On this January day, I took advantage of the sunshine and inversion-like temperatures at higher elevations and hiked up Mt. Townsend. I chose the Mt. Townsend Trail this time, which involves more elevation gain than my usual route, because recent online reports confirmed it was in good condition. I left home at 5:45 a.m. and arrived at the trailhead just as the sun was beginning to rise.
The snow was very firm, more like solid ice, but surprisingly not slippery, so I didn’t bother with microspikes on the way up. I did put them on for the descent, just to be safe. Overall, it was a fantastic day on the mountain. Temperatures actually warmed as I gained elevation, with one notable exception: the ridge top was windy and bitterly cold. Dropping about 20 feet below the ridge provided welcome shelter from the wind, and I took a half-hour break there.
Thanks to the early start, I barely saw anyone on the way up the mountain. On the way down, however, I passed an estimated 25–30 groups heading up. The number of vehicles in the parking lot confirmed just how popular Mt. Townsend was that day.
