Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Discussion about deep snow wheeling, vehicle builds, trip reports, etc
christensent
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Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

A new season, a new thread! This worked out well last year, so just subscribe to this thread for the year.

Drove up and down Van Epps Pass and then up to Gallaher Head Lake and on to the top of Hawkins Mountain 4WD trail on Saturday. Got up driving on mostly dirt.

Three hours later 6+ inches of snow had fallen (probably the heaviest snow I've ever personally experienced). Winds had picked up to sustained 30-40MPH and continued all night, along with lots more snow.

Hiked up Hawkins Mountain in the morning before leaving. Amazing amounts of snow had fallen, many feet deep up on the mountain in places.

4PM
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6:30PM
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In the morning
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Climb Hawkins:
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The hardest part of leaving was just finding the road!

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Nobody
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

Whoa! Nice! I wouldn't have believed it without those pics. Way to start the season. :cool:
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Seventee
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Seventee »

Finally managed to get out yesterday. Didn't find as much snow as we expected but it was still a good day. A couple spots approached 18".

We actually had our first snow the weekend of September 16! It was a whopping 18" dump but couldn't get out wheeling that weekend.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

Good to see you get out. We're getting the earliest lowland snow of my life this year. Kids made a snowman in the yard yesterday. I was going to try and take the kids to mountains for the first decent snow a few weeks ago, but life happened and we didn't make it. Should get the big dump soon. :cool:
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

I went out this weekend too, had a great time, but only 1-1.5 feet deep at the most and just a few inches below 5000ft.

Did a loop from 410 to I90 via Naches Pass and Manastash Ridge with a detour up Raven Roost (more than 100 miles of snow driving, not including I90 which barely counts). This is a super fun early season route with several points near or above 6000ft which would become truly impossible after it gets deep, plus the whole Naches area closes for grooming.

Best snow was on the east side of Naches Trail, and the best wheeling was the Milk Lake and Tripod Flats trails over Manastash Ridge. Running snowy Jeep trails is one of those things I like to do in moderation, since eventually I'm bound to wreck the Jeep on one of the sled hills where even the transfer case doesn't stand a chance at holding you back.

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

I somehow missed this update. Wow, what a trip. Was it an overnighter?
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote:I somehow missed this update. Wow, what a trip. Was it an overnighter?
No, that was a one-day trip. I think around 8 or 9 hours aired down and maybe 14 hour round trip to the city.


This weekend, went on an over-night up Twin Lakes. Broke trail to about 4000 feet in a few feet of fairly heavy fresh snow. Was starting to get difficult and required repeated pounding when a buggy on very-large-tires passed by and started clearing trail (not with any ease, either). Had a Jeep club go by and we setup camp at a switchback at about 4300ft. A few of them pushed on and got all the way to the lake but they didn't pass back by our camp 700 feet below the lake until 9 hours later (we had already skied up to and down from a 6000ft peak, made dinner, and slept 3 hours before they drove by - reinforcing that snow wheeling is rarely an efficient means of travel ;) ).

Skiied up to and on the mountains above the lake both days. Amazing soft powder skiing above the lake and fairly good below the lake.

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

Dang it! I missed another update! I’m just too busy lately. I need to get out.

And no, snow wheeling is not a very efficient means of travel. Sure is fun though!
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

I think I'm planning to go out Saturday if anyone is interested. You still have to go pretty high right now to get into much snow (probably 3500-4000ft before it gets good). Should be 1-2 feet of fresh this week since the big rain cycle. I was probably going to go I-90 and maybe over to Cle Elum but open to other destinations if anyone is interested.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

I might try to get out locally on Sunday. Busy Saturday.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Drove up to 4700ft on the road to Whitechuck Mountain trailhead. Except the last 0.1 miles it was rutted with some fresh storm snow on top, but it seemed to have been run by vehicles with a wheelbase a good 1.5 feet wider than mine so still a bit of work getting up (presents some unique challenges). Breaking trail was just pounding the wall, Jeep sunk about 3.5 feet into the heavy wet snow.

The Jeep is doing much better this year, it's got 4-5" more belly clearance and 6-7" better clearance where the OEM gas tank used to be. Doesn't high center and get stuck like it used to when ramming into fresh snow, just loses traction to push the axles through the cement.

Went and tried to climb Whitechuck but we started far too late to hit the summit. Took way longer than we anticipated snowshoeing the approach in all that snow.

