It was a very rainy, stormy morning driving up to the mountain from the South Bay, so I had my doubts. Forecast called for a few inches of snow yesterday and a few snow showers today, so I figured we would likely run into some snow after mile two or three. I was not ready for what welcomed us! We started seeing small snow drifts about a quarter mile into the trail. By the time we reached the service road, there was already snow all along the sides of the road. By the time we passed the rock climbing wall, that was it, we were now walking in snow the rest of the way, some areas as deep as 6 inches or more! it snowed on and off the entire day, very heavy at times, with little to no wind most of the time. Absolutely wonderful winter conditions. It actually snowed so much that by the time we were heading back down, most of our footprints had already been covered over and it looked like nobody had been by! Aside from one hiker we passed on the way down near the half way point and a second just after leaving the service road back into the trail, we had the mountain and snow all to ourselves. The only thing that would've been any better would have been to get a bit of clear skies while we were at the summit to really take in the scenery. Still an amazing hike!
That was my 6th of the challenge, challenge complete! I'll still try to get in the remaining three hikes in later in the year. Sizer and Rose Peak will likely need to wait until the fall, but Berryessa might be doable in a few weeks, weather and schedule permitting. The summer will be dedicated to trying to complete the new Northern California challenge!
Responses
CRAZY! That is insane! Thank you for braving the elements and sharing the photos and your IG video. Congratulations on your summit!