Hayden Mountain North

Date: 04/21/2023
Partner: Solo
Trailhead: Hayden Trailhead
Distance: 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3650ft
Duration: 3 hours 45 minutes
GPX
Hayden North 14ers Page

I knew it was going to be cloudy but flat light and a wind episode made this day more exciting than I had expected.

The first 1500ft of skinning was relatively steep on frozen corn. It wasn't too bad with ski crampons but the poor visibility forced me to use Caltopo slope angle shading to be sure I was taking the most optimal route to the upper basin.

While the terrain wasn't as steep just above treeline... flat light made it difficult to navigate.

When the skinning got too steep I made it to an east facing ridge feature and began to boot. It was there that the wind started blowing so hard that I had to hunker down for a bit and hope that it would calm down.

Once the wind became more managable I continued to the summit ridge. The cost of admission was a lost hat.

While the wind had subsided flat light continue to be an issue. Thankfully the snow was soft and powdery up high and corn lower down. The skiing was phenominal and 3600ft to boot!