There is an uninterrupted view from the top of Prairie Mountain to the prairie and the mountains all around.  It is warming up and the trail to Prairie Mountain is one of the first to clear of snow and ice.  It is a slog 3.5 kilometers up the mountain to an altitude of 2210 meters, a 700 meter climb from where we started.  There is still some ice on the trail, YakTrax are appropriate.