Last week Paul and I received our gift bag from the SPOT company. The photo we submitted was one of their ten finalists in the first annual photo contest. The gift bag consisted of a t-shirt, sticker, fake tattoo, nylon frisbee, patch, pen, and a carrying case for the SPOT unit.
Today, I received the monthly email update from the SPOT company and it shows the winning photo as well as the ten finalists, one being our photo! Check it out:
http://findmespot.com/en/spotlight/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=291:spot-adventure-photo-contest-winners-announced&catid=17:spot-updates&Itemid=29
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
M + G + S = W
It's been a long time coming for this weekend! Paul and I were excited to head up to the Adirondacks on Friday evening to attempt to complete our Winter 46 on Saturday. I picked him up from work Friday afternoon and we drove to his parents house where we had a quick meal of pizza and dropped off Moab. Thanks for watching him yet again, guys!
From there we were northbound with only a quick stop in Warrensburg for gas and coffee for our thermos. We decided instead of driving all the way to the Loj parking lot, we'd stay at the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area. Anytime we head to the High Peaks via Exit 30 we stop at this rest stop. It was always very clean and it's just been tradition. I came out of the women's bathroon and the eldery male attendant was standing outside his door with his spray bottle and rag like he was waiting for me to come out. I noticed him and gave him a friendly smile. He scowled at me. Yikes! What did I do? Ohhhhh, I guess I probably messed up his clean bathroom. Sorry! Anyway, we got ready for bed and it was windy! We had heard the forecast was calling for high winds until about midnight, so we hoped it would be calm by the time we were on the trail the next morning.
Try as I might, I could not sleep. I think I may have cat napped a little bit, but I surely didn't get any significant sleep. Boo! The alarm went off at 1:15 and it was a few minutes before we started to stir. We layered up, put on boots, etc and started on our way to the Loj. The roads were not in great condition with slush and snow AND it was STILL quite windy!
Once at the Loj I asked Paul about the wind, but he thought there was a possibility that it may still die down. So, off we went, a little later than we'd planned, but still an early start at just after 3am.
The trail to Marcy Dam was in good shape and is always well traveled. We made good time to the trail junction to Phelps Mt. From there it was on to the path for Indian Falls, then up up up to the intersection with the Phelps Trail that you can take to get to Haystack. All the while, it was still blowing up top.
We made the turn to start our ascent of Marcy and decided to put on face masks. My face was already quite cold and Paul had icicles in his eyebrows and eyelashes. He said I did too. Brrrrr!
We started on our way up and were a little protected by the wind at first. Soon though, we were being blasted around by a very stiff wind. I was a little concerned to be honest. And at one point, the wind literally took my breath away. For just a few moments I actually felt as though I couldn't breathe. It was a strange sensation. We stopped and Paul asked if I wanted to turn back. I said that I didn't, but we took a minute and I tried to return my breathing to normal. I asked him if he thought it was safe to continue and he said it was, so onward we went.
Clouds were blowing in and out but once we were just able to see the profile of Haystack and Little Haystack. It's amazing to see the two from that angle because Little Haystack looks MUCH smaller from this side unlike how HUGE it looks when approaching it from the other side. Cool!
I stayed right with Paul and before long the summit wall with its plaque was visible. A very quick snapshot at the plaque, a hop up to the actual summit, and we were ready to get off our 44th peak. This was my 2nd trip up Marcy and the last time I had no views and was nearly blown off (not literally), so I guess this was par for the course!
Our plan had been to bushwhack directly to Gray instead of dropping down the marked trail to Four Corners, down to Lake Tear of the Clouds, then up to Gray. It would save some elevation and some distance but Paul wasn't sure how safe it was in those conditions and didn't feel as though we wanted to try it.
We carefully descended Marcy, as the backside had more exposed rock and some ice that was a little slippery. At one point I stopped to pick up a small rock to take with us to Skylight. Legend states that if you fail to carry a rock up to the summit of Skylight that it will rain. We couldn't tempt fate! Paul picked up a rock as well and we continued our descent to tree line. The snow was deeper and not traveled on the backside of Marcy and we lost the trail at one point. A little bit of zigging and zagging, but Paul found it again and we made it to Four Corners.
The trail up Skylight was not broken, but we were heading for Gray anyway. The trail to Lake Tear of the Clouds wasn't broken either, but off we went, Paul leading the way. Lake Tear of the Clouds is really cool. It's tucked neatly in between Marcy, Skylight, and Gray. Every once in a while we'd have views of each peak. The sun was trying its best to come out, but stubborn clouds refused to grant it full access.
We had to search to be sure we had made it to the start of the herdpath for Gray, as this is a trailless peak and there are no signs. Paul navigated via GPS and we used coordinates and a track log we got on the internet from another W46er. We both agreed that it looked like the start and it too was unbroken. We figured that would be the case and were prepared to break trail to the summit.
Paul did a fantastic job of using a combination of his own skills and the GPS to keep us mostly on the herdpath. We did lose it a little bit, but for a bushwhack, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might have been. It didn't take too long and we were on the summit of Gray! By then, the sun was winning the battle and was shining for us. Clouds were still enveloping the summits of Skylight and Marcy, but we'd get views now and then. We were very excited at this point. When things would clear, we did have beautiful views. Normally you don't get views from Gray because it's a treed in summit. But, in the winter it's a different story. The snowpack elevates you above the trees so you can see for miles. Just look how buried the sign is in the photos below!
Summit photos and high fives and we made a quick descent of Gray. We had to backtrack toward Four Corners to get to the trail for Skylight. As we went, we heard someone yell. We turned around and two guys were at the herdpath for Gray asking if that was indeed the correct path. Paul yelled back that it was, that it didn't follow the herdpath exactly, but that it would get them to the summit. They yelled back their thanks to Paul for breaking it out and told us they "owed us one". They were really appreciative. They didn't know it, but we owed them one too. They broke trail just to get up to attempt Gray which meant that they broke our trail back out for us! Awesome! And, glad they could benefit from our work (Paul's). : )
Our tracks back to Lake Tear of the Clouds and Four Corners were already significantly blown in. I was surprised! Once back at Four Corners the trail was still unbroken! Darn! We thought it might have been traveled while we were at Gray because one of Paul's coworkers had some friends that were attempting the same trip we were. Paul had been in contact with them earlier in the week and they said they'd break out Skylight for us. Well, no one was around and the trail was definitely unbroken, so it was our job to break it out.
Since Paul did the hard work of breaking Gray, I felt it was fair to break Skylight. I started out and there was at least a firm base underneath, though there was soft snow on top. It compressed down when we walked. As we ascended though, it got deeper and deeper and the drifts were knee/thigh height for me. It was tiring breaking through them, but I shushed Paul's offers to take a turn. This was MY job! : ) Up we went until I lost the trail. We couldn't find a marker and it wasn't clear exactly where the trail led. We knew the direction we were going, but if we stayed on trail, we at least had a base underneath instead of all loose snow. We zigged and zagged again and I happened to look to my left and off in the distance was a marker. We tracked over to it and started on our way up again, but no other markers and drifted snow still made for an unsure "exact" trail. I did my best and asked Paul for support and we just went up.
We approached the summit hand-in-hand and Paul took a video as we made the summit of our 46th winter peak. We were excited! And it was cold! The wind was blowing and the summit was back in a cloud, so no views were had! Boo! We took photos, videos, we placed our rocks on the cairn, I took out two signs I made: One was a W46er completion sign and one was to thank our Moms & Dads for their support. I surprised Paul with Toblerone bars and while we wanted to stay and eat them, drink coffee, and celebrate, it was too cold to do so on top. We took it all in as much as we could and left the Skylight summit for the warmth of the trees.
We made a quick descent on the soft snow and found two guys at Four Corners when we emerged from the trees. It was Bob & Cliff--the two guys we'd expected. They had gotten a late start and had just descended from Marcy. We talked with them for a bit and they headed to Skylight and we headed out.
As we hiked, the sun finally won out and the clouds started to dissipate. It figured! Oh well. We did enjoy the sun as we headed toward Lake Arnold. We had good views of Colden on our way. The trail wasn't difficult until just before Lake Arnold when it started climbing again. It was a tough section on our already tired bodies! From there it was fairly easy going. We made really good time getting back to Marcy Dam where we enjoyed the warm sun for just a couple minutes and Paul took a few photos. Then, it was a 2.1 mile slog to the car. That section of trail is probably our least favorite to travel. It was soft in the morning but as we headed out it was icy and pulverized! There are so many people that use this trail and it definitely was showing its use. Another blazing pace to get out and we arrived at the trailhead about 4:30pm. We were Adirondack Winter 46ers! Yay!
Earlier we'd both had the same idea of purchasing a Skylight patch to commemorate our day, so we went inside the Loj building and did so. It's funny how much Paul and I think alike sometimes! We changed clothes and headed to the Noonmark Diner for a celebratory dinner.
I was so excited that they had their Tomato Bisque soup on the menu. I ordered a bowl, my usual grilled cheese with cheddar on wheat and homemade fries. She brought our food, but never brought my soup. : ( We were going to grab her when she came back with the dessert for the table next to us, but I'm telling you, she was gone for at least ten minutes. By that time, I didn't want the soup anymore. I was wondering if it was going to be on the check, but it wasn't. I don't know what happened. She must have misunderstood me when I asked Paul if he wanted soup and he said he didn't.....could she have thought that I no longer wanted the soup? Oh who knows. I was bummed because that soup is really quite good! And, it irked me because one other time we were there, she forgot about us! Sheesh!
For me, our celebratory meal was a little lackluster so it was a good thing I'd made raspberry oatmeal bars on Friday! We had a dessert of those as we drove to the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area yet again. The thing to keep in mind is that there are really two rest areas. One on the northbound side and one on the southbound side. Obviously this time we were on the southbound side. Paul and I went in to brush our teeth and it was almost too funny...I came out of the women's restroom and there was the SAME elderly attendant with the same scowl on his face waiting for me to come out. Same spray bottle, same rag, same same same.
He must work at both areas. And I still didn't get a smile out of him.
