Scatter Creek 5.11.05

I was hoping to summit Scatter Benchmark (pt 6897), I was much suprised to find substantial snow above 4200ft. I couldn't follow the trail under all the snow so I decided to jump off trail and climb to subtle ridge that leads SE. The area was mostly open and I could avoid most of the rotten patchy snow as I made my way up the moderate grade. I tended to the areas with the most southern exposure which made for faster snowless travel. The grade flattened out near 5100ft as the views started to unfold. The snow became solid and consolidated near 5400ft. I switched to snowshoes which I was very glad to have carried to this point. I went directly over pt. 5840 which is the terminus of the ridge. I now switched direction heading mostly east and dropped to the saddle and met the County Line trail which I followed towards Scatter Benchmark. I stayed almost directly on the ridgeline which was quite open and enjoyable. After cresting a minor point I could see where the trail goes directly South of the benchmark. The pass from my vantage point seemed quite steep and was completely covered with snow. I was quite content to eat my lunch and enjoy the windless sun. The views pan out in nearly every direction. There seems to be many ways to reach the Scatter group so I look forward to trying a different route next time. The descent went quite quickly without having too much route finding. I just merely followed my own prints and where there wasn't snow I took the path of least resistance. Just seeing enough signs of my ascent to give me confidence that I would be able to rejoin the trail.