not just GOOD but FREE too

This wasn't just GOOD FRIDAY it was a great Friday!  The weather was forecasted to be fabulous so I wanted to spend today outside.  This time of year with the snow conditions and the bears waking up, Prairie Mountain is the only place with a decent amount of elevation that I can find a level of comfort to summit solo.  Even though we are well into spring, it still looks like winter!  It didn't feel like winter though and I was thankful for that!  I'm sure all folks in my neck of the woods were giving thanks today even though it's Good Friday and not Thanksgiving!

The summit was free of wind!

The trail was free of people!

The sky was free of clouds!

I have never seen Prairie Mountain and its surroundings look so beautiful!  

It wasn't easy reaching the summit today.  Hitting the trail head at 9:15, the snow on the steep section in the trees was hard packed and slippery.  I attempted to go microspikes-free but had to give in when the going got tough.  I still reached the high point in an hour and 45 minutes though.   This is my new packs summit shot!  My new Osprey Stratos 24 is a keeper.  It's my Moab pack and I wanted to test it out.  I now know it is my new summer pack too!

Then it was my turn for my summit shot.  I did climb the rock pile to get a shot at the highest point possible but summits are a place to relax and enjoy the view so this photo is quite fitting.   See, it looks like winter but it feels like spring!  It was a snowshoe-free day, a gaiter-free day, a hat-free and coat-free and gloves-free day.  

GOOD FRIDAY was a GREAT and FREE FRIDAY and it made me feel like I was "on top of the world!