We were both very tired and while it was only just after 7pm (yes, that's not a typo) we went to bed at, yes, 7pm. : ) We awoke at a little after 9 when we heard a banging noise and looked over to see a car parked just over from us and then it sped off. We have no idea what they were doing. Back to sleep and the alarm went off at 6. We decided we'd take another 30 minutes and snooze. Paul reminds me that I was the one who suggested we snooze. HA! HA! : ) In a sleepy state, I thought I heard the alarm chime go off, but must have convinced myself I hadn't. (When the alarm goes off it chimes once, if you let it go, it will chime again in 5 minutes) The second time it went off, I woke and we decided it was time to get moving. I was still tired after almost twelve hours of sleep! LOL
We packed up our sleeping bags and got ready to go. Paul hopped out and cleaned off the car since it had snowed overnight. We had a breakfast of banana bread on our way and drove carefully since the roads were in pretty poor condition. We stopped to pick up Moab the dog and made it home before noon.
And that's our weekend. Our big finale. But now what? Oh, we're looking at options. My mom has asked us to try a safer activity. I wonder what "safer" entails...?? : ) In the mean time, we may head back up to the ADK's to help others in their quest of becoming a 46er. We may sleep. We may eat. I'm trying to get back into my running as my dear friend Summer has convinced me to do an all women's half-marathon with her in April. Truthfully I needed the push because running has taken a back seat to hiking these last few months for both Paul and I.
I'll continue to update the blog, but make note that some of our upcoming adventures may deal more with food, running, sleeping, and general nothingness rather than exciting outings in the mountains. But, I promise not to post videos of us sleeping or of paint drying. That would be too boring! ; )
Marcy, Gray, Skylight 21 Feb 09
From there we were northbound with only a quick stop in Warrensburg for gas and coffee for our thermos. We decided instead of driving all the way to the Loj parking lot, we'd stay at the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area. Anytime we head to the High Peaks via Exit 30 we stop at this rest stop. It was always very clean and it's just been tradition. I came out of the women's bathroon and the eldery male attendant was standing outside his door with his spray bottle and rag like he was waiting for me to come out. I noticed him and gave him a friendly smile. He scowled at me. Yikes! What did I do? Ohhhhh, I guess I probably messed up his clean bathroom. Sorry! Anyway, we got ready for bed and it was windy! We had heard the forecast was calling for high winds until about midnight, so we hoped it would be calm by the time we were on the trail the next morning.
Try as I might, I could not sleep. I think I may have cat napped a little bit, but I surely didn't get any significant sleep. Boo! The alarm went off at 1:15 and it was a few minutes before we started to stir. We layered up, put on boots, etc and started on our way to the Loj. The roads were not in great condition with slush and snow AND it was STILL quite windy!
Once at the Loj I asked Paul about the wind, but he thought there was a possibility that it may still die down. So, off we went, a little later than we'd planned, but still an early start at just after 3am.
The trail to Marcy Dam was in good shape and is always well traveled. We made good time to the trail junction to Phelps Mt. From there it was on to the path for Indian Falls, then up up up to the intersection with the Phelps Trail that you can take to get to Haystack. All the while, it was still blowing up top.
We made the turn to start our ascent of Marcy and decided to put on face masks. My face was already quite cold and Paul had icicles in his eyebrows and eyelashes. He said I did too. Brrrrr!
We started on our way up and were a little protected by the wind at first. Soon though, we were being blasted around by a very stiff wind. I was a little concerned to be honest. And at one point, the wind literally took my breath away. For just a few moments I actually felt as though I couldn't breathe. It was a strange sensation. We stopped and Paul asked if I wanted to turn back. I said that I didn't, but we took a minute and I tried to return my breathing to normal. I asked him if he thought it was safe to continue and he said it was, so onward we went.
Clouds were blowing in and out but once we were just able to see the profile of Haystack and Little Haystack. It's amazing to see the two from that angle because Little Haystack looks MUCH smaller from this side unlike how HUGE it looks when approaching it from the other side. Cool!
I stayed right with Paul and before long the summit wall with its plaque was visible. A very quick snapshot at the plaque, a hop up to the actual summit, and we were ready to get off our 44th peak. This was my 2nd trip up Marcy and the last time I had no views and was nearly blown off (not literally), so I guess this was par for the course!
Our plan had been to bushwhack directly to Gray instead of dropping down the marked trail to Four Corners, down to Lake Tear of the Clouds, then up to Gray. It would save some elevation and some distance but Paul wasn't sure how safe it was in those conditions and didn't feel as though we wanted to try it.
We carefully descended Marcy, as the backside had more exposed rock and some ice that was a little slippery. At one point I stopped to pick up a small rock to take with us to Skylight. Legend states that if you fail to carry a rock up to the summit of Skylight that it will rain. We couldn't tempt fate! Paul picked up a rock as well and we continued our descent to tree line. The snow was deeper and not traveled on the backside of Marcy and we lost the trail at one point. A little bit of zigging and zagging, but Paul found it again and we made it to Four Corners.
The trail up Skylight was not broken, but we were heading for Gray anyway. The trail to Lake Tear of the Clouds wasn't broken either, but off we went, Paul leading the way. Lake Tear of the Clouds is really cool. It's tucked neatly in between Marcy, Skylight, and Gray. Every once in a while we'd have views of each peak. The sun was trying its best to come out, but stubborn clouds refused to grant it full access.
We had to search to be sure we had made it to the start of the herdpath for Gray, as this is a trailless peak and there are no signs. Paul navigated via GPS and we used coordinates and a track log we got on the internet from another W46er. We both agreed that it looked like the start and it too was unbroken. We figured that would be the case and were prepared to break trail to the summit.
Paul did a fantastic job of using a combination of his own skills and the GPS to keep us mostly on the herdpath. We did lose it a little bit, but for a bushwhack, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might have been. It didn't take too long and we were on the summit of Gray! By then, the sun was winning the battle and was shining for us. Clouds were still enveloping the summits of Skylight and Marcy, but we'd get views now and then. We were very excited at this point. When things would clear, we did have beautiful views. Normally you don't get views from Gray because it's a treed in summit. But, in the winter it's a different story. The snowpack elevates you above the trees so you can see for miles. Just look how buried the sign is in the photos below!
Summit photos and high fives and we made a quick descent of Gray. We had to backtrack toward Four Corners to get to the trail for Skylight. As we went, we heard someone yell. We turned around and two guys were at the herdpath for Gray asking if that was indeed the correct path. Paul yelled back that it was, that it didn't follow the herdpath exactly, but that it would get them to the summit. They yelled back their thanks to Paul for breaking it out and told us they "owed us one". They were really appreciative. They didn't know it, but we owed them one too. They broke trail just to get up to attempt Gray which meant that they broke our trail back out for us! Awesome! And, glad they could benefit from our work (Paul's). : )
Our tracks back to Lake Tear of the Clouds and Four Corners were already significantly blown in. I was surprised! Once back at Four Corners the trail was still unbroken! Darn! We thought it might have been traveled while we were at Gray because one of Paul's coworkers had some friends that were attempting the same trip we were. Paul had been in contact with them earlier in the week and they said they'd break out Skylight for us. Well, no one was around and the trail was definitely unbroken, so it was our job to break it out.
Since Paul did the hard work of breaking Gray, I felt it was fair to break Skylight. I started out and there was at least a firm base underneath, though there was soft snow on top. It compressed down when we walked. As we ascended though, it got deeper and deeper and the drifts were knee/thigh height for me. It was tiring breaking through them, but I shushed Paul's offers to take a turn. This was MY job! : ) Up we went until I lost the trail. We couldn't find a marker and it wasn't clear exactly where the trail led. We knew the direction we were going, but if we stayed on trail, we at least had a base underneath instead of all loose snow. We zigged and zagged again and I happened to look to my left and off in the distance was a marker. We tracked over to it and started on our way up again, but no other markers and drifted snow still made for an unsure "exact" trail. I did my best and asked Paul for support and we just went up.
We approached the summit hand-in-hand and Paul took a video as we made the summit of our 46th winter peak. We were excited! And it was cold! The wind was blowing and the summit was back in a cloud, so no views were had! Boo! We took photos, videos, we placed our rocks on the cairn, I took out two signs I made: One was a W46er completion sign and one was to thank our Moms & Dads for their support. I surprised Paul with Toblerone bars and while we wanted to stay and eat them, drink coffee, and celebrate, it was too cold to do so on top. We took it all in as much as we could and left the Skylight summit for the warmth of the trees.
We made a quick descent on the soft snow and found two guys at Four Corners when we emerged from the trees. It was Bob & Cliff--the two guys we'd expected. They had gotten a late start and had just descended from Marcy. We talked with them for a bit and they headed to Skylight and we headed out.
As we hiked, the sun finally won out and the clouds started to dissipate. It figured! Oh well. We did enjoy the sun as we headed toward Lake Arnold. We had good views of Colden on our way. The trail wasn't difficult until just before Lake Arnold when it started climbing again. It was a tough section on our already tired bodies! From there it was fairly easy going. We made really good time getting back to Marcy Dam where we enjoyed the warm sun for just a couple minutes and Paul took a few photos. Then, it was a 2.1 mile slog to the car. That section of trail is probably our least favorite to travel. It was soft in the morning but as we headed out it was icy and pulverized! There are so many people that use this trail and it definitely was showing its use. Another blazing pace to get out and we arrived at the trailhead about 4:30pm. We were Adirondack Winter 46ers! Yay!
Earlier we'd both had the same idea of purchasing a Skylight patch to commemorate our day, so we went inside the Loj building and did so. It's funny how much Paul and I think alike sometimes! We changed clothes and headed to the Noonmark Diner for a celebratory dinner.
I was so excited that they had their Tomato Bisque soup on the menu. I ordered a bowl, my usual grilled cheese with cheddar on wheat and homemade fries. She brought our food, but never brought my soup. : ( We were going to grab her when she came back with the dessert for the table next to us, but I'm telling you, she was gone for at least ten minutes. By that time, I didn't want the soup anymore. I was wondering if it was going to be on the check, but it wasn't. I don't know what happened. She must have misunderstood me when I asked Paul if he wanted soup and he said he didn't.....could she have thought that I no longer wanted the soup? Oh who knows. I was bummed because that soup is really quite good! And, it irked me because one other time we were there, she forgot about us! Sheesh!
