Trip Report
Dickerman Mountain (winter)
Beautiful views and just enough snow to remind you that WINTER IS COMING! Scramble basically became a fun snowy hike.
Gabrielle Orsi
- Mon, Nov 12, 2018
- Dickerman Mountain (winter)
- Day Hiking & Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Snow-free and obstacle-free standard Cascades dirt trail for about 2 to 2.5 miles; after a small gully with a trickling stream (a feature which is one of this trail's winter hazards) patches of snow and ice began to appear. In the morning chill the snow and ice was slick at times. Pretty quickly the trail became consistently and completely snow-covered and we donned our microspikes. For the last 1.5 miles or so up to the summit the trail was blanketed with snow but easy to follow as there was a well-beaten path. Microspikes and poles were very useful - my alpine gaiters were overkill though, except for when I strayed off the beaten path to stomp around for fun in the open snowy spaces near the summit.
Thank you to our veterans. Our group all had Veterans Day off from work, so we spent the holiday Monday at Mount Dickerman. At 8:30am in the parking lot there was a handful of cars, but happily the hikers were pretty well-spaced out along the trail - it was not crowded. About 30 degrees F. when we started hiking yet probably 40-45 degrees at the summit, with no wind. Talk about luck!
When we emerged from the trees glorious views began to present themselves and we could see the snowshoe tracks and boot prints of those before us who had wandered around to enjoy the views or blaze their own trail.
The ground was sufficiently snow-covered and the ambient temperature was still low enough that you could opt to pick your own path to the summit through firm enough snow, or just follow in the footsteps of others. I'd guess there was 1-2' of snow on the ground... but I'm not sure. Deep enough that not much was poking out. To quote Mae West: "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."
We made it to the summit and basked in the sunshine, taking in the views and enjoying the warming temperatures. (Might have been an inversion.) The summit and the farther false summit are linked by a well-trodden path.
We traveled with the 10 essentials, plus extra clothes plus ice axes and helmets (just in case) - in short, our packs were sort of on the heavier side. 2:39 to the summit with a few pauses; an hour at the summit; about 2:15 back down to the car (not rushing). This turned out to not be a true winter scramble though - just a snowy hike. But I was glad to have had more gear just in case.
Winter is coming!!!