Might go check out I90 tomorrow and get some skiing in too.

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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Went up Tinkham on I90 on Saturday morning. Rutted to I think around 4000ft. Beyond that it was impassable heavy snow on unpackable sugar. Couldn't even pound the snowpack, just stopped like hitting a brick wall.


With low expectations, today I went up some side roads on Beckler River Road toward Jack Pass. Hadn't been to this area at all. Really amazing snow wheeling with a seemingly infinite quantity of roads. Went up two roads to 3600-3800ft. Snow really picked up above 3000ft. Very little below but of course some amount of snow door-to-door at home! Was surprised to find pretty good snow. It was still fairly heavy and had to do a lot of ramming but each hit got 1-2 vehicle lengths and occasionally allowed for getting a little continuous driving in.

Have been finding "5PSI snow" this weekend. Tried airing way down at Tinkham and it made things dramatically worse. Need ground clearance in this heavy snow.

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

Nice... I’m pretty bummed I missed out on that early snow this year. I still haven’t been out. I figured the conditions weren’t all that great with the cold we’ve had. Let me know if you want get a run in up here.

The Beckler area is pretty decent. Plenty of side roads to find fresh snow. Did you see anyone up there? I assume jacks pass didn’t really have much snow. If I recall, it’s not even 3,000 feet.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote:Nice... I’m pretty bummed I missed out on that early snow this year. I still haven’t been out. I figured the conditions weren’t all that great with the cold we’ve had. Let me know if you want get a run in up here.

The Beckler area is pretty decent. Plenty of side roads to find fresh snow. Did you see anyone up there? I assume jacks pass didn’t really have much snow. If I recall, it’s not even 3,000 feet.
Definitely will come up north for a run. I don't think New Years weekend is looking any good, rain up to 5000ft this week. Will need to wait for a decent weekend.

I saw absolutely nobody off US2 except one car on the last mile of the Beckler road leaving. Yes, Jack Pass just had the few inches of fresh snow. I didn't actually go there but it's only 2600ft and I had seen enough to know it wasn't worth going (although I guess there are side roads that go higher from Jack Pass, right? I had already filled my day with earlier side roads though)
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

I like the Jacks Pass area when there's a good low elevation snow dump. Just cruising road to pass is fun because it's mostly level and you don't have to fight gravity the whole way. there is a decent road that heads up from from the pass, but like most stuff it tops out around 4,300'.

If anyone is still out there, I'm going to take the family out for a bit on New Years day. Not expecting anything great, but hopefully enough find a sledding hill.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote: If anyone is still out there, I'm going to take the family out for a bit on New Years day. Not expecting anything great, but hopefully enough find a sledding hill.
Do you know where? Not sure exactly where you live, if it's not too far from me I'd probably be in on it if not starting too early. Don't have any other plans tomorrow at this point.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

I’m taking the family tomorrow, so wasn’t planning anything too crazy and I’ll have to cut the kids loose to play. Not planning an early start, probably leaving Stanwood 9:30-10am. If I was going solo, I was planning to head out the Mountain Loop just so other people are around. If you want we could head up to Iron Mountain again. Could also go out to Rat Trap, but I think that would be more enjoyable in perfect conditions. Weather looks good though.

If we go up Green Mountain, there’s sure to be people stuck and blocking the road. I generally try to avoid that, but it’s fun to see once in awhile.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Ok, sure I'm in on that... I'm good for going as far north as Iron Mountain, but also interested in other locations. Haven't been to Rat Trap or Green Mountain. We'd need to get above 3000ft to be on more than an inch or two of snow.

However, I'm going to go do some work on the Jeep right now and could break it. I doubt it, but it's definitely a possibility!
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by Nobody »

Rat Trap will be no good then. Why don’t we just hit Green Mountain. Should make for an easy day with some possible entertainment. We just might get stuck waiting a lot. It’s most likely rutted out to the top, but who knows.

One other option is Segelsen, but I’m not sure if the road will be closed for snow park. I suspect there isn’t enough snow to have it closed. Green is probably the least amount of driving.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2017/2018

Post by christensent »

Want to meet at Darrington Shell station? You can pick a time. Jeep is good to go.

Another option out of Darrington to get well over 4000ft is the road to Whitechuck Mountain (NF-2435), very scenic road up high. Green Mountain works for me too though!
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