TR: Shralping the..... pretty flowery meadows
SummitCo1776 and I set out this morning to ski the face of Parry Peak, the prominent peak facing the Winter Park ski area. Because hiking from the highway would put us through thick timber and be nearly 4000 vert ft. of hiking, we opted to drive to the Jim Creek trailhead and approach the summit up the drainage which originates on Parry's northeast slopes- Jim Creek.
Parry Peak from Mary Jane
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We'd hoped to follow the trail up the creek drainage and then decide from there which route looked best to attain the summit of Parry Peak. Unfortunately, we hit snow a whole heck of a lot quicker than we anticipated. After about two miles, we hit snow on the NE facing timbered hillside. I had hiked the ski area the day before, and had thought we'd be out of the snow, even in the trees on north aspects, until 10,500 or even 11,000 ft. We were looking at some serious postholing beginning right around 10,000.
We slogged through knee deep mush, our legs rejoicing every fifth step when the crust actually held our weight.
Hoping to walk on slopes that had received more sun, we crossed the creek on a fallen tree. Doing that in ski boots was quite a rush. I chickened out and straddled the damn thing halfway across.
At this point, we revised our plans and decided to head up the ridgeline on the north side of the creek in hopes we could find a skiable line we'd be able to safely get to the top of TODAY. Much lamentation about not bringing camping gear and making base camp somewhere.
We never got out of the timber. It was past noon and we were at least an hour away from being able to ski even the nearest good line. At this point, we chalked one up to experience and gave up the idea of skiing anything worth mentioning. We decided to contour until we met the river again and wandered into a beautiful little meadow.
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About half of the meadow was wet and soggy. No good for walking or laying in but great for flowers like globeflowers and marsh marigolds.
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We found some nice rocks to sit on and soak up some rays. It was pretty warm.
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Spent some time taking pictures and chilling out on the sand next to the creek. After enjoying some R&R by the river and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells, we crossed the creek and began the descent to the trailhead.
Upstream of the meadow
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SummitCo1776 did some exploring on the other side of the creek, then came back for his gear.
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This time, with gear.
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Our goal on the way down was to keep our skis on as long as possible and connect the snow patches until we hit the dry trail a mile or two downstream.
SummitCo1776 navigating through the whortleberry and downfall as he connects patches
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We did find one line where we could link a turn, maybe two. Summit giving it a go:
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After I photoslutted jumping off a tiny rock next to the river and a waterfall, Summit took a few turns riding into a shallow, muddy creek.
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His skis as they dive into the water
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The snow began to thin out and our skis' bases cried out to us to hike them the rest of the way out. We complied, and found ourselves at the trailhead about an hour later.
I had really hoped to ski Parry Peak today. Every day I was at the Jane this winter, I looked longingly at that peak and hoped to ski it someday. We chose the wrong route for the conditions-- attaining the ridgeline from Berthoud Pass would have been the wise way to go. Still, I had a great time in some pretty nasty hiking/skiing conditions. The spring flowers were in bloom, the wind whispered warm air up the valley all day, and the company was good.
