Mt. Teneriffe, December, 2010

 

Mt. Teneriffe (via service road)

Date:  December 17, 2010

Difficulty: 7 out of 10

Distance: 14 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain; 3,838

Time: 5 to 6 hours

Location: Near North Bend, Washington

Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only

Permits: None Required

Trail Conditions: Wet to thick snow.

Hiking With: Myself

I wanted to do some snowshoeing early Friday morning, but most of my friends were either working or busy doing other things.  Since I was by myself, I chose to hike up/snowshoe the Mt. Tenerife service road versus the shorter steeper route via Kamikaze Falls. 

I was the first one in the parking lot…well, except for the elk that were lurking around, one of the elks had a collar or tag around the neck.  The trail or road was pretty wet for the first 1 1/2 miles and then the snow slowing started to build-up.  I put on my snowshoes at the 2 mile mark and started to make fresh tracks…which is one of the reasons I like to start early.  I love to be the first one on a fresh snow trail.  Many people will follow the first trail started, so….you actually get to determine where the trails goes.  Of course, since I was only snowshoeing the service road, there is not much variation creation. 

It was a perfect day, sunny and warm enough that I didn’t have to wear a coat or a jacket.  My MSR’s were sinking down about 6 to 8 inches in the thick snow.  It got deeper the further I went and about the 5 mile mark, I had enough fun for one day and turned around.  The service road is great for a large group of people, but….the 7 mile trek to the Mt. Tenerife summit will eat your time up.  I only saw one other person on my way down….another reason to love this trail.

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