For me, our celebratory meal was a little lackluster so it was a good thing I'd made raspberry oatmeal bars on Friday! We had a dessert of those as we drove to the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area yet again. The thing to keep in mind is that there are really two rest areas. One on the northbound side and one on the southbound side. Obviously this time we were on the southbound side. Paul and I went in to brush our teeth and it was almost too funny...I came out of the women's restroom and there was the SAME elderly attendant with the same scowl on his face waiting for me to come out. Same spray bottle, same rag, same same same.
He must work at both areas. And I still didn't get a smile out of him.
We were both very tired and while it was only just after 7pm (yes, that's not a typo) we went to bed at, yes, 7pm. : ) We awoke at a little after 9 when we heard a banging noise and looked over to see a car parked just over from us and then it sped off. We have no idea what they were doing. Back to sleep and the alarm went off at 6. We decided we'd take another 30 minutes and snooze. Paul reminds me that I was the one who suggested we snooze. HA! HA! : ) In a sleepy state, I thought I heard the alarm chime go off, but must have convinced myself I hadn't. (When the alarm goes off it chimes once, if you let it go, it will chime again in 5 minutes) The second time it went off, I woke and we decided it was time to get moving. I was still tired after almost twelve hours of sleep! LOL
We packed up our sleeping bags and got ready to go. Paul hopped out and cleaned off the car since it had snowed overnight. We had a breakfast of banana bread on our way and drove carefully since the roads were in pretty poor condition. We stopped to pick up Moab the dog and made it home before noon.
And that's our weekend. Our big finale. But now what? Oh, we're looking at options. My mom has asked us to try a safer activity. I wonder what "safer" entails...?? : ) In the mean time, we may head back up to the ADK's to help others in their quest of becoming a 46er. We may sleep. We may eat. I'm trying to get back into my running as my dear friend Summer has convinced me to do an all women's half-marathon with her in April. Truthfully I needed the push because running has taken a back seat to hiking these last few months for both Paul and I.
I'll continue to update the blog, but make note that some of our upcoming adventures may deal more with food, running, sleeping, and general nothingness rather than exciting outings in the mountains. But, I promise not to post videos of us sleeping or of paint drying. That would be too boring! ; )
Marcy, Gray, Skylight 21 Feb 09
Friday, February 20, 2009
Three Reasons to Go
One: Marcy
Two: Gray
Three: Skylight and our big finish!
We're heading north tonight to attempt to finish the ADK Winter 46ers tomorrow. We'll get an early start, as usual, and will plan on going to Marcy first, then bushwhack to Gray, leave Gray via the traditional herdpath (I think) and then follow the marked trail to Skylight! That's the plan anyway! Wish us luck as we will hopefully finish our big goal this weekend!! : )
Two: Gray
Three: Skylight and our big finish!
We're heading north tonight to attempt to finish the ADK Winter 46ers tomorrow. We'll get an early start, as usual, and will plan on going to Marcy first, then bushwhack to Gray, leave Gray via the traditional herdpath (I think) and then follow the marked trail to Skylight! That's the plan anyway! Wish us luck as we will hopefully finish our big goal this weekend!! : )
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Three Reasons to Stay Home
One: I had to work.
Two: Cinnamon rolls
Three: Blackberry grunt
Good enough reasons for me!
: ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( :
Two: Cinnamon rolls
Three: Blackberry grunt
Good enough reasons for me!
: ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( :
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A Photo Contest Finalist
A couple weeks ago I received an email newsletter from the SPOT company. For those unfamiliar with it, SPOT is a personal locator beacon. We travel with it on each trip and it serves several purposes. First and foremost, it allows us the capability to signal for help if we need it. Second, it sends a signal every ten minutes (we've found it's usually longer than ten minutes) and this allows our family and friends to track us via Google Maps on the internet. This all works via GPS. If you are interested in viewing our SPOT page and need the password, just send me an email and I'll be glad to send it to you. For easy reference, the SPOT page is a link on the right hand side of this blog. : )
Anyway, back on track now, the email newsletter mentioned the 1st Annual SPOT Photo Contest. They were looking for photos of SPOT in use. We decided to submit a photo that Paul took while in the Sewards. I sent the photo in a couple weeks ago and didn't really think much about it. Today, I received an email stating that we were one of ten finalists who won a gift bag! While we didn't win the grand prize, we still were recognized and I believe our photo will be posted on the SPOT website. We thought that was pretty exciting! And great job to Paul for snapping a fantastic photo!
Anyway, back on track now, the email newsletter mentioned the 1st Annual SPOT Photo Contest. They were looking for photos of SPOT in use. We decided to submit a photo that Paul took while in the Sewards. I sent the photo in a couple weeks ago and didn't really think much about it. Today, I received an email stating that we were one of ten finalists who won a gift bag! While we didn't win the grand prize, we still were recognized and I believe our photo will be posted on the SPOT website. We thought that was pretty exciting! And great job to Paul for snapping a fantastic photo!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
What Do You Eat?
A few weeks ago, my friend Stephanie asked me what I eat when hiking. I sarcastically replied with one word--"bear". She looked at me with a blank expression for just a moment. Then, she figured me out and knowing I'm a vegetarian responded by saying, "You're an ass!" Ha! Funny story, but Paul and I actually do get asked about our eating when we're out there. So, since we're not hiking this weekend, we wanted to update the blog with something. Here is a little introduction to the foods we eat in the wilderness.
For breakfast (even though it's sometimes at 2am) we've been having a home-baked good. For the last few trips, I've been baking a quick bread on Thursday. This way, the flavor develops and tastes even better by the time we eat it on Saturday. If for some reason I didn't get around to baking, we get donuts (which I lovingly call "Doughnees") from Dunkin' Donuts. : )
For us, a lunch "meal" doesn't really work. Instead, we have snacks throughout our hike. For typical day hikes, we carry about six snack items with us. These snacks vary, but for the most part, we've found these six have been working well for us:
---Two gels: Brand of GU, Clif Shot, or E-Gel. These are what we call, "Goo". They are little packs of a honey like substance of various flavors. They hit your system quickly and are easy to eat...except when they're frozen! Some brands we like better than others--some taste great, some taste horrible! Can you guess how this one tasted?
---One fruit bar: These we typically get at Target. They are actually good for us! Real fruit, in bar form. Tasty on the trail.
---An Odwalla Bar: A soft-baked energy type bar. Contains real fruit, vitamins, Omega 3's. Another good for us food item!
---Sharkies: Think gummy bears. They're cute little shark bites, get it? Shark bites?! Oh, bother! Anyway, they are technically "energy chews" which provide calories and electrolytes.
---A Treat: A candy bar of some sort. Favorites include Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers.
In addition, Paul usually brings a bag of beef jerky with him which he eats and with which he tortures me. I love the smell of beef jerky and do miss it!
While we do pack all of this with us, we typically don't eat all six items. Much depends on how far we're hiking, how hungry we are, and how frozen the food items are! Sometimes we have to "defrost" food items in our glove or jacket!
Since we're mostly doing day trips these days, we typically have dinner out. Lately, our restaurants of choice have been The Noonmark Diner (mentioned in our posts) and believe it or not, Denny's! I've been to both good and bad Denny's restaurants and we have found a good one in Queensbury, NY. I almost always get pancakes anyway. : ) But both Paul and I have been happy with the food we've been getting there. Surprised?! It's funny because after some of these monster hikes, our stomachs are not always sure what they want. It's sometimes not easy to figure out what we "feel" like for food. We do the best we can to accommodate both of our tastes.
Camping is another story. If we're staying in the backcountry we'll bring a freeze dried meal with us. They are easy to prepare. With most of these meals, you only need to add boiling water, stir, and let it sit for a short period of time. Believe it or not, these meals are tasty, provide ample portions, and nourish our tired, hungry, and needy bodies.
There you have it! Bon Appetito!
For breakfast (even though it's sometimes at 2am) we've been having a home-baked good. For the last few trips, I've been baking a quick bread on Thursday. This way, the flavor develops and tastes even better by the time we eat it on Saturday. If for some reason I didn't get around to baking, we get donuts (which I lovingly call "Doughnees") from Dunkin' Donuts. : )
For us, a lunch "meal" doesn't really work. Instead, we have snacks throughout our hike. For typical day hikes, we carry about six snack items with us. These snacks vary, but for the most part, we've found these six have been working well for us:
---Two gels: Brand of GU, Clif Shot, or E-Gel. These are what we call, "Goo". They are little packs of a honey like substance of various flavors. They hit your system quickly and are easy to eat...except when they're frozen! Some brands we like better than others--some taste great, some taste horrible! Can you guess how this one tasted?
---One fruit bar: These we typically get at Target. They are actually good for us! Real fruit, in bar form. Tasty on the trail.
---An Odwalla Bar: A soft-baked energy type bar. Contains real fruit, vitamins, Omega 3's. Another good for us food item!
---Sharkies: Think gummy bears. They're cute little shark bites, get it? Shark bites?! Oh, bother! Anyway, they are technically "energy chews" which provide calories and electrolytes.
---A Treat: A candy bar of some sort. Favorites include Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers.
In addition, Paul usually brings a bag of beef jerky with him which he eats and with which he tortures me. I love the smell of beef jerky and do miss it!
While we do pack all of this with us, we typically don't eat all six items. Much depends on how far we're hiking, how hungry we are, and how frozen the food items are! Sometimes we have to "defrost" food items in our glove or jacket!
Since we're mostly doing day trips these days, we typically have dinner out. Lately, our restaurants of choice have been The Noonmark Diner (mentioned in our posts) and believe it or not, Denny's! I've been to both good and bad Denny's restaurants and we have found a good one in Queensbury, NY. I almost always get pancakes anyway. : ) But both Paul and I have been happy with the food we've been getting there. Surprised?! It's funny because after some of these monster hikes, our stomachs are not always sure what they want. It's sometimes not easy to figure out what we "feel" like for food. We do the best we can to accommodate both of our tastes.
Camping is another story. If we're staying in the backcountry we'll bring a freeze dried meal with us. They are easy to prepare. With most of these meals, you only need to add boiling water, stir, and let it sit for a short period of time. Believe it or not, these meals are tasty, provide ample portions, and nourish our tired, hungry, and needy bodies.
There you have it! Bon Appetito!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A Hard Day's Night: A Haystack & Basin Story
After bailing on Basin & Haystack last weekend, Paul and I really weren't sure which trip to do this weekend. We kept a close watch on the weather forecast and while it wasn't great, it was much warmer and that was a bonus. It did look as though it may be windy, though.
