Flume Brook Valley

On a chilly, gray day with persistent snow showers I wanted to get a good hike in close to home, before the one-two winter punch of a sub-zero cold snap followed by a major snowstorm. In any season I enjoy a ramble out into the quiet and remote-feeling Flume Brook valley. The day before, from a parking lot I had seen ski tracks on the Southwest Slide of Mt. Liberty, so I figured the Flume Slide Trail would be recently broken out at least as far as the access to the slide, and I knew there had been activity farther out in the valley in recent weeks. 

 

Looks like a new trail sign where Liberty Spring Trail leaves the bike path.

Along this section of Liberty Spring Trail I chatted with a backcountry skier who had gone partway in on Flume Slide Trail for a scouting mission.

 

A familiar junction.

A nice track (newer alpine touring ski tracks on top of old snowshoe tracks) for snowshoeing, with a bit of soft new snow on top.

Beautiful hardwood in this valley. Snow showers drifted down through most of the day, adding up to an inch or so by evening.

Crossing the brook that drains from the Mt. Liberty Southwest Slide.

Tracks from skiers who had swooped down through the woods after skiing the slide, perhaps the previous day.

Snow-draped conifers deep in the valley.

The first crossing of Flume Brook was not well-frozen, requiring some awkward rock-hopping on snowshoes.

The second crossing was quite sketchy, with deep holes hidden by unstable snow. On the way back I followed some old snowshoe tracks to a better crossing.

So quiet and peaceful out here...

 

Approaching the "inner sanctum" glade where the trail approaches its final crossing of Flume Brook before commencing its steep climb up the old overgrown slide.

I headed off-trail here towards the extensive birch glade on the steep slope to the northwest. Here, at 2600 ft., the snow was ~30 inches deep, with a bit of supportive crust partway down.

Into the birches, which seeded in after a 1908 forest fire burned more than 400 acres on the south slopes of Mt. Liberty.

Slow going heading up the slope.

Gorgeous glades.

Deep enough.

I wanted to get up to  spot where I could find a close-up view of the Flume Slides through a gap in the trees.

After some maneuvering I found a spot, but the upper mountain was fogged in. I changed shirts, layered up, and hung out here for a while. 

My patience was rewarded as the mountain briefly cleared out, most of the way.

 

Lots of ice bulges up there, as well as a phone I lost at the base last October.

Heading back down. Just as I began the descent, I broke a pole in the deep snow, so it was a single-pole trek going out.

A brief tease of blue sky.

Homeward bound on Flume Slide Trail.