Not a big day from a climbing perspective. From the parking spot (which is about 600 feet higher now than it would be during mid-winter) at 9,400 feet, it would be just over 2,000 feet to the summit of Richmond Ridge. The real challenge on this morning, however, would be breaking trail through the foot plus of new snow that had fallen overnight.
Dr. Hartman takes a breather as the snow flies.
Doesn't look much like May, does it?
It was a rather cold morning, topping out in the mid-thirties. With a steady snow, visibility got worse as we climbed closer and closer to 11,400 feet.
It's always a cool sight when the only sign of human life for miles is your skin track.
After two hours, we reached the ridge. After trudging through the deep snow for that long, both of us were suffering with freezing toes. We quickly put on warm gear, did some avalanche safety tests, and dropped into some heavy trees.
The area we intended to ski was called "Annie Face," which then drops into "Little Annie Basin," which is accessed via "Little Annie Road." So who was Annie??? Let's just say she was freinds with a LOT of miners, if you catch my drift.
Mid-winter conditions on the way down. Deep, light snow up top, piled between the tight trees by last nights 25mph winds. Here's Todd testing the goods. All in all, another great day. We got up and down safe, and for a few brief hours, got to relive winter. Who knows, maybe I'll get to do this in June as well!
