Trip Report
Winter Scramble - Mount Margaret via Gold Creek (winter)
An excellent winter scramble for conditioning, relatively close to home. Good chance to practice navigation as the route is not easily visible most of the way.
David Judish
- Sat, Feb 29, 2020
- Winter Scramble - Mount Margaret via Gold Creek
- Mount Margaret via Gold Creek
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Snow and ice on road
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Avy conditions were considerable above tree line and moderate near tree line, but the route would likely be safe in most avy conditions.
Snow conditions were great for snowshoeing, with 4-6” new from the overnight storm on top of a firm base.
Left the road just S of Rocky Run Creek. There is a picturesque waterfall about 200' vertical above the road. 
Stay generally on E bearing, picking a path through second growth, tedious at times, but never impassable. A rising traverse between the first and second branches of Wolfe Creek works well to about 4300'. Then after crossing the 2nd branch of Wolfe Creek, continued E to spur road end at 4400'. From there the route ascends beautiful open forest to the ridge S of the false summit. On a previous ascent I had traversed below false summit, but we went directly over it and down to the saddle, using ice axes on some wind-scoured icy terrain, never with a lot of exposure.
Trees extend to the ridge, so no cornices were encountered.
With route finding and breaking trail in beautifully wind sculpted fresh snow we took 8.5 hours including breaks.