We decided to head back to the Garden to make another attempt on Hay & Bay. We figured on getting an early start--to the tune of a midnight start. We thought that should give us a jump on the winds. It was forecast to be calm until about 10am or so, which meant we should be in good shape if we were on and off the peaks by then.
As we drove up, we discussed other options and once at the Garden, decided that sleeping for 2 or so hours was not worth it. We donned our gear and left the car about 9:30pm Friday night.
We've done a trip like this just once before. That was in the Dix Range last winter. The "hike through the night without sleep" hikes are really tough. They usually start out ok, but somewhere in the middle of the night we tend to go through some sort of "funk". It's hard to explain, but for me, I just feel very out of sorts. It's robotic in a way. A very odd feeling. Anyway, this started earlier than usual for me this time. In fact, it was a rough trip for quite a while. I fell at least three times in less than an hour. I kept tripping on my snowshoe and couldn't figure out what was going on. I wore different boots this time and while I can't be sure I can blame them, I will blame them because it makes me feel better and less like a total klutz. Things like this were playing with my mind though and I wondered if we should just turn back. I was feeling out of it.
We kept moving through the night and were thankful that Luna was as bright as she was. Her light even allowed us to hike for much of the hike without the use of our headlamps. The snow sparkled in the moonlight and it looked as though the trees had twinkling jewels in their branches. It was quite spectacular, even in our sleepless state.
We made it to Slant Rock and soon after to the Shorey Shortcut Trail. This trail goes to the col between Basin and Haystack. We opted to do Basin first as we thought we'd be more comfortable on Basin in the dark rather than Haystack. Shorey Shortcut was steep! Thankfully it was broken out and the trail was well traveled, but wow it was steep. We could see Basin from the trail and it looked intimidating in the bright moonlight. While the trail climbs steeply, it also drops down on the other side and loses quite a bit of elevation. You feel like you do all the work for nothing! We arrived at the col and made the turn for Basin. Early on it was fairly steep. We knew there was at least one seriously difficult spot on Basin and I was anxious about it. This spot does have a ladder, but it can often be covered in snow, ice, or a combination of both. People often use ropes to get down this section because it can be fairly dangerous in certain conditions, plus, the section is somewhat exposed and if you fall, well, you don't want to fall here. Anyway, we arrived at the ladder and found "some" of it partially exposed. I went first and got to the top, but when I tried to keep going, I was not getting good traction with my snowshoes. It is incredibly steep at this point, so Paul took my ice axe off my pack and handed it to me. A quick lesson in use as an anchor and off I went. Drive in the axe, use it for help, kick my toes in, pull the axe out, repeat. It was exhausting! Once I got to the top of the steeper section, I thought I might throw up from the combination of adrenaline, fear, and the physical exhaustion. That was seriously one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It wasn't long after that we arrived at the summit of Basin. It was a little windy, but nothing like it was last week. It wasn't cold either, which we both really appreciated. The nearby peaks were somewhat illuminated by the moonlight and we could see the alternating white and green lights from an airport in the distance. We took in our 42nd peak and I felt really proud of us for making the summit. After a short stay on top, we started back down and took care on the steep section. We used a very controlled butt-slide and also down-climbed using our ice axes. I was relieved to be off that section! And I have to really thank Paul for his help in getting up and down this section and honestly up and down every one of these peaks. I couldn't do it without him!!
Back to the col and we were on our way toward Haystack. There was about 4" of drifted snow to break through but it wasn't too bad. Paul and I took turns on the way up, but he somehow always breaks more trail than I do. : ) We arrived at the base of Little Haystack earlier than we'd anticipated. It was barely light out and we both agreed that things looked much better than they looked last week. We put on our crampons and started climbing Little Haystack. It was windy, but no problem. Paul helped me in the tricky sections and when we got toward the top, we could see Haystack in the near distance. It looked so tall! One must be very careful while descending Little Haystack. A fall could be treacherous here. We went slowly, took deliberate steps, and carefully descended. We traversed across and noticed the brightening sky. The colors in the eastern sky were brilliant. Beautiful oranges, reds, yellows. Absolutely gorgeous. We stopped many times for photo ops.
We started the ascent of Haystack. It was further than I thought. It seemed like when we arrived at what we thought was the summit, it turned out, it really wasn't the summit and further on we went. Soon though, we could see the summit rock and were full of smiles and happiness. We climbed up onto the summit rock and took in the splendid views. The sun began to rise and we tried to absorb it all. This was a very special moment for us. We took photos and admired the nearby peaks. Marcy was standing tall just across from us. Skylight, to its left was round, open, and was calling for us--that's the peak we're aiming to finish on. We had views of where we'd come from earlier--to Basin and beyond to Sawteeth, Gothics, and Giant. It was clear, crisp, gorgeous. The rising sun cast a pinkish glow on the snowcapped mountains and we took a few moments to just look at everything. The wind was starting to pick up though, so we dropped down below the summit rock and had some Dunkin' Donuts coffee from our thermos. Yum! And, reluctantly we began our journey back down.
We got across the traverse, took our time up Little Haystack, took more photos, and got down to the base of LH where we put our snowshoes back on and proceeded on our way. Took as many photos as we could and said goodbye to Haystack. It really is a spectacular peak.
As we descended, we heard the wind picking up above us. We really couldn't have timed things any better. We did see people on their way up, even the famous Pin Pin (from the online forum). This man is incredible. He has done MANY rounds of the 46. We don't know how many, but it's 90 something. That means he's climbed all 46 peaks over 90 "something" times! We know he just climbed Allen for the 100th time last week. Yes, you read that correctly! He is a legend in the Adirondacks. And the best part? He carries a stuffed bunny rabbit with him on his pack...they call him the rabbit because he hikes so fast. Cool.
We tried to keep a good pace as we headed out. I led a good deal of the way, but eventually the good pace slowed quite a bit. I wanted to lead us out quickly because it was starting to cloud up and I was concerned it might rain. It was so warm, compared to the past weekends we've been up there. We both shed our jackets, hats, and gloves for much of the hike out. It was great!
Once at Johns Brook Lodge we had 3.5 miles to go. That last 3.5 miles is always a killer. The mileage isn't difficult, but it's just tiring. Both of us had aching feet, tired muscles, and were fighting severe sleepiness. At one point, we heard some type of siren from far off. I looked at Paul and he said it was the noon fire whistle. What?! It was ONLY noon?! I didn't believe him! I guess I should have, considering we had summitted two peaks before 7am! We were back to the car at 12:30, changed clothes and Paul drove us to the rest stop. I was falling asleep on that short ride and Paul said he was really tired, so we decided to take a nap. We knew we were in no shape to drive ourselves home at that point. We took about a 3 hour nap and felt good enough to start on our way. We stopped for a meal along the way and got home around 9pm.
We went to bed reflecting on our successful day, feeling proud, excited, and confident. We're now at 43 peaks (both winter and regular). Only 3 peaks left to go: Marcy, Gray, and Skylight! We won't be heading up to the ADK's this Valentine's weekend since I have to work on Saturday. It will be strange not to go up. We've been up there for 5 weekends in a row! What will we do with ourselves?! I think I'm going to make cinnamon rolls on Sunday after we SLEEP IN!! : ) : )
Haystack & Basin 7 Feb 09
We decided to head back to the Garden to make another attempt on Hay & Bay. We figured on getting an early start--to the tune of a midnight start. We thought that should give us a jump on the winds. It was forecast to be calm until about 10am or so, which meant we should be in good shape if we were on and off the peaks by then.
As we drove up, we discussed other options and once at the Garden, decided that sleeping for 2 or so hours was not worth it. We donned our gear and left the car about 9:30pm Friday night.
We've done a trip like this just once before. That was in the Dix Range last winter. The "hike through the night without sleep" hikes are really tough. They usually start out ok, but somewhere in the middle of the night we tend to go through some sort of "funk". It's hard to explain, but for me, I just feel very out of sorts. It's robotic in a way. A very odd feeling. Anyway, this started earlier than usual for me this time. In fact, it was a rough trip for quite a while. I fell at least three times in less than an hour. I kept tripping on my snowshoe and couldn't figure out what was going on. I wore different boots this time and while I can't be sure I can blame them, I will blame them because it makes me feel better and less like a total klutz. Things like this were playing with my mind though and I wondered if we should just turn back. I was feeling out of it.
We kept moving through the night and were thankful that Luna was as bright as she was. Her light even allowed us to hike for much of the hike without the use of our headlamps. The snow sparkled in the moonlight and it looked as though the trees had twinkling jewels in their branches. It was quite spectacular, even in our sleepless state.
We made it to Slant Rock and soon after to the Shorey Shortcut Trail. This trail goes to the col between Basin and Haystack. We opted to do Basin first as we thought we'd be more comfortable on Basin in the dark rather than Haystack. Shorey Shortcut was steep! Thankfully it was broken out and the trail was well traveled, but wow it was steep. We could see Basin from the trail and it looked intimidating in the bright moonlight. While the trail climbs steeply, it also drops down on the other side and loses quite a bit of elevation. You feel like you do all the work for nothing! We arrived at the col and made the turn for Basin. Early on it was fairly steep. We knew there was at least one seriously difficult spot on Basin and I was anxious about it. This spot does have a ladder, but it can often be covered in snow, ice, or a combination of both. People often use ropes to get down this section because it can be fairly dangerous in certain conditions, plus, the section is somewhat exposed and if you fall, well, you don't want to fall here. Anyway, we arrived at the ladder and found "some" of it partially exposed. I went first and got to the top, but when I tried to keep going, I was not getting good traction with my snowshoes. It is incredibly steep at this point, so Paul took my ice axe off my pack and handed it to me. A quick lesson in use as an anchor and off I went. Drive in the axe, use it for help, kick my toes in, pull the axe out, repeat. It was exhausting! Once I got to the top of the steeper section, I thought I might throw up from the combination of adrenaline, fear, and the physical exhaustion. That was seriously one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It wasn't long after that we arrived at the summit of Basin. It was a little windy, but nothing like it was last week. It wasn't cold either, which we both really appreciated. The nearby peaks were somewhat illuminated by the moonlight and we could see the alternating white and green lights from an airport in the distance. We took in our 42nd peak and I felt really proud of us for making the summit. After a short stay on top, we started back down and took care on the steep section. We used a very controlled butt-slide and also down-climbed using our ice axes. I was relieved to be off that section! And I have to really thank Paul for his help in getting up and down this section and honestly up and down every one of these peaks. I couldn't do it without him!!
