Mount Bross
We had a big, happy group for this run. Everyone hoped for a day of big scenery, starting with this trail to the top of Mount Bross. It ended up being a great trip and a great trail, and one of our most scenic lunch spots.
We aired down on Buckskin Road, then went a bit further to turn on Windy Ridge Road to go up to Mount Bross. We climbed up the easy trail, and we soon had a great view of Alma and the valley below us. The weather was perfect, with blue skies and warm weather.
We got to the lower intersection very quickly, and decided to go up to the Windy Ridge parking area and take the northern half of the loop first. We all managed to fit in the parking area, and everyone got out for a bit to stretch their legs and visit. We were at timberline, and we could see the trail going up the side of Mount Bross before us.
We hopped in our vehicles and headed up the trail. We saw a few marmots on the way, and the scenery around us was impressive. There were a few mining buildings, but the most complete one was at the Dolly Varden Mine.
When we came around the corner near the top we saw Mount Lincoln and Mount Cameron, and the views took our breaths away. There were hikers all over both mountains, in addition to the many hikers on Mount Bross. We stopped at the first big, flat area to take a look around and enjoy the views, but then we headed up.
The top of Mount Bross was very flat and huge. It looked much bigger than a football field. We parked in a group and many of us walked out to the edges, but they were pretty far away.
It wasn't very windy for some odd reason, so we set up for lunch. We made a big circle in the middle of the Jeeps, just in case it did get windy. It seemed odd to be on top of a 14er without any wind.
The sun was on us as we ate, and everyone was happy. Everyone was also getting sunburned, it seemed. We do find the best lunch spots.
Everyone seemed reluctant to leave, but eventually we packed up and headed down. We took the other side of the loop, and it was a gorgeous decent on that side. We saw a deer on the mountainside and everyone snapped pictures.
The only bad part was an extremely tight and tippy switchback. We could have gone a different way, but everyone decided to tackle the switchback. It took us a little while, but everyone was careful and there were no incidents. When we were all through it, we continued on.
The last switchbacks to the lower intersection were rocky, but no one had any issues. We were soon down and on our way back out.
We took the quick trip to Kite Lake, just to check it out. It was packed with people, and they watched our big group as we drove to the lake and around a circle and then back out. It was pretty and very, very crowded. Cars were parked everywhere, too.
We headed back to Alma to go over to Mosquito Pass. It was a great start to our day!
Report from a Different Day
