Old Blewett Pass 1.16.08

I was happy to see some sunshine forecasted for today. I dearly needed to get some sun and to stretch my legs. I was hoping to put some miles on a road that I had never been. I parked at the start of the Old Blewett road just SE of the Swauk Campground. I was very pleased to find the road packed down by snowmobile traffic with just enough new snow to make it interesting. I was making good time but I wanted to cut the switchbacks to shorten the long walk. After making an attempt to leave the road I found the going slow and not at all pleasant. I decided it would be much less taxing to remain on the road. Upon reaching a junction I misread my map and intstead of heading toward Roughhouse Mt. (pt. 4760+) I was heading for (pt. 4675). The going was extremely slow and I was glad that I realized my mistake quickly. I retraced my steps and soon was on the right path. I stayed on the road and approached the summit from the East. I found the going very slow. I had reached my turnaround time so I decided to keep going. I was probably less than 50ft of elevation from the summit but I was already 20minutes past my time. Of all days this was one I couldn't be late for the evening's plan. I decided to be more aggressive on the way down cutting any switchbacks when the opportunity was there. I was able to shave enough time to make it home just in time.




Approx 11 miles 5 hours car to car 1900 ft of climb