Back to the col and we were on our way toward Haystack. There was about 4" of drifted snow to break through but it wasn't too bad. Paul and I took turns on the way up, but he somehow always breaks more trail than I do. : ) We arrived at the base of Little Haystack earlier than we'd anticipated. It was barely light out and we both agreed that things looked much better than they looked last week. We put on our crampons and started climbing Little Haystack. It was windy, but no problem. Paul helped me in the tricky sections and when we got toward the top, we could see Haystack in the near distance. It looked so tall! One must be very careful while descending Little Haystack. A fall could be treacherous here. We went slowly, took deliberate steps, and carefully descended. We traversed across and noticed the brightening sky. The colors in the eastern sky were brilliant. Beautiful oranges, reds, yellows. Absolutely gorgeous. We stopped many times for photo ops.
We started the ascent of Haystack. It was further than I thought. It seemed like when we arrived at what we thought was the summit, it turned out, it really wasn't the summit and further on we went. Soon though, we could see the summit rock and were full of smiles and happiness. We climbed up onto the summit rock and took in the splendid views. The sun began to rise and we tried to absorb it all. This was a very special moment for us. We took photos and admired the nearby peaks. Marcy was standing tall just across from us. Skylight, to its left was round, open, and was calling for us--that's the peak we're aiming to finish on. We had views of where we'd come from earlier--to Basin and beyond to Sawteeth, Gothics, and Giant. It was clear, crisp, gorgeous. The rising sun cast a pinkish glow on the snowcapped mountains and we took a few moments to just look at everything. The wind was starting to pick up though, so we dropped down below the summit rock and had some Dunkin' Donuts coffee from our thermos. Yum! And, reluctantly we began our journey back down.
We got across the traverse, took our time up Little Haystack, took more photos, and got down to the base of LH where we put our snowshoes back on and proceeded on our way. Took as many photos as we could and said goodbye to Haystack. It really is a spectacular peak.
As we descended, we heard the wind picking up above us. We really couldn't have timed things any better. We did see people on their way up, even the famous Pin Pin (from the online forum). This man is incredible. He has done MANY rounds of the 46. We don't know how many, but it's 90 something. That means he's climbed all 46 peaks over 90 "something" times! We know he just climbed Allen for the 100th time last week. Yes, you read that correctly! He is a legend in the Adirondacks. And the best part? He carries a stuffed bunny rabbit with him on his pack...they call him the rabbit because he hikes so fast. Cool.
We tried to keep a good pace as we headed out. I led a good deal of the way, but eventually the good pace slowed quite a bit. I wanted to lead us out quickly because it was starting to cloud up and I was concerned it might rain. It was so warm, compared to the past weekends we've been up there. We both shed our jackets, hats, and gloves for much of the hike out. It was great!
Once at Johns Brook Lodge we had 3.5 miles to go. That last 3.5 miles is always a killer. The mileage isn't difficult, but it's just tiring. Both of us had aching feet, tired muscles, and were fighting severe sleepiness. At one point, we heard some type of siren from far off. I looked at Paul and he said it was the noon fire whistle. What?! It was ONLY noon?! I didn't believe him! I guess I should have, considering we had summitted two peaks before 7am! We were back to the car at 12:30, changed clothes and Paul drove us to the rest stop. I was falling asleep on that short ride and Paul said he was really tired, so we decided to take a nap. We knew we were in no shape to drive ourselves home at that point. We took about a 3 hour nap and felt good enough to start on our way. We stopped for a meal along the way and got home around 9pm.
We went to bed reflecting on our successful day, feeling proud, excited, and confident. We're now at 43 peaks (both winter and regular). Only 3 peaks left to go: Marcy, Gray, and Skylight! We won't be heading up to the ADK's this Valentine's weekend since I have to work on Saturday. It will be strange not to go up. We've been up there for 5 weekends in a row! What will we do with ourselves?! I think I'm going to make cinnamon rolls on Sunday after we SLEEP IN!! : ) : )
Haystack & Basin 7 Feb 09
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Going Back & Forth
What do we do? Weather is decent during the week, but here we go again with the winds. The hard part is deciphering the forecasts. One website will say "breezy". Another will say 5-10mph. And yet another will say 10-20mph gusting to 30mph. So, which one do we believe? It's so difficult to try to figure out if we should make the trip based on this information.
Fortunately, temperatures are forecast to be MUCH warmer this weekend. In fact, it isn't out of the question for it to hit 40 degrees. To us, that is t-shirt and shorts weather after the subzero temps of the last couple months. This factors into the equation as well.
I did start to pull gear as a "just in case" measure, but so far no firm decision has been made and I haven't started baking yet. If the baking commences, you can bet we're heading north. : )
Fortunately, temperatures are forecast to be MUCH warmer this weekend. In fact, it isn't out of the question for it to hit 40 degrees. To us, that is t-shirt and shorts weather after the subzero temps of the last couple months. This factors into the equation as well.
I did start to pull gear as a "just in case" measure, but so far no firm decision has been made and I haven't started baking yet. If the baking commences, you can bet we're heading north. : )
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Fighting Disappointment: The BS of getting BS (Big Slide)
Frustrating! This weekend was very difficult. We headed up Friday night with the intention of hiking Haystack & Basin on Saturday. We knew some people from the forum were going to be trying the same trip, so we felt fairly good about our chances. Since I work the morning shift now, we were able to get an early start leaving the Bingo area. I picked Paul up from work and we began our journey north and found ourselves driving through a snow squall. The roads deteriorated quickly and I wasn't that comfortable driving. It was hard to see the lines and at one point, I noticed brake lights ahead of me, so I started to slow down and my anti-lock brakes kicked in. It's not often that this happens! I didn't panic, but as that was happening, a guy in a Jeep zoomed by me and started fish tailing all over the road! Talk about nerve wracking! It's not YOUR driving that you have to be afraid of. Idiots!
Anyway, I drove to Clifton Park where we stopped for dinner and Paul took over from there. By that time, the squall moved on and the roads were good from there on.
At one point on our journey we noticed a strange almost pulsating light on the darkened mountaintop in the distance. We didn't know what it was coming from. Was there a house there? After passing the hill, Paul noticed that Luna was low in the sky in her lovely waxing crescent form. It was the strangest thing, but solved the mystery of "the light". :)
Since we had significant snow fall during the week, we weren't sure what condition the trails would be in. Paul checked the register and found people had signed in, so that was a good sign. We went to bed hopeful that Saturday would be a good, productive day.
A 2am wake up call wasn't as rough as past weekends for me (I wasn't as cranky! yay!) We had a breakfast of pumpkin bread and geared up for a long day. We were on the trail just after 3am and found a well traveled trail to Johns Brook Lodge. We plugged along in the dark. The stars were glorious and I tried to stop every once in a while to take a quick look, but I usually kept moving to stay warm. Apparently it's harder to hike and look at the sky than I thought, because I'd usually end up either tripping over my snowshoe or else heading off trail slightly. So, I kept it to quick glances!
Before we knew it, we arrived at Slant Rock, 6.8 miles in. The sky was brightening and we could hear winds above us. I asked Paul about the winds, but he wasn't concerned at the time and we decided to press on to try it.
We hiked the mile to the trail junction for Haystack and were lucky the sign was still exposed. Another storm will cover it completely. It's no wonder that sometimes people miss this intersection and find themselves hiking up Marcy instead of Haystack. We read about people doing this last year! Up to that point, the trail had been well broken out. Paul said that we had been given a gift because the trail to Haystack was completely covered with deep, drifted snow.
It would be a mile from this intersection to the summit. Paul led our way through the deep, powdery snow. It was slow going, as we reached a very steep section early on. Paul kicked steps and I kicked steps. It was hard to even get traction because the snow was so soft. It was so tiring! Up we went and it was hard to stay on the trail because some of the trail markers in the trees were buried in snow.
All the while, we could hear the winds above us. Soon, we arrived at a little knob where we could see Little Haystack and Haystack in the near distance. The view was daunting, honestly. Winds swirling, blowing snow... We were hit by the wind and it was cold. We dropped down and came to the base of Little Haystack. A quick look and Paul said we should switch to crampons. A quick look from me and I told him I wasn't sure I could do it. We dropped a little bit into the trees to try to get out of the wind and Paul started to get out my crampons. I also put on my down summit jacket because I was cold. My feet were freezing, starting to get numb, and I was nervous. We went back and forth with what to do. Let's go, let's not, let's go, let's not. We couldn't wait around any longer. A decision had to be made. I was shivering and so was Paul. It was too cold, too windy. One more look and we decided the trip would have to wait. We turned and started on our way back when we ran into Jennifer & John (from the forum) on their way over. A brief talk with them and they thanked us for breaking trail. We felt it was only fair, as they broke trail on Marshall last weekend! Team effort! Jennifer was concerned about the cold too and said her hands were freezing! At least I wasn't the only one who was cold.
They said they were going to try it and if they didn't make it, would still continue on to try Basin and maybe Saddleback. Off they went and we considered heading to Basin. Back to the base of Little Haystack and contemplated it. We saw Jennifer & John just on top of the first part of Little Haystack and we finally said that Basin would have to wait too. Backtracking, we looked for J&J, but couldn't see them anymore, so we reluctantly turned and started on our way back.
I was so upset, the tears filled my eyes and my eyelashes were frozen. I was upset at turning us back. Paul tried to reassure me that it was the smart decision and that it wasn't safe with the temperatures and the winds. Bummer.
Paul mentioned that maybe we'd hit Big Slide on the way out. As we approached the trail junction, I wasn't sure I had a Big Slide summit in me. Knowing we'd ascend it via the Slide Brook Trail made me unsure only because I'd read that it was quite steep and I was already pretty tired. Once at the trail junction, Paul and I discussed our options. We could hike Big Slide (BS) now (Saturday), hike it tomorrow (Sunday) or else get out of there and go home. While we both were tired and hurting already, we decided to push ourselves and go grab BS.
