May 9, 2006, Jolly Mtn

My first trip to this area and now I see why people like it.  Road 4315 has a snow patch right at the base that stopped my car at 7 AM or so....frozen hard as a rock.  There is a small tree across the road right at the beginning also; a truck with a winch or a couple of determined people might be able to move it.  Being a neophyte I just ascended the road, hitting continuous snow in about 45 minutes.  There was a gate across the road at about this point.  By the time I hit the large clear cut it had softened up a bit and I could just boot up.  The views of the Stuart range and back to the high Snoqualmie peaks were great.  Up on the ridge, there was fresh snow (powder even) blown in around the cornices into little lee pockets, and the trees held a little new on their shady side only.  I started down at noon, needing to get back to Seattle, basically retracing.  The clear cut was in great shape, soft on top, firm underneath.  Then lots of boring, soggy logging road and the inevitable transition.  There were certainly many brilliant white, huge slopes visible from the top that looked like fun possibilities.