With our skis precariously bungeed in the bed of the truck and Scott crammed in back seat between packs and ski boots, we set off. Our destination was Werner Peak in the Whitefish Range. The plan was to take the snowmobile up the road as far as possible before skinning the rest of the way to the summit. The forecast called for more snow, high winds, and lows in the negatives. It was still early season and the avalanche danger was low, but we were still on guard.
At the trailhead we unloaded the sled, threw on our gear, and took off up the road with Damon on the snowmobile and Scott and me in tow. Quite a few miles later, we parked the sled, threw our skins on, and started up the trail. By now the snow was really starting to come down and we were getting some pretty strong winds from over the ridge. It was cold. By the time we gained the ridge we were being blasted with what must have been a -20 wind chill. We all had the same thought: get to the lookout station.
After taking the gale on the head and negotiating 10 foot snow drifts for another 30 minutes, we finally made it to the small ranger shack. We were disheartened to find it locked but found consolation in the lee of the building. Here we had a quick lunch. Damon was disappointed by his breakfast burrito, which had frozen on the hike. I explained to him what an apple was and let him try some. It confused him but I think he liked it. Ever the stoic, Scott sat in silence.
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