{"id":483,"date":"2025-01-29T03:08:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T03:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=483"},"modified":"2025-01-29T15:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T15:23:16","slug":"ice-crystal-palace-on-ridgeline-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=483","title":{"rendered":"Ice crystal palace on Ridgeline Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After last week’s drive to Mary’s Peak<\/a>, burning less carbon this week and getting an earlier start hiking had me back on Ridgeline Trail<\/a>. The air inversion had lessened and a clear fog-less sky early as I drove to Spring Blvd trailhead. After such a cold dry spell, the roads were mostly clear. The coldest temperature on car was 21 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the trailhead, the temperatures warmed up quickly … there were two humans at the top of Baldy waiting for sunrise. Unlike Mary’s Peak, birds, squirrels and deer were out a-plenty, especially in the Spencer Butte section between Fox Hollow and Willamette!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 clicking on photos opens higher quality resolution version \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reached Baldy a half an hour from sunrise<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I started out around 7:00 with headlamp on and that’s when I found myself surrounded by ice crystals reflecting my headlamp … magical light show of frozen pixie dust – truly amazing walking through an ice crystal palace. Within 30 minutes, headlamp was off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Spring Blvd straight to Spencer Top and then down to S. Willamette TH and back to Spencer Top and down to Blanton TH returning to Spring Blvd with a pass over Spencer top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n