April Bowl

It's been snowing up in Hatcher Pass so it won't be long before the road over the pass closes down for the winter.  I drove up there just to see what the conditions were, and found that the road is still open. Since that could change any day, I drove on up to Summit Lake and decided to hike partway up the April Bowl Trail. I didn't have my trekking poles but at least I did toss my microspikes into the pocket of my coat. I thought I might get by without them but once I got to the snowy sections of the trail I was glad I'd brought them along. They were definitely needed. It was getting progressively cloudy and foggy so I decided I probably wouldn't make it all the way up to Hatch Peak. I do prefer having my poles up there, plus the show was starting to get fairly deep. The steepest section up to the weather station was really getting slippery, so I decided to turn around there if the fog didn't lift. Once there, I waited a few minutes, but the fog just got thicker. Preferring not to be caught in a snowstorm, Bella and I turned back. I'm sure I could have made it all the way to Hatch Peak, but it didn't seem worth the trouble since even where I was, I couldn't see the view in any direction. I took Bella off her leash for the descent. She likes to pull and it was a little treacherous without the added downhill tugging of an anxious dog. She ran up and down the rocks, thoroughly enjoying herself, while I picked my way down the steepest parts. I'm really glad I decided to hike up there today because it may well be my last chance until next spring. I think they close the road October 1st regardless of snow conditions.