The Slide Brook Trail was broken out which was great. It was a continuous climb, but was not severely steep until the trail junction with the trail to The Brothers (the last .29 mile). Once at the summit, we were treated to brilliant views and were happy to be in the sun AND out of the wind. It was a glorious day and I wish I could have enjoyed it more. Looking across at Haystack really made me feel disappointed. Still, one peak was better than none. Some photos, video, and Paul said he wanted to go out via The Brothers. That trail hadn't been traveled that day, so we knew we'd have to break it out. Fortunately, a lot of it would be downhill. Paul was willing to try it, 1)For the views and 2)It was less distance than going back the way we came. Since it hadn't been traveled, the fresh, soft snow was a joy to hike on. It was soft on our feet and joints. We came to the Third Brother and had great views, but we were in the wind so we didn't stay long. It was up and over Second and First Brothers and we found tracks that stopped just below the First Brother. Apparently someone had broken trail up to that point, but decided to turn back for some reason. We followed the tracks down and slid some, slipped some, and in my case, fell some. We were cold but relieved when we got down to the parking lot. We were both so cold, we got in the car before we put everything away and before even taking off our shells.
While warming up, a group of skiers emerged from the trails and saw us in the running car. They approached and asked if we were on our way to town. Would it be possible to give one of them a lift to his car at another trailhead? Neither Paul and I are keen on picking up people, but the outdoor types are a different breed. So, he hopped in, I climbed on the futon in the back, and we took him to his car a few minutes from Keene Valley. Turned out he was familiar with Cali and knew that Gilroy was the Garlic Capital of the World. See? An ok dude! From there, it was off to our typical dinner-time spot: The Noonmark Diner. Warmed up with a meal and decided we didn't have a hike in us for Sunday. We drove to a favorite trailhead to sleep for the night, but it wasn't plowed, dang! We headed south on the Northway : )and drove to the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area and made that our home for the night. Believe it or not, it was relatively quiet and I was able to get some sleep. We still woke rather early and were home before noon.
We checked the forum a bit ago and had a message from Jennifer. She and John also decided to turn back from Haystack. She said she was getting blown over on Little Haystack and that their faces were freezing. They did push on to Basin and met up with a group of four heading that direction as well. They managed to get Basin, but it was too late to try for Saddleback. Maybe we'll be able to join forces to get Haystack together, we'll see. Hearing that they too turned around made me feel a little better because I knew that other experienced hikers made the same decision we did. Once home, we also found out that the winds were gusting to 30mph and we were under a wind chill advisory. Too bad the weather forecast we saw before we left didn't mention that! No wonder we were cold!
Where does that leave us? Regular peaks 43, winter 41. We have several options. To finish the regular 46 we only have to climb Marcy, Gray, and Skylight. To obtain Winter 46er status, we need to climb those three plus Haystack and Basin. We may decide to finish the 46ers and get our "W" later, or if we have a nice weather day, may opt to try Hay & Bay again before finishing. Right now we're undecided. You'll have to check back to see what we decide. :)
Haystack Attempt & Big Slide 31 Jan 09
Anyway, I drove to Clifton Park where we stopped for dinner and Paul took over from there. By that time, the squall moved on and the roads were good from there on.
At one point on our journey we noticed a strange almost pulsating light on the darkened mountaintop in the distance. We didn't know what it was coming from. Was there a house there? After passing the hill, Paul noticed that Luna was low in the sky in her lovely waxing crescent form. It was the strangest thing, but solved the mystery of "the light". :)
Since we had significant snow fall during the week, we weren't sure what condition the trails would be in. Paul checked the register and found people had signed in, so that was a good sign. We went to bed hopeful that Saturday would be a good, productive day.
A 2am wake up call wasn't as rough as past weekends for me (I wasn't as cranky! yay!) We had a breakfast of pumpkin bread and geared up for a long day. We were on the trail just after 3am and found a well traveled trail to Johns Brook Lodge. We plugged along in the dark. The stars were glorious and I tried to stop every once in a while to take a quick look, but I usually kept moving to stay warm. Apparently it's harder to hike and look at the sky than I thought, because I'd usually end up either tripping over my snowshoe or else heading off trail slightly. So, I kept it to quick glances!
Before we knew it, we arrived at Slant Rock, 6.8 miles in. The sky was brightening and we could hear winds above us. I asked Paul about the winds, but he wasn't concerned at the time and we decided to press on to try it.
We hiked the mile to the trail junction for Haystack and were lucky the sign was still exposed. Another storm will cover it completely. It's no wonder that sometimes people miss this intersection and find themselves hiking up Marcy instead of Haystack. We read about people doing this last year! Up to that point, the trail had been well broken out. Paul said that we had been given a gift because the trail to Haystack was completely covered with deep, drifted snow.
It would be a mile from this intersection to the summit. Paul led our way through the deep, powdery snow. It was slow going, as we reached a very steep section early on. Paul kicked steps and I kicked steps. It was hard to even get traction because the snow was so soft. It was so tiring! Up we went and it was hard to stay on the trail because some of the trail markers in the trees were buried in snow.
All the while, we could hear the winds above us. Soon, we arrived at a little knob where we could see Little Haystack and Haystack in the near distance. The view was daunting, honestly. Winds swirling, blowing snow... We were hit by the wind and it was cold. We dropped down and came to the base of Little Haystack. A quick look and Paul said we should switch to crampons. A quick look from me and I told him I wasn't sure I could do it. We dropped a little bit into the trees to try to get out of the wind and Paul started to get out my crampons. I also put on my down summit jacket because I was cold. My feet were freezing, starting to get numb, and I was nervous. We went back and forth with what to do. Let's go, let's not, let's go, let's not. We couldn't wait around any longer. A decision had to be made. I was shivering and so was Paul. It was too cold, too windy. One more look and we decided the trip would have to wait. We turned and started on our way back when we ran into Jennifer & John (from the forum) on their way over. A brief talk with them and they thanked us for breaking trail. We felt it was only fair, as they broke trail on Marshall last weekend! Team effort! Jennifer was concerned about the cold too and said her hands were freezing! At least I wasn't the only one who was cold.
They said they were going to try it and if they didn't make it, would still continue on to try Basin and maybe Saddleback. Off they went and we considered heading to Basin. Back to the base of Little Haystack and contemplated it. We saw Jennifer & John just on top of the first part of Little Haystack and we finally said that Basin would have to wait too. Backtracking, we looked for J&J, but couldn't see them anymore, so we reluctantly turned and started on our way back.
I was so upset, the tears filled my eyes and my eyelashes were frozen. I was upset at turning us back. Paul tried to reassure me that it was the smart decision and that it wasn't safe with the temperatures and the winds. Bummer.
Paul mentioned that maybe we'd hit Big Slide on the way out. As we approached the trail junction, I wasn't sure I had a Big Slide summit in me. Knowing we'd ascend it via the Slide Brook Trail made me unsure only because I'd read that it was quite steep and I was already pretty tired. Once at the trail junction, Paul and I discussed our options. We could hike Big Slide (BS) now (Saturday), hike it tomorrow (Sunday) or else get out of there and go home. While we both were tired and hurting already, we decided to push ourselves and go grab BS.
The Slide Brook Trail was broken out which was great. It was a continuous climb, but was not severely steep until the trail junction with the trail to The Brothers (the last .29 mile). Once at the summit, we were treated to brilliant views and were happy to be in the sun AND out of the wind. It was a glorious day and I wish I could have enjoyed it more. Looking across at Haystack really made me feel disappointed. Still, one peak was better than none. Some photos, video, and Paul said he wanted to go out via The Brothers. That trail hadn't been traveled that day, so we knew we'd have to break it out. Fortunately, a lot of it would be downhill. Paul was willing to try it, 1)For the views and 2)It was less distance than going back the way we came. Since it hadn't been traveled, the fresh, soft snow was a joy to hike on. It was soft on our feet and joints. We came to the Third Brother and had great views, but we were in the wind so we didn't stay long. It was up and over Second and First Brothers and we found tracks that stopped just below the First Brother. Apparently someone had broken trail up to that point, but decided to turn back for some reason. We followed the tracks down and slid some, slipped some, and in my case, fell some. We were cold but relieved when we got down to the parking lot. We were both so cold, we got in the car before we put everything away and before even taking off our shells.
While warming up, a group of skiers emerged from the trails and saw us in the running car. They approached and asked if we were on our way to town. Would it be possible to give one of them a lift to his car at another trailhead? Neither Paul and I are keen on picking up people, but the outdoor types are a different breed. So, he hopped in, I climbed on the futon in the back, and we took him to his car a few minutes from Keene Valley. Turned out he was familiar with Cali and knew that Gilroy was the Garlic Capital of the World. See? An ok dude! From there, it was off to our typical dinner-time spot: The Noonmark Diner. Warmed up with a meal and decided we didn't have a hike in us for Sunday. We drove to a favorite trailhead to sleep for the night, but it wasn't plowed, dang! We headed south on the Northway : )and drove to the High Peaks Welcome Center rest area and made that our home for the night. Believe it or not, it was relatively quiet and I was able to get some sleep. We still woke rather early and were home before noon.
We checked the forum a bit ago and had a message from Jennifer. She and John also decided to turn back from Haystack. She said she was getting blown over on Little Haystack and that their faces were freezing. They did push on to Basin and met up with a group of four heading that direction as well. They managed to get Basin, but it was too late to try for Saddleback. Maybe we'll be able to join forces to get Haystack together, we'll see. Hearing that they too turned around made me feel a little better because I knew that other experienced hikers made the same decision we did. Once home, we also found out that the winds were gusting to 30mph and we were under a wind chill advisory. Too bad the weather forecast we saw before we left didn't mention that! No wonder we were cold!
Where does that leave us? Regular peaks 43, winter 41. We have several options. To finish the regular 46 we only have to climb Marcy, Gray, and Skylight. To obtain Winter 46er status, we need to climb those three plus Haystack and Basin. We may decide to finish the 46ers and get our "W" later, or if we have a nice weather day, may opt to try Hay & Bay again before finishing. Right now we're undecided. You'll have to check back to see what we decide. :)
Haystack Attempt & Big Slide 31 Jan 09
Thursday, January 29, 2009
What to do?
