Kaiser Peak

This hike was a new one for me but had been on my radar for a while. I normally don't venture up the 168 since SEKI is home to me, but my friend Rachel (aka Queen of the Hedgehogs @zurcherrachel) knows that area really well and together with Aaron we decided to climb Kaiser Peak. It was an early season trip in February, but the weak winter meant that it was doable. Note: Winter of 2017/2018 had a later snowpack with the majority of it coming after this hike during a 'miracle March'

We started near Huntington Lake by the mule pack station. Immediately the trail climbed up and we saw quick views of College Rock as we got closer. We took a break at College Rock having climbed 1800ft with 1000ft to go. Patches of snow around us and on the trail started appearing and we hit full coverage at 9800ft when we got onto Kaiser Ridge. The snow was dense and stomped down enough that there was no worry of sliding or post-holing and we continued the difficult trek to the peak. The trail wasn't that defined, but we figured that going up meant going in the right direction!

Once at the peak the views did not disappoint. It's nice seeing the contrasting white, green, and grey across the mountains. And being the middle of winter there wasn't really any pollution or smoke from wildfires.

Heading down was easier than going up, although I did notice the snow getting softer, especially towards the end. Once we hit solid ground it was a quick stroll back to the car and down the hill. A great hike, especially for the middle of winter!