At the trailhead we hiked a short bit through a forest which opened up to a beautiful hillside filled with a field of greenery and flowers. Further up, the green field was replaced by snow. In the snow we found some animal tracks surrounded by red. We were initially concerned that some mountain beast had brought an untimely death to an unfortunate hiker. Further inspection revealed red ground underneath which colored the snow when stepped upon.
We hiked onward and caught view of the summit about 500 feet above us. We would of had to of climbed the steep snow covered hillside to reach the top. My ice axe came in handy for this. Unfortunately no one else had one so we had to turn around and head back to the car. The failed summit and lack of views didn't make this an ideal hike. At the least it counted for exercise.
July 4,2000