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Intermediate Snowshoe - Olallie/Radio Mountain

Cold weather inversion made temps colder than initially expected, but a warming hut offered a superb place to warm up for 1st and 2nd lunches.

Louise Suhr Louise Suhr
January 16, 2024
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • We mostly followed existing snowshoe troughs or walked on the margin of groomed cross country ski trails.  We did break trail from the Radio viewpoint to the true summit of Radio Mountain.  Easy powdery snow, not too deep.  

Thank god for warming huts and heated bathrooms!  We generally followed the usual route from the Silver Fir Lodge to Hyak Lake, then took the gully route up to Grand Junction, where we enjoyed first lunch or elevenses, depending on our food preferences.  The wood stove was working hard in the single digit temps.  We then headed out, noting the brisk breeze through the saddle that is Grand Junction, first visiting Rockdale Vista from the nordic ski system, then heading more off route up to Radio Mountain viewpoint, then to the true summit of Radio Mountain.  It had a better vista than I had remembered, but was pretty darn breezy, so we turned tail and headed back for the warming hut for second lunch.  From there, it was quick work back down to Hyak Lake and then eventually the Silver Fir Lodge.  A small, capable, prepared, and fun group were the best part of the day.