Sat, Sep 21 2013 - Highwood Ridge + Grizzly Ridge Loop (View Original Event Details)
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A piece of information we learned on the drive out to the trail head at Highwood Pass was that the cloud formations we were viewing meant high winds aloft. That certainly proved true with the high and gusting winds that were relentless the entire day. We needed to be relentless also to complete this entire loop.
The advertised section in the event description “it is a challenging hike during mid day when you need to regain the lost elevation” lived up to the hype. Some options were suggested that should be in place here such as an escalator or a helicopter pick up. A zip line stretching from one ridge to the other was also suggested as a good idea.
The views were amazing today, the ground cover was colorful and some larch trees had turned golden while others were on their way there. The time of day we descended off Grizzly Col was perfect for the lighting on Pocaterra Ridge and Cirque. This is where the autumn colors really shone bright.
The conditions on the route we took were as expected except for one section on the backside ascending off Grizzly Col to Pocaterra Cirque. It had been washed out from the June flood but a new trail was beginning to form as more and more folks frequent the area.
Note: This event was originally posted as a hike with some easy scrambling in a small section or two. I changed it to a D5 Scramble once I got home in case others have the desire to attack this Loop. We opted to continue up to the high point of the north summit of Highwood Ridge, which involved additional easy scrambling.
This was how we choose to celebrate the last day of summer!
Thank you for joining me today and thank you to Darlene and Henk for helping with the driving.
Andra