Despite its lack of working heat, I drove the beater I've got for my long-term-temporary stay in Spokane up to northern Idaho to hike Iron Mountain. I had to stay a couple of times to warm my feet up and had to wander the back roads finding the trail head, but once I got started I was in for a solid hike.


The climb up started up mostly dry, with just a little snow on the trees.


A view on the way up. The trail cimbed 3400 feet in 3.5 miles, nice and steep. It was good to get out and work the lungs a little bit.


About halfway up, the snow that was barely present solidified, eventually becoming about 3 inches deep.


The view (or lack thereof) from the peak. At this point, I had climbed up into the clouds.


The clouds lifted a little bit as I was hiking down, which provided a bit of a preview of what the view could have been if it wasn't cloudy. Across the Kootenai is another mountain range - the Selkirks - which could make for some awesome snow shoeing while I'm still in Spokane.


The Kootenai River. Pretty sweet. It might have been a cold drive out and back, but it was definitely worth it.