How is it possible that it's Thursday already? It was JUST Thursday last week! The weeks are flying by! With the weeks revolving around the weekends, we can't believe how fast time is going.
For a while now, Paul and I had said that we'd give ourselves Super Bowl weekend off. We knew we would need rest and we both really enjoy football....and here it is. Super Bowl weekend is upon us and what are we doing? Probably heading back up to the ADK's! : )
We've been in the ADK's for three consecutive weekends. The weather has been less than outstanding. Granted, it hasn't been awful, but it has been very cold. We made a joke that the weather would probably be perfect over Super Bowl weekend. And, what is the forecast? It's supposed to be one of the warmer and nicer weekends of course! We also said that if the weather was "stellar", that maybe we'd have to reconsider our decision to stay home.
That puts us in a pickle. The problem? Last weekend was a tough trip. To be honest, I still have not recovered. My feet are still really bothering me (bunions) and I think Paul's still somewhat stiff too. It's really hard to pass up the good weather though!
I'm going to pull gear and do some baking in preparation for going. There's always the slight chance :) that we'll decide to stay home, but for now the plan is to head up tomorrow night and try for Haystack & Basin on Saturday, try Big Slide early on Sunday and head home to try to watch the game. Twenty dollars says Paul doesn't make it to half-time without falling asleep! ; )
For a while now, Paul and I had said that we'd give ourselves Super Bowl weekend off. We knew we would need rest and we both really enjoy football....and here it is. Super Bowl weekend is upon us and what are we doing? Probably heading back up to the ADK's! : )
We've been in the ADK's for three consecutive weekends. The weather has been less than outstanding. Granted, it hasn't been awful, but it has been very cold. We made a joke that the weather would probably be perfect over Super Bowl weekend. And, what is the forecast? It's supposed to be one of the warmer and nicer weekends of course! We also said that if the weather was "stellar", that maybe we'd have to reconsider our decision to stay home.
That puts us in a pickle. The problem? Last weekend was a tough trip. To be honest, I still have not recovered. My feet are still really bothering me (bunions) and I think Paul's still somewhat stiff too. It's really hard to pass up the good weather though!
I'm going to pull gear and do some baking in preparation for going. There's always the slight chance :) that we'll decide to stay home, but for now the plan is to head up tomorrow night and try for Haystack & Basin on Saturday, try Big Slide early on Sunday and head home to try to watch the game. Twenty dollars says Paul doesn't make it to half-time without falling asleep! ; )
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another Sub-zero Adirondack Weekend
Since I usually work on Fridays until 6pm, it's been hard to get up to the ADK's and in bed much before midnight these days. We've been waking up at 2am to try to get on the trail by 3. It's been exhausting! So, it was nice when another girl worked for me last Friday so that Paul and I could get on the road earlier. In the future, I'm lucky enough to have Friday morning shifts instead of afternoon, yay!
I picked Paul up from work and we headed to Paul's parents' house where we had yummy pizza and dropped off Moab the dog. Thanks again guys!! Back in the car and off toward the Lake Placid area. We planned on parking on South Meadow Road where we've stayed several nights before. Typically the road isn't plowed in the winter, but it was the last time and we found a nice spot to park where it was quiet. This time, there were actually barricades blocking access down the road. Dang! We opted to park just at the end of the road and got ready to sleep for the night.
I was having a hard time falling asleep and before long another car came and parked just behind us. They were talking, getting gear situated, etc. Hmmmpppfff. I'm sure they had no idea we were even in the car. People park there a lot because you can access trails from there and avoid paying the $9 parking fee they charge at the Loj. Anyway, I don't know where they ended up going, but then another car came. They were kinda loud too. I guess they took off early too. I'm sure I was in and out of some sort of sleep state. Then, and it must have been late too, a SUV pulled in and was blaring Eminem on the stereo. It was really strange. They pulled in, someone(s)? got out and I looked out and over at them (I'm sure they didn't see me) and it was a minute or two and then they got back in the truck and practically peeled out and sped away down the road. Very strange. So even though we got up there earlier and thought we'd have a good opportunity to sleep, it wasn't meant to be and I was tired as usual when we started on Saturday morning. I will say though that I didn't allow us to dilly dally and kept us on track. We wanted to start out at 3am and we signed the trail register at 3:18. Not bad! :)
We had decided on doing Colden with the slight possibility of heading to Iroquois afterwards. Options were open. It felt warmer than it had the last few weekends and we started down the well packed trail toward Marcy Dam. We began our way to Lake Arnold and by headlamp trudged our way along. The trail was well traveled with only a small amount of snow on top. We began to climb and as we got higher, the sky began to lighten. We were near the false summit and the nearby mountains started to illuminate from the deep, brightening sky behind them. It was still somewhat cloudy though. We made it to the summit of Colden and things were starting to clear up. Morning was upon us and we'd made the summit by sunrise. It was windy and cold on top. The little exposed skin we had was getting cold, so we didn't stay long.
We planned on dropping down the other side of Colden and headed on our way. It was steeper, more exposed, and had more ice and exposed rock on the other side. We did have brilliant views of Flowed Lands, Lake Colden, and some surrounding peaks though some things were partially obscured by the remaining cloud cover. We were careful heading down and Paul helped me in the tricky spots. Finally below treeline we were protected from the wind. It didn't look like anyone had traveled this side in a while, so we enjoyed fresh, powdery snow all the way to Lake Colden.
We opted not to cross the frozen lake, but took the marked trail around. This added a little distance, but eased Paul's fear of "frozen bodies of water". :) It is safe enough to travel over, but both he and I would rather be safe than sorry! Once around the lake, we arrived at the trail that goes to the col between Iroquois & Algonquin. We fully expected that it would not be broken out, but we were pleased to see it had had traffic. It was very early at that point and since we failed at Iroquois last week, we really wanted to get it if at all possible. We didn't know how far the tracks would go and knew the reality was that we might have to break trail further up. We went for it!
The tracks held for a long time until we got up further and things had drifted in. The trail was easy enough to follow, but we had to break through some snow and on the steeper sections it was tough and tiring. We did have the benefit of the glorious sun on our backs as we moved and as we climbed, had beautiful views of Colden directly across from us.
This section of trail was only 1.7 miles but it seemed to take us a really long time to ascend. Finally we made it to the col and were thrilled! We made the left turn onto the herd path for Iroquois and started on our way. There were tracks to follow and I noticed some people up ahead a ways. I wasn't sure what they were doing, as they weren't hiking...maybe a potty break? I followed Paul and he led us a slightly different direction as the tracks seemed to belong to the people we just saw. We got to a section of trail that I remember from the last time we climbed Iroquois in 2007. I remember it scared me then. It was no big deal this time and it was up and over the summit of Boundary (not a high peak) and we could see Iroquois just in the distance. I'd forgotten how far it was from the col to the summit. While only .7 miles, it really looks much further. It was windy most of the traverse over and once we popped onto the exposed summit of Iroquois, found it was windier and chillier than before. Paul took some video, we took summit photos, and were thrilled to have made the summit of Iroquois! Bonus!
We wanted to get out of the wind, so we followed our tracks back down until we ran into the couple we saw earlier. They asked how much further it was, if they should wear snowshoes or crampons, etc. We talked with them just briefly and quickly made our way back to the col. Now what?! Do we head back down the way we came and return to the Loj via Lake Colden? That would add about 2.5 miles to our day. Or, do we add more elevation gain, climb Algonquin (for the 2nd time in 2 weeks) and head down that way. It would be shorter. The answer was fairly obvious. The wind wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the week before, so we decided to climb Algonquin yet again.
At the col there was a large group of hikers who were standing around talking, discussing plans probably and they didn't even move out of the way to allow us to pass. We had to climb around them to get onto the trail. I wish people weren't so inconsiderate of others sometimes. We took it slow getting to the summit, but the .4 didn't take long at all and we arrived at the summit and had it all to ourselves! This was my 3rd summit of Algonquin, but it was the first time I'd had any views! (Paul estimates this was his 8th summit of Algonquin!) And the views were spectacular! Some of the very best we've ever had. It was clear, cold, windy, but you could see for miles and miles! We took summit photos and would have stayed longer if we weren't cold, but decided it would be best to descend so we could warm up.
On our way down we met quite a few others heading up. There is always a lot of traffic on/around this peak. The snow wasn't as soft as it was the week before, so the descent was hard on the knees and feet but we made great time down the superhighway and were back to the car before dark again! Yes!
The temperature had dropped a lot throughout the day and Paul and I were very cold. In fact, usually I can change clothes in the car while it warms up, but this day I went inside the Loj building and stayed there for a little while to take the chill off. It took us a long time to warm up!
We headed to our favorite local place to eat: The Noonmark Diner and had a big dinner of breakfast. It was nice to have a warm meal. We were full when we left and talked about which trip we'd do on Sunday. While we both really wanted to go home, we knew we needed to stay. While we wanted to do Haystack & Basin, neither of us had that trip in us, so we chose Marshall.
Paul drove us to Upper Works and I was having trouble staying awake on the drive over. We got there before 7pm and got ourselves ready for bed. It was clear and cold out, but the stars were quite impressive. I watched a satellite (or space station?) as it screamed across the sky and noted that I could see Orion just outside my window. Lovely!
I tried to go to sleep, but I had problems again. I couldn't get comfortable. I kept waking up. Then, I got cold. We knew it was going to be below zero that night, but usually I keep fairly warm. I put my extra layers on, but my jacket was soaked from condensation from my breath. I lay awake for what seemed like a long time. I think I cat napped on and off for a while and then I was just uncomfortable. I woke Paul and he was cold too, so we started the car to dry things out and to warm up. And yes Mom, I made sure our exhaust pipe was not in a snow bank, don't worry. :) It probably wasn't 10 minutes before I was out like a light. The alarm went off soon after it seemed and I was mega cranky! It really is so difficult to make ourselves get back out there on Sunday when we're tired, sore, and drained. Somehow we do it though...
We got dressed in the warm car and got ready to venture out into the frigid morning. And frigid it was! We signed into the register and off we went. I was soooo slow! Or at least it felt like it. Paul was ahead of me and I felt as though I couldn't keep up. I just wanted to lay down in the snow and go to sleep! The dark, cold mornings get to me!
