Miles: 22
Adrian: Today, we hiked through lots of snow. We started at mile 369 on Highway 2 named Inspiration Point. The clouds limited visibility and there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. The temperature hung in the 30s.
In the first 5 miles before the Baden-Powell trailhead at Vincent Gap we knew we would not be able to climb the mountain due to weather. It was a tough decision but a wise one as visibility and wind were extremely harsh and the temperature would continue to fall in the afternoon.
What do you do when you've been snowed off the mountain? Road walk. The Highway 2 was closed to cars so it wasn't too bad.
As evening time came we found an old defunct ski operation that offered a little dry patch of ground for us to set up on. With us were Justin and Albert. It was a cold night and I didn't sleep so well.
Tomorrow we hit the trail again!
Kirsten: This morning we hiked for five miles on crusty snow-covered trails before reaching Vincent Gap/Highway 2. Those five miles were amazing. During the storm days before, the wind had shaped the snow on the pine needles and branches into long slivers. As the sun warmed the trees these ice shards fell to the ground and covered the trail. It was kind of like walking on shaved coconut.
After Vincent Gap the day went down hill for me. We roadwalked, which - for lack of a better word - sucked. Highway 2 from Vincent Gap was closed for about 15 miles because of rock fall. Walking along a winding, desolated mountaintop highway with rock fall every few steps and thick clouds was sort of post-apocalyptic. We slogged through several miles of slush, which left our feet soaking wet and cold.
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