An perfect day today in the snow. We arrived at the Condor Summit Trail (Mount Pinos Nordic Base) just after 6:30 am and began our hike just after 7 am. There were three other vehicles in the lot. Most likely camping. The temps were a very comfortable 45 degrees with a lite wind maybe 1 or 2 mph. The majorty of the road/trail heading up to Mount Pinos was covered in several inches of hard crunchy snow, so we put on our micro spikes right at the start.

The snow fields just before the Mount Pinos summit were likely about a foot or more of snow, but with the early morning temps we were able to walk right across the snow without post-holing. Of course, that drastically change as the day progressed and the temps got warmer. There was still a significant amount of snow between Mount Pinos and Sawmill. This could make route finding for some a bit challenging. Of course, I had an expert with me, so we didn't have any issues! 😉 🙂  The snow at this point was still mostly hard crunchy snow, but we found ourselves post-holing every once in a while. Usually about ankle deep.

Going from Sawmill to Grouse upped the challenge a bit. There was even more snow and, by the looks of it, maybe one or two people ventured this far since the snow hit. Snow to this point was still crunchy and post holing was becoming more frequent and a little deeper than earlier in the morning. Route finding, again, is a definite challenge if you are unsure of or are lacking in navigational skills.

Heading back, the snow had softened a great deal. We were post-holing almost every step of the way. Mostly ankle to calf deep, but on occasion knee and thigh deep. We had snowshoes with us but were having too much fun post-holing through the snow (mostly off trail), so we didn't break them out. We took our time today. Had a lot of fun and got in a lot of exercise in the snow. A hike that I normally complete in less than three hours, today took us over seven hours. By design though!

We didn't see a single hiker on the trail until after we passed Mount Pinos during our return. So basically, in the last 1.5 miles. Most of which, were only there to play in the snow near the Nordic Base. Although, there were a few cutting across the snow field heading up toward Mount Pinos. My guess is that was the extent of their hike.

Perfect snow conditions. Perfect weather. Perfect views. Perfect partner. Makes for a perfect day!!