2013-11-29 Bearscout Peak

Colin and I tried to make the best of the weather the day after Thanksgiving by climbing a few obscure I-90 peaks. We parked less than a mile below the gate at the Hansen Creek Trailhead and set off up the snowy road before 7 a.m. There was a single truck at the borrow pit when we passed by. About a foot of snow was mostly firm on the road, and very thin or non-existent under canopy besides a few places above 4500 feet.



On top of the ridge we followed the remnants of the old Mount Gardner Trail along the watershed boundary. Hopping on and off several roads brought us to Scout Patrol Peak, which we quickly left for Bearscout Peak. Visibility was under 50 feet most of the day, and never more than 200 feet. On our return the snow was noticeably softer but mostly downhill so we never used the snowshoes that we carried all day. Back at the gate we found dozens of cars worth of people harvesting Christmas trees, and then got caught in a very unexpected traffic jam on Tinkham Road.




10.5 miles round trip 3900' elevation gain


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