Sunday, March 1, 2020
Start/End: Gale River Loop Rd Winter parking lot off of Rt 3
Mileage: 12.2
Elevation gain/loss: 3199′
GaiaGPS track
I was comfortably able to wear spikes door to door for this hike. It was a crust of icy snow with perhaps 3-6 inches of powder on top. I started at 7am and was done by 12:15pm. I was the second car in the parking lot, and I passed the first two hikers (Philip of FindingPhilip fame and Jo of JoMama8893) maybe a mile from the summit. As always, Garfield was a slow and steady climb, except for the climb up to the summit cone at the very top. I dug in my spikes and took my time, and felt secure enough going up with just trekking poles and spikes. At the summit, a 40-50 MPH wind blasted me in the face, freezing my eyelashes together. I didn’t linger, taking a few pictures of the mostly socked in summit before heading out.
On the way back down, I passed by the two hikers again and saw another 4 people heading for the summit. Overall, a pleasant and easy winter hike!
Transcending Mountains 