Jun 19, 2017
WARNING: Current trail is closed and for mountaineers only. Conditions were a little tough but we made it to the summits of Coliseum and Burwell yesterday from Lynn Headwaters. First thing in the morning we saw a fat black bear eating then it was up and up across wet roots. The current snow line is very low here, just 780m likely because this side sees little sun. The trail was at times hard to follow as flagging was hiding in snow and we had mostly white out conditions. Cornices hang everywhere so staying in the forest and away from any edges was critical. Post holing and bridges breaking was a real issue and we punched through several times. We definitely needed the crampons and ice axes especially on the descent - we faced a 40 degree snow wall! Total distance was 31.4km and 1681m of cumulative gain. We also saw some incredible avalanche debris which snapped trees like twigs! Do not take this trail lightly, we went in with full mountaineering gear which included mountaineering boots, pickets, ice axes, ropes, helmets, multiple GPS units for navigation with back up paper maps, and InReach satellite devices. The summit still has an 8m snow cornice and this trail will not be ready for running or hiking for at least a month!
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