Pillar Watershed Big Loop

[Philip]

One of the things I like about living at the base of Pillar Mountain is all the hiking possibilities I have walking right from my house in the winter. I have a long loop (about 10 miles) I like to do that basically takes me around the perimeter of the Pillar wastershed. I start up the trails on the channel side of Pillar (Exboyfriend, etc) to the top, then I go out the gravel road across the top of Pillar towards Swampy Acres, and then along the undulating ridge that links Pillar with the Prongs. From there I loop north, around the end of the Prongs, and catch the bench that is just east of the Three Sisters. eventually I cut down to Monashka Bay Road, crossing Pillar Cr at the hatchery, and then linking ATV and singletrack trails together to get me back to town. It's a solid hike for sure with about half of it off-trail, though the total elevation change is not huge.

Here's a map:



Nearing the top of Pillar Mountain:





From the windmills you can see the whole route along the Prongs and Sisters:



Most of the route is non-technical hiking, but getting around the east end of the Devil's Prongs is one spot where it pays to pay attention. If you climb too high you get onto some steep snow slopes, and if you drop too low you end up in some serious brush. There happens to be a pleasant middle path in the form of a bench you can saunter along (the somewhat more visually obvious lower bench is pretty alder-choked):



Approaching the end of the ridge linking Pillar to the Prongs:

[Philip]

Saturday May 18

I did the loop again this morning. I carried snowshoes but didn't need them. Most of the snow at the elevation of the hike has melted, and the remaining patches were crusty and good for walking with the cold overnight temps. On a warm day it might get a little punchy, though there is little enough snow I think I'd just posthole those short sections. The salmonberries are starting to stand up where the snow has melted so if you do attempt this loop, be ready for a little weedwhacking. If you want to avoid the brush you can traverse relatively high around the end of the Devil's Prongs, but there is still snow on that slope right now, and it's pretty steep. Crampons and an ice axe would be prudent for that route.

[Philip]

I'm resurrecting last year's thread to say I spent some time today brushing out the trail leading from the southern end of Pillar Mtn to the Devils Prongs. Anyone who has been out this trail knows it is nice and distinct in the beginning, and slowly grows fainter the farther you get from Pillar. If you hike it and it doesn't seem cleared, you are probably doing a different variation to the one I cut (the game trails farther out the ridge seem as distinct as any other after a while). My preferred route is on the Buskin Valley side of the ridge, generally speaking. It's still a lot of work to get out there, and once you reach the Prongs, then what.....?

It's funny to look at the pics from precisely one year ago (posted above) and compare how much colder and snowier it was then. The salmonberries are budding up there right now and there is almost no snow on Pillar!

But anyway, have fun.

[Philip]

Sunday March 1, 2015

Well, we all know what the snow within 10 miles of the coast is like: nonexistent.

I did my 'training' loop hike today carrying 35 pounds, and it was a workout. There was not a single flake of snow along the whole route, and even the small lakes I passed barely had skim ice on them. Jeeze. I still haven't found a decent route across the southern end of the Devil's Prongs that doesn't involve some amount of salmonberry wading and alder thrashing, but I guess that's all part of the 'training'. Anyway, the hiking is decent right now with partially frozen ground and no steep snow slopes to deal with. I did the route as outlined in the google earth view at the start of this thread if anyone is curious (and a little masochistic).

The valleys and Chiniak Bay were socked in with marine fog, but I was on top of it most of the time:





Tendrils of fog started licking over Pillar as I made my way out to the southern terminus of the Devil's Prongs:



Easter Sunday Peak poking out above Buskin Valley clouds:



Like I said, almost no snow on the southern end of the Prongs or the southern side of the 3 Sisters:



Spring on March 1st?



The good news is that the animals must be absolutely LOVING this non-winter (aside from the bears hoping to take a long nap, that is).

[L.Cassidy]

Philip, do you have a Gaia track of this I can steal? [e-mail]

[Philip]

I don't, but I can record one the next time I go.