Glacier Mountaineering Society

Sat, Dec 5 2015 - Pike Creek XC Ski Loop (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Joe Grabowski
Participants:		Bobbie Gilmore, Felicia Ennis

Write Up:
Low snow depth reported at the Pike Creek snotel site at 1" resulted in a change of plans. Bobbie Gilmore, Felicia Ennis, Denise and Joe Grabowski drove the iced over Camas Road to the North Fork and then drove up the Big Creek Road to ski Skookoleel Creek. This is an abandoned road that goes up to the head of the drainage ending at about 5,500'. Marginal snow coverage at the trailhead but progressively deeper the further in one goes. Zipper crust until the 5,000' elevation and then the snow was soft. At no more than 20" of total snow depth the brush eventually turned us back. It was almost a free ride back to the car. This is a great early season, low snow totals option along with the other abandoned or gated roads in the Whitefish Range. On Sunday Denise and I did venture up to Marias Pass and found surprisingly good touring conditions in spite of the still reported low snow totals. There was just enough snow for us to complete a trip about 4 miles up the South Fork of Two Medicine Creek. 12 miles total round trip.

Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Tim Anderson at twamontana@gmail.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.