The Muddy Month of March

A very muddy start on the Osha Trail

We suspected that the Osha Trail (elevation 9,000 + feet) might be muddy in places, but we've never seen it quite so sloppy in so many spots.  The mud was the least of our concerns, though; on the shady side of the mountain there were stretches of snow and ice on the extremely narrow trail that could only be described as "treacherous."  At one point we had to leave the trail and hike down a steep embankment in crusty snow to avoid slipping and injuring ourselves.  Hiking the Osha Trail (one of our high-mountain favorites) proved quite an adventure today.

Mexican Canyon trestle

Old eagle eyes sees people at the trestle vista far below

White Sands from the Sacramento Mountains

What became a serious problem for us:  patches of ice

Treacherous footing

Pure ice glazed by the sun

Aspens in snow

Hiking atop foot-deep snow

Iced-over ATV tracks

New Forest Service sign

The old and the new