Headed up from the west this time, taking the very steep Laura Cowles up to stay out of the wind as long as possible, and Sunset Ridge down since, well, I prefer loops (and didn't want to descend all that steep!). LC was half broken-out, SR pretty much fully so. Temps were pretty mild, considering, but winds were very strong up above treeline and on Sunset Ridge especially (upwards of 40-50mph gusts). Wore snowshoes the whole way, even up on the rocky summit. The recent few inches of snow helped provide enough of a blanket/cover on the ice that the shoes nearly always retained a good grip. Parts of Laura Cowles were certainly tricky, but really not half as bad as if that snow hadn't fallen a couple days earlier. Above treeline, some bare rock, some ice, but also a lot of snow-coated ice to help with grip. A good amount of snow is forecast so that will only help; but still, walk carefully up there. Found a blue aluminum water bottle on the spur path to Cantilever Rock. Contact me if you lost one. 61 of Winter 67