Mt Olympus, wet and slippery, 2010

[xjblue]

My (late) May 22nd kick off of the 2010 hiking season in the Wasatch the usual way with good old stairmaster 200,000 aka Mt Olympus up first on the to do list. It was an interesting day weather wise, fresh snow blanketed the mountain after an early morning storm which dampened my motivations but then the warm sun came out and somehow reversed the motivational situation. Olympus gleamed in the morning sun invitingly with it's fresh white coat.

View of the two summits from the lower Tolcat overlook.



Blister Hill


on Blister hill, fresh snow quickly melting, i.e. out of the trees and down the back of the shirt invariably.



Beautiful spring day on the trail.






About to enter the forest, for me this is the half way mark.



From the saddle moments before another snow storm rolls in erasing the views.



On the S. summit, surrounded by the din of an unseen city.



The snow continued to melt out of the trees with seemingly perfect aim for the vulnerable neck line while fresh flakes fell. The trail now obscured from the warmth of the sun quickly iced over, becoming a super slick rock strewn skating rink. It would take longer to get down than it took to get up this time. I was very thankful for gore-tex during this hike but wished the skywalk II tread with only one season left on them underneath those Vasque boots could have been suddenly studded like snow tires.

Glacier Lilys emerged from a wet and heavy blanket of melting snow.

[Wasatch Rebel]

Nice report!

[accadacca]

Yep, nice report!