Most Fridays I hike with my friend Pam and our two dogs. She didn't have a lot of time today so we chose a short hike on the Gold Mint Trail. I warned that it had looked pretty awful last week when I checked it. But we gave it a try anyway. The first half was lovely, with no snow or mud. But gradually it deteriorated to slushy snow that was built up in the center and sloped off each side. We kept slipping off the snow. We had to avoid mud where there wasn't actual snow. About a mile and a quarter in, we came to the old avalanche that had crossed the trail. The gigantic snow pile had barely melted at all. We had to very carefully climb up over it. There were now some deep holes that we had to be careful avoid as we found our way up and over the pile. Bella and Pam's dog, Dahla, raced up over it as if it wasn't even there. But we humans had to be a little more careful. We walked a little farther then found ourselves in deeper snow with lots of very wet areas. Together we decided this trail was not rated very high on the fun scale, so we turned back. We both concurred that folks should wait a couple more weeks before hiking the Gold Mint Trail. But in spite of the miserable conditions, it was still really nice to be out in the fresh air enjoying nature. I know those 2 little dogs still thought it was great fun. We still walked over 3 miles thorough that mess.
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| Pam on the avalanche debris |
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| Bella on typical trail conditions |
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