg. Average speed including the time with no motion since the last reset*).
27 Sunrise – Time of sunrise at the current position.
28 Sunset – Time of sunset at the current position.
30 Time of Day – Current time.
34 Trip Odometer – Travelled distance since last reset*).
35 Trip Time – Moving Time with motion since last reset*).
36 Trip Time – Stopped Time without motion since last reset*).
37 Trip Time – Total Total time since last reset*).
CatB
Mucho Thanks for the info! I’ll need to check it out…
TheHikingGeek
I bought my Garmin as a refurb a couple of years ago, so I am guessing there are much better units out there now. If you want help finding something that will suit your needs, let me know!
Dean resley
Great pics and details. I’m confused though I thought the south fork trail and trailhead are closed. Been driving to the trail head multiple times. Closed because of the lake fire that is. Please let me know if it’s now open.
TheHikingGeek
Thanks!
South Fork Trail is closed. This hike was completed in 2015.