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Got out of work, boiled some water, packed up and headed for Crane. The blowdown is still there, particularly at the very start of the summit trail and a bit between the ladders, but no major difficulties.
The trail is hard-packed and icy. No need for snowshoes, in fact they would probably be problematic in many places: bring crampons instead. The spot at the top of the big ladder is treacherous and of course not the sort of place you would want to slip. I had to leap for the ladder when I went down in the morning.
I made it to the top before 9:30, meeting a friend who had started ahead of me earlier just below the big ladder. We set up camp in the woods and then rested until midnight.
By then the wind had picked up and our annual New Years spectacle was greatly hampered, but we managed to light a flare and wave it around a bit before heading back to our bags.
Woke up early enough to eat breakfast (I strongly recommend a liter-sized unbreakable thermos filled with boiling water!) and get down in time for church services the next morning.
I gotta say, being up on a mountain beats watching a ball drop anywhere!
The trail is hard-packed and icy. No need for snowshoes, in fact they would probably be problematic in many places: bring crampons instead. The spot at the top of the big ladder is treacherous and of course not the sort of place you would want to slip. I had to leap for the ladder when I went down in the morning.
I made it to the top before 9:30, meeting a friend who had started ahead of me earlier just below the big ladder. We set up camp in the woods and then rested until midnight.
By then the wind had picked up and our annual New Years spectacle was greatly hampered, but we managed to light a flare and wave it around a bit before heading back to our bags.
Woke up early enough to eat breakfast (I strongly recommend a liter-sized unbreakable thermos filled with boiling water!) and get down in time for church services the next morning.
I gotta say, being up on a mountain beats watching a ball drop anywhere!
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