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Corral Pass Snowshoe --> SunTop Snowshoe

Weather was NOT a problem. The mother of all traffic jams on 410 WAS a problem. Diverted from original destination due to being stuck in stop and go traffic from Enumclaw to Greenwater and beyond.

Brian Carpenter Brian Carpenter
January 11, 2020
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • 410 was fine as far as we drove it (to the junction with FS 73).  FS 73 had slush on it to the Sno-Park. Road up to SunTop has a few downed trees but they are easily passed over or around.

Apparently every skier in Western Washington decided to go skiing at Crystal on the 11th.  The result:  Stop and go traffic from downtown Enumclaw all the way to where we peeled off onto FS 73. Presumably the traffic jam lasted until the Crystal ski area.  There was a sign outside Enumclaw saying that the Crystal parking lots were full by 0800 and yet 410 was jammed.  After spending a ridiculous amount of time stuck in traffic we bailed on the original destination and went up the SunTop road. Did not make it to the top due to a late start and breaking trail in heavy snow, but it was a good workout and we got out in the snow.

This trip was full with a waitlist 2 days ago but ended up being 4 of us. Multiple people canceled because of the.....snow forecast (go figure). The weather ended up being a non-event today. We even had a few patches of blue ski and sunshine near SunTop. 

Lots of heavy, wet snow above 3,000'.

 

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Nancy Lloyd
Nancy Lloyd says:
Jan 11, 2020 07:41 PM

It's impossible to predict with certainty what mother nature has in store - our most reliable information comes from NOAA and other sources who've obtained their information from NOAA. However, mountains make their own weather and it's very hard to get current and accurate information for specific locations. With that in mind, I take an approach based on the worst possible conditions according to NOAA's forecast. I have been registered for several outings where the weather experienced on those trips matched the conditions described by NOAA for today's trip. Many of those trips either turned around or were cancelled. Regardless, on winter trips the potential for hypothermia is real. The potential for other types of problems that can cause delays and additional problems is real. The potential for slick roads and spinouts/accidents is real. I am happy and relieved that nothing went wrong on this trip and that it was a good day out. Mt. Rainier and its surrounding hills were gifted with several feet of fresh snow.