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Basic Snowshoe - Wenatchee Crest

a ridge line snowshoe along the Wenatchee Crest - seeking views & a snowlike

Janette Powell Janette Powell
February 21, 2022
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • the trailhead in Blewett Pass arriving around 9am to an almost cleared & empty lot .

    The forest road had compacted snow about 100 yards in. Some in the group started with microspikes & all put on snowshoes once we went off trail towards the first nob prior to the Y.

    The group had fun routefinding - looking to connect snow along the northerly edge of the ridge as the southerly edge was mostly bare.  There were a couple of bare patches  on the northern side we (on a short grassy patch we opted to leave our snowshoes on, yet another more rocky patch we took our snowshoes off).  The group felt the the final 50-100 yards at Cairn Hill was a bit sketchy - soft wind loaded snow on the right and unstable scree on the left - so we backtracked to a rocky viewpoint we had just passed for our lunch break.  

This was my second mentored Basic Snowshoe as a Trip Leader.  We rendezvoused at Travelers Rest (Snoqualmie Pass) at 8am & then proceeded to the trailhead in Blewett Pass arriving around 9am to an almost empty lot.  We headed off the road towards the first nob prior to the Y.  The road was well packed snow, but snowshoes were immediately useful off trail.  The group opted to take turns leading & communicated well when discussing route options/route safety.  We had a delightfully warm snowshoe with minimal breeze on the ridge.  There was consistent high cloud cover (in patches) but we got fantastic vista's of  Diamond head, Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, Mt Stewart and the enchantments.  There were a couple of bare patches (on a short grassy patch we opted to leave our snowshoes on, yet another more rocky patch we took our shoes off).  The group felt the the final push (50-100yds or so) was a bit sketchy - soft wind loaded snow on the right and unstable scree on the left - so we backpacked to a rocky viewpoint & soaked up vistas of Mt Rainier for our lunch break.  On the return the group opted to return on the ridge to where it paralleled the forest road & at that point we returned on the road. We were back at our car around 1:30pm...we kept to our sauntering pace - enjoying the forest diversity, the remarkable vistas & the great conversations. It was a delightful Friday at Blewett Pass.