• Back at the Tower Trailhead

    No tracks — so no one else has been here. Now I’ve got to get all that snow off the car. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Getting close to the trailhead

    Getting close to the trailhead — heading east on the Pilot (Tower) Trail. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Another Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail junction cairn selfie

    Another Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail junction cairn selfie. Well, it had to be done with some snow in the background. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Heading east on the Pilot (Tower) Trail in the snow

    Heading east on the Pilot (Tower) Trail in the snow. Watch out for those low hanging boughs, they’ll dump their snowy burden on you if you touch them. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Is it a stupid idea if it works?

    Is it a stupid idea if it works? Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I don’t have footwear suitable for bad weather, so four years ago I bought some waterproof socks. I’m wearing some Merino wool socks inside them, and they kept me dry and warm while hiking in the snow. I tucked my waterproof pants into the top of the waterproof socks so that my base layer didn’t get damp. And that worked too.

  • View across Hercules Glades Wilderness, looking south from the Pilot (Tower) Trail

    View across Hercules Glades Wilderness, looking south from the Pilot (Tower) Trail. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    This is one of the few places on the trail with a view to the south. I climbed up a little bit above the trail to get a clearer view of the horizon.

    I checked in on my messages as there’s some cell service here, the first since I broke camp yesterday. I discovered that Bishop Diane was poorly, and that this evening’s dinner was canceled. Not to worry. I was already on the trail, the news wasn’t going to change my plan for the day’s hike.

  • Junction of the Cedar (Middle) Trail and the Pilot (Tower) Trail, looking west

    Junction of the Cedar (Middle) Trail and the Pilot (Tower) Trail, looking west Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I was half expecting to find some tracks at this point. But no, it seems I’m the only one mad enough to be out at the moment.

  • Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’

    Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I set my tarp in ‘Porch mode’ as there was no more snowfall forecast. Oops. I forgot about all the loose snow falling off of the branches above. You can see there’s some laying on my tarp in this picture. It’s not a problem. It doesn’t take a moment to shake it off every now and then.

    I wanted to leave lots of time for both the hike back to the trailhead and drive home. I couldn’t arrive home any later than five and still have enough time to get cleaned up ready for dinner just after six. All this to say I’d need to be on the trail by noon at the very latest.

    I had camp all packed away, and I was ready to get moving at eleven thirty.

    My hiking clothes were almost the same as yesterday, but I didn’t bother with a down jacket or gloves.

  • Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’

    Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • A snowy view from my hammock

    A snowy view from my hammock. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’

    Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ — I did ponder the potential downsides (or should that be downslides?) of camping on the side of a steep ravine. And I ignored them. I survived. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’

    Camped in the snow above ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ — I did ponder the potential dowsides (or should that be downslides?) of camping on the side of a steep ravine. And I ignored them. I survived. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • First Breakfast (in the hammock)

    Day Three

    First Breakfast (in the hammock). Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Yes, I am taking a page from the Hobbits’ playbook and having a first and second breakfast!

    There is frost inside my hammock — I’ve seen this before, but only when it gets quite cold. Sure enough, according to my thermometer it was 16°F last night under the tarp. So probably even colder outside. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It was jolly cold last night, but my shirt had dried before lights out.

    As I suspected, my down jacket was soaked, so I hung it up to dry. It just froze solid.

    Despite being 17°F when I was fixing and eating breakfast, it is forecast to get up to 40°F later in the day.

    As the sun reached the tops of the trees, the snow in the upper limbs began to melt and rain down. It was going to be another wet weather camp breakdown.

    As for my breakfasts, the first was a cup of hot chocolate and a Pop-Tart, and the second was another cup of chocolate, biscuits and gravy. Great stuff to set one up for the day!

    Over an hour after I woke up and it’s still chilly out there. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Day Two stats

    I arrived at my campsite at three-fifty, with just ninety minutes of daylight left to set up camp and finish all my camp chores.

    I was a little hesitant to set up camp where I planned. It’s a spot I’ve used many times before, but it is perched on the edge of a very steep hollow, with ‘Twin Falls Creek’ running along it. I’d need to get down to the bottom to fetch water, and I’d need to be very careful not to fall or slip while in camp, as it would be a very rough slide down!

    I put aside my concerns and went to fetch four liters of water, taking two trips so I had a spare hand in case of any slip-ups.

    And that was it. My first hike in the snow was over.

  • Glades (Upper Pilot) Trail Junction in the snow

    Glades (Upper Pilot) Trail Junction in the snow. It’s odd how mine are the only tracks in the snow. 🙂 Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Glades (Upper Pilot) Trail Junction. A quick reminder of what it looked like yesterday. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Pilot (Tower) Trail heading east

    Pilot (Tower) Trail heading east — No trouble with the ice this time! Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • At the Devil’s Den (Lower Pilot) Trail junction

    At the Devil’s Den (Lower Pilot) Trail junction. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The Pilot (Tower) Trail is straight ahead and should be easy to follow from here on. I stopped to re-secure my camp shoes, which had come loose, and to brush some of the accumulating snow off my pack.

    It took me an hour and a half to get here, compared with just an hour to hike the same trail yesterday.

    My back was wet. That meant my down jacket was also soaked. I wasn’t sure if some snow had got in under my rain jacket or if it had a leak somewhere. I couldn’t do anything about it on the trail. Wet down is next to useless, I was now one insulation layer out, my Merino wool shirt was damp, and I didn’t have a replacement. My thoughts went to the spare Bass Pro base layer top I decided to leave behind… Oh well, it is what it is. Body heat will dry the shirt, and it will be much warmer tomorrow.

  • A fleeting burst of sunshine

    A fleeting burst of sunshine. Right place, right time. A lucky shot as the sun shone for just a minute. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • The trail wasn’t always obvious

    The trail wasn’t always obvious. There was a slight indentation where it ran, and I’d already figured out to look for the gap in the grass stalks. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Winter view from Hercules Glades Wilderness

    Winter view from Hercules Glades Wilderness. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    When I set off, I discovered that when bushwhacking it was much more difficult to find and keep in view the points I was going toward. Everything looked very samey when smeared with snow.

    Even so, it didn’t take long to get to the forest road that leads back to the trail. Some helpful neighborhood deer had been using the forest road, making it very easy to follow. I just had to watch out in case they decided to leave the road at any point.

    In all, it took me twenty minutes to get to the trail, which was pretty good going.

    I was sure I could see where the trail ran up the hill to the east. There was the downed tree that you had to skirt around, but the trail didn’t look right beyond that. Off I went, only to be blocked by another fallen tree. I spent a short time wandering around before deciding to go in what looked like the right direction, and pretty soon, I was confident I was on the trail.

    There must be a few little Bermuda Triangles along this part of the trail!

    Staying on the trail wasn’t easy. The snow weighed down the scrubby trees’ branches, effectively hiding the trail’s route and dumping lots of snow on both me and my pack. The only indication of where the trail might be was the slightest indentation in the snow.

    I lost the trail two or three times. Interestingly, where I often lose the trail even when the conditions are good. There must be a few little Bermuda Triangles along this part of the trail!

    The good news was that the snow was deep enough to make walking over ice and rocks much easier than it had been the day before. Out in the open glades, it was easier to follow the trail’s open gap in the grasses. I got that idea for spotting the trail in the snow right!

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