| Peak: | Mt. Belford |
| Route: | Northwest Ridge |
| Range: | Sawatch |
| Posted By: | mountainbrian |
| Date of Info: | 6/5/2016 |
| Date Posted: | 6/6/2016 |
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The trail was in good condition. We started the hike at around 7:00 a.m. At the stream crossing, the water was high but passable in both directions. We benefited from the aid of hiking poles for stability on the logs (no bridge). There were/are still patches of snow on the trail starting at treeline. The trail was clear of snow much of the way past the Missouri Gulch fork (the lower steps and switchbacks). Higher up, there were a few patches of snow on which we threw on our microspikes. From the top of the switchbacks (13,700' ish) there was nearly continuous snow until the final summit block. It was soft enough to not need microspikes, but not so soft as to posthole. We took our time with the hike and summited at around 12:30. We wore shells close to the summit due to some wind. By the end of the hike, it was quite warm and we ended with just poly t-shirts. Gaiters are still recommended. For the trip down the snow had softened enough that we didn't bother with microspikes. There is evidence of recent glassading but we didn't bother as it would have resulted in wet posteriors. |
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