Kachess Beacon 4615' 11.23.10

   With a great day playing in the lowland snow yesterday I was eager to get out again today. I did have concern over the very cold weather so I layered up with more layers than I have ever put on BEFORE even leaving the house. I was concerned about the roads after watching all the horror stories from last night's newscast. But I had no issues whatsoever. I was hoping to meet ONELUV1 but the roads near his house wouldn't allow for it. I left later than usual but the roads required care but they only slowed things slightly. I was hoping to climb Little Kachess Peak via Silver Creek. I new this was going to be tough with out any extra horsepower to break trail. The Kachess Dam Road is only plowed for a very short ways. The remainder had been driven on and gave me some concern because it was deeply rutted. I was able to make the new spur that leads to the Silver Creek Trailhead. This road was also recently travelled so I pushed on. The road soon became too deep for me to continue so I found a small area to back into keeping me off the road. Shortly after parking the rig that had broken trail passed me and was the only person I saw on this day.  Since I was already dressed I just added boots and gaiters and I was off.

November Snow Storm 2010!!!!

Well the weather man certainly didn't get this one right. I did expect some snow but certainly not nearly this much. For once I had sleds BEFORE the snow arrived. We bundled up the the kids and headed to the neighbor's pasture. There was just enough snow coverage to make it fun but no enough to smooth out the bumps. I had an immense amount of fun acting like a kid with my oldest on the sled with me. I did manage the little one for one ride but that was the extent of her participation.

Mount Phelps 5535' (Attempt)

With the recent balmy wet weather turning more winter like, I wanted to try to squeeze one more worthwhile summit in. I felt like the new system moving in is going to dump a lot of snow making any peak with prominence a real chore. It looked all week like Tuesday was going to be the best chance at a reprieve from the wet windy weather. I was hopeful that we could make it to the snow line before being caught in any major downpour. While most people opt for the Blackhawk Mine approach I figured that would be a soaker going through the clear cut so I opted for a more obscure route. I had read a previous report of walking to the end of the spur road instead of  heading towards the mine. The route winds through old growth and sparse brush and rejoins the standard route near the saddle between Phelps and McClain Peaks. It is good to know that most maps have these two peaks swapped on maps. While Phelps is the bigger brother to McClain it a far more easy ascent.

Red Mt. 5576' (Money Creek)

With the weather turning Wintry, I thought it would be a good idea to see it first hand. I was thankful that ONELUV1 signed on because that greatly increased chances for success. I had reports that the Money Creek Road was now open and since I was betting it wasn't snow covered I thought it would be a good time to make my way up before it became snowbound. The road was in good shape with the exception of a few short portions that put the Subaru to the test. Once reaching Lake Elizabeth I backed down and turned around, thankfully not putting the car in the ditch which has been my MO recently. We layered up since it was quite breezy and chilly. There wasn't any snow on the road but that didn't last long.