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Richland Creek Wilderness Area Snow Hike, Overnight Aborted
3/6/15
With some extra time on Friday my mind wandered and soon thoughts of hiking in the snow were bumping around my empty head. Before long my thoughts were realized as I motored north towards a forested location. Unfortunately the snow was quickly melting away and the dirt road leading to the woods was a churned up and muddy mess. There were occasional patches of snow. After many mud splashed miles the wilderness that is Richland Creek was entered. The day had bright sunshine with a temp around 38°. Before long a bluff's edge stopped my progress and a goodly wind from the south did slap me around a bit. My plan was to head down into the valley and camp but the thought of wind and a potential low of 20° changed my mind. After lounging around the cliff top for a while I headed back in shame. This hike topped out near 3.5 miles...pitiful! Some days the urge to sleep in the woods is just not strong enough. By 5:00 the mud hole of a road carried me down into the valley. Soon Hwy 16 rescued me from the slop. A lovely sunset improved my outlook as I made my way back home.
