Steve at our turn-around point
The forecast was for high avalanche danger today, so Elain and I decided to climb Mount Teneriffe, which is separated from Mount Si by a long ridge. This hike is 14 miles round-trip, with at least half of that mileage on logging roads. We set out about 9:30 AM, and were trudging up the muddy logging road under gray skies. We hit snow line at about 2500', and at about 3000' the snow was deep enough that we put on our snowshoes. Visibility was poor and it was getting windy by the time we broke above timber on the slope leading up to the pass. Alongside the road, we came across an old shelter that was boarded up. By the time we reached the pass, it was starting to snow. We climbed up and along the forested ridge towards the summit, eventually reaching a crest in the ridge. Neither of us could remember whether this was supposed to be the true summit, and in any event, the weather was taking a turn for the worse. So we turned around and headed back down. We later found out that the true summit is about a quarter mile further along the ridge, and about 20 feet higher than our turn-around point. It poured rain for the last few miles of the hike out along the road, and we arrived at the car thoroughly soaked. We reached the car at about 4:30 PM.
Gear: snowshoes. We wished we had an umbrella.
Steve at our turn-around point
Steve just below the pass
Elain checking out the abandoned shelter
Elain hiking through iced-over trees