I tried to hike up Vesper Peak last September, but after climbing 2500’ across a talus field through a pass to an alpine lake and seeing that the summit was socked in, we decided the lake was a fine place to have a beer and head home. Also, I was tired. And out of shape.
And then on Saturday, it looked like this. Big year for snow, this year:
This year, Vesper Peak was not the goal but the consolation prize. We’d meant to get one last big mountain in before the summer started to turn on us, but autumn arrived exactly one day too early and we prudently decided to do a quick one-day outing instead of getting stuck on a glacier in a whiteout. And so what was a tough hike for me a year ago was not even enough to leave me with sore muscles this time around. And we made the summit, too.
