Three Fingered Jack Circumnavigation (attempt) 6/20/2020
We started out around 6:00 A.M., mosquitoes were minimal and the weather was good for a long day of running: overcast, a little, but not too much sun, and eventually a little rainy. We went Counterclockwise so as to get the "boring" part over with first….Around mile 12 we ran into another runner who was coming from the Clockwise direction and she recommended we turn around because the snow from the other side started about 4 miles in, and was DEEP! (It took her 30 min to go each mile and she was in better shape than any of us!) Also, Porcupine Peak was a rather harrowing experience from her description, and the red splotches on her legs where she had slid down the icy slopes corroborated her story! So, we listened, and although reluctantly, and adding an extra 2 miles to our already long journey, decided to heed her warnings and turn around. It was not our day to fully circumnavigate this Mountain. We could have kept going, but 3 tired people and 4 dogs did NOT need to see how deep the snow really was. Plus there were TONS of trees down along the entire trail. The Forest Service hasn't cut down any of the downed snags yet… We've all done this adventure in its entirety before, so no need to put ourselves at risk! That said, the West side (PCT) seems like it will still be snow-covered for the next couple of weeks, as will the meadow at Canyon Creek. We were happy we turned around once the weather took a turn and we could see the rain moving across the summit of the Mountain, so we were spared from trekking through deep snow in the rain! Still a fun adventure despite not completing our goal! @mtshoppdx @showerspass @trailbutter @arcteryx #adventuredogs #alexcanine #knowwhentoholdemknowwhentofoldem #type2fun #alwaysanadventure
