Eight enthusiastic snow trekking enthusiasts took to Mt. Ashland Ski Area for our hike. Most used Yaktracs, quite adequate for the firmly groomed trail/road. We headed to “Rabbit Ears” initially, but everyone took Kay up on her invitation to continue to the Summit or as far up as felt comfortable. We all made it, albeit slowly. Upon return down from the summit, we stopped at Rabbit Ears to perch on the rocks for lunch. It was a perfect day on the mountain: Sunny skies, mild temperature, uninterrupted views, and no wind until we reached near the summit. It was a more strenuous trek than we do normally, but we made it. Over 5.5 miles RT and 900’ elevation gain.
A new discovery for most of us was the prolific Rime Ice gracing the evergreen trees. Background direct from Wikipedia:
Rime ice forms when supercooled water droplets freeze onto surfaces. In the atmosphere, there are three basic types of rime ice:
- Soft rime forms when supercooled water freezes under calm wind conditions. It is milky and crystalline, like sugar, and similar to hoar frost.
- Hard rime forms by rapid freezing of supercooled water under at least moderate wind conditions. The droplets freeze more or less individually, leaving air gaps.
- Clear ice forms by slow freezing of supercooled water. Clear ice is typically transparent and homogeneous. Its amorphous and dense structure makes it adhesive.
Soft and hard rime are less dense than clear ice and less adhesive, thus generally cause less damage. Glaze ice is similar in appearance to clear ice, however it is the result of a completely different process, occurring during freezing rain or drizzle.
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Hike Leader: Kay
Photos By: Kay