Marshall has a somewhat long approach. It's 4.5 miles to Flowed Lands, then about another mile (give or take) to the start of the herd path, and another mile & a half or so to the summit. From the trail register to the herd path isn't too bad in terms of elevation gain/loss so going was ok...not going to say "easy" because nothing is "easy" in the ADK's this time of year. :) We made good time to Flowed Lands and found ourselves at the start of the herd path fairly quickly too. We covered most of those miles in the dark. The sky was changing color as we made our way to the herd path.
We were thankful for the tracks we had to follow and later found out they belonged to other forum members. When we got home, we sent a thank you note to let them know we appreciated it! The path typically follows Herbert Brook but at some point veered off and made a more direct approach to the summit. We were navigating via GPS as well, but knew we were off the summer herd path because we had a track log from Bill, one of our forum friends. Paul also knew this route was different since he had been up Marshall before. Anyway, it was steep in some spots with lots of spruce trees and some spruce traps. At one point Paul noticed that one of my trekking poles was missing from my pack. Apparently a rogue spruce tree stole it! We slowly made our way up and got to a little "bump" where we could see Marshall in the near distance. We continued to follow the tracks until we found the little yellow disk of happiness: the Marshall summit marker! Yay! Regular peak #42/Winter #40! We were really excited to have been able to get all three peaks we attempted! Summit photos and back down we went. Going back down we made good time, even though it was a little steep. Paul found my trekking pole and I stopped cursing spruce trees. After all, what did they ever do to me? Wait, they've done a LOT....cuts to the face, caused falls, direct hit to our eyeballs.....for now, a truce. A truce for the spruce. Ah, I digress.
We had a good butt slide just before returning to the marked trail (see the video) and once back on the marked trail ran into a lone hiker on his way to Marshall. The first person we'd seen all day! Back to Flowed Lands where we took some photos. Flowed Lands really is a special place. Then, 4.5 miles back to the car. It's amazing how hard we can push ourselves when we head out. We held a remarkable pace getting out of there! Stopped when we saw a chocolate lab on the trail and waited for the owners to come around the corner. It was a nice couple just out for a snowshoe to go for lunch at the lean-to. Bid them farewell and back on our fiery pace for the car. Arrived just after 1pm, changed, had a snack, and started on our journey home. Stopped for a meal on the way to pick up Moab and got home before 8pm, tired, sore, sore, and tired.
Only 6 peaks left to go! If things go right, we should be able to finish in two weekends. One day will be Haystack & Basin, one for Big Slide, and the grand finale finish will be Marcy, Gray, & magnificent Skylight. We are supposedly in for a massive snowstorm tomorrow which means the ADK's have the potential to get a good dose of snow too. We also wouldn't mind staying home this weekend for the Super Bowl and really, to rest. BUT! :) If the weather looks favorable, we may head up again this weekend to try for Hay, Bay, & Big. We won't make that call until probably Thursday. It's tough because part of me wants the weather to be horrible so we can stay home, but part of me wants to go get those peaks! Never satisfied I guess!
Come back for updates through the week to see what we decide to do!
Colden, Iroquois, Algonquin & Marshall-24-25 Jan 09
I picked Paul up from work and we headed to Paul's parents' house where we had yummy pizza and dropped off Moab the dog. Thanks again guys!! Back in the car and off toward the Lake Placid area. We planned on parking on South Meadow Road where we've stayed several nights before. Typically the road isn't plowed in the winter, but it was the last time and we found a nice spot to park where it was quiet. This time, there were actually barricades blocking access down the road. Dang! We opted to park just at the end of the road and got ready to sleep for the night.
I was having a hard time falling asleep and before long another car came and parked just behind us. They were talking, getting gear situated, etc. Hmmmpppfff. I'm sure they had no idea we were even in the car. People park there a lot because you can access trails from there and avoid paying the $9 parking fee they charge at the Loj. Anyway, I don't know where they ended up going, but then another car came. They were kinda loud too. I guess they took off early too. I'm sure I was in and out of some sort of sleep state. Then, and it must have been late too, a SUV pulled in and was blaring Eminem on the stereo. It was really strange. They pulled in, someone(s)? got out and I looked out and over at them (I'm sure they didn't see me) and it was a minute or two and then they got back in the truck and practically peeled out and sped away down the road. Very strange. So even though we got up there earlier and thought we'd have a good opportunity to sleep, it wasn't meant to be and I was tired as usual when we started on Saturday morning. I will say though that I didn't allow us to dilly dally and kept us on track. We wanted to start out at 3am and we signed the trail register at 3:18. Not bad! :)
We had decided on doing Colden with the slight possibility of heading to Iroquois afterwards. Options were open. It felt warmer than it had the last few weekends and we started down the well packed trail toward Marcy Dam. We began our way to Lake Arnold and by headlamp trudged our way along. The trail was well traveled with only a small amount of snow on top. We began to climb and as we got higher, the sky began to lighten. We were near the false summit and the nearby mountains started to illuminate from the deep, brightening sky behind them. It was still somewhat cloudy though. We made it to the summit of Colden and things were starting to clear up. Morning was upon us and we'd made the summit by sunrise. It was windy and cold on top. The little exposed skin we had was getting cold, so we didn't stay long.
We planned on dropping down the other side of Colden and headed on our way. It was steeper, more exposed, and had more ice and exposed rock on the other side. We did have brilliant views of Flowed Lands, Lake Colden, and some surrounding peaks though some things were partially obscured by the remaining cloud cover. We were careful heading down and Paul helped me in the tricky spots. Finally below treeline we were protected from the wind. It didn't look like anyone had traveled this side in a while, so we enjoyed fresh, powdery snow all the way to Lake Colden.
We opted not to cross the frozen lake, but took the marked trail around. This added a little distance, but eased Paul's fear of "frozen bodies of water". :) It is safe enough to travel over, but both he and I would rather be safe than sorry! Once around the lake, we arrived at the trail that goes to the col between Iroquois & Algonquin. We fully expected that it would not be broken out, but we were pleased to see it had had traffic. It was very early at that point and since we failed at Iroquois last week, we really wanted to get it if at all possible. We didn't know how far the tracks would go and knew the reality was that we might have to break trail further up. We went for it!
The tracks held for a long time until we got up further and things had drifted in. The trail was easy enough to follow, but we had to break through some snow and on the steeper sections it was tough and tiring. We did have the benefit of the glorious sun on our backs as we moved and as we climbed, had beautiful views of Colden directly across from us.
This section of trail was only 1.7 miles but it seemed to take us a really long time to ascend. Finally we made it to the col and were thrilled! We made the left turn onto the herd path for Iroquois and started on our way. There were tracks to follow and I noticed some people up ahead a ways. I wasn't sure what they were doing, as they weren't hiking...maybe a potty break? I followed Paul and he led us a slightly different direction as the tracks seemed to belong to the people we just saw. We got to a section of trail that I remember from the last time we climbed Iroquois in 2007. I remember it scared me then. It was no big deal this time and it was up and over the summit of Boundary (not a high peak) and we could see Iroquois just in the distance. I'd forgotten how far it was from the col to the summit. While only .7 miles, it really looks much further. It was windy most of the traverse over and once we popped onto the exposed summit of Iroquois, found it was windier and chillier than before. Paul took some video, we took summit photos, and were thrilled to have made the summit of Iroquois! Bonus!
We wanted to get out of the wind, so we followed our tracks back down until we ran into the couple we saw earlier. They asked how much further it was, if they should wear snowshoes or crampons, etc. We talked with them just briefly and quickly made our way back to the col. Now what?! Do we head back down the way we came and return to the Loj via Lake Colden? That would add about 2.5 miles to our day. Or, do we add more elevation gain, climb Algonquin (for the 2nd time in 2 weeks) and head down that way. It would be shorter. The answer was fairly obvious. The wind wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the week before, so we decided to climb Algonquin yet again.
At the col there was a large group of hikers who were standing around talking, discussing plans probably and they didn't even move out of the way to allow us to pass. We had to climb around them to get onto the trail. I wish people weren't so inconsiderate of others sometimes. We took it slow getting to the summit, but the .4 didn't take long at all and we arrived at the summit and had it all to ourselves! This was my 3rd summit of Algonquin, but it was the first time I'd had any views! (Paul estimates this was his 8th summit of Algonquin!) And the views were spectacular! Some of the very best we've ever had. It was clear, cold, windy, but you could see for miles and miles! We took summit photos and would have stayed longer if we weren't cold, but decided it would be best to descend so we could warm up.
On our way down we met quite a few others heading up. There is always a lot of traffic on/around this peak. The snow wasn't as soft as it was the week before, so the descent was hard on the knees and feet but we made great time down the superhighway and were back to the car before dark again! Yes!
The temperature had dropped a lot throughout the day and Paul and I were very cold. In fact, usually I can change clothes in the car while it warms up, but this day I went inside the Loj building and stayed there for a little while to take the chill off. It took us a long time to warm up!
We headed to our favorite local place to eat: The Noonmark Diner and had a big dinner of breakfast. It was nice to have a warm meal. We were full when we left and talked about which trip we'd do on Sunday. While we both really wanted to go home, we knew we needed to stay. While we wanted to do Haystack & Basin, neither of us had that trip in us, so we chose Marshall.
Paul drove us to Upper Works and I was having trouble staying awake on the drive over. We got there before 7pm and got ourselves ready for bed. It was clear and cold out, but the stars were quite impressive. I watched a satellite (or space station?) as it screamed across the sky and noted that I could see Orion just outside my window. Lovely!
I tried to go to sleep, but I had problems again. I couldn't get comfortable. I kept waking up. Then, I got cold. We knew it was going to be below zero that night, but usually I keep fairly warm. I put my extra layers on, but my jacket was soaked from condensation from my breath. I lay awake for what seemed like a long time. I think I cat napped on and off for a while and then I was just uncomfortable. I woke Paul and he was cold too, so we started the car to dry things out and to warm up. And yes Mom, I made sure our exhaust pipe was not in a snow bank, don't worry. :) It probably wasn't 10 minutes before I was out like a light. The alarm went off soon after it seemed and I was mega cranky! It really is so difficult to make ourselves get back out there on Sunday when we're tired, sore, and drained. Somehow we do it though...
We got dressed in the warm car and got ready to venture out into the frigid morning. And frigid it was! We signed into the register and off we went. I was soooo slow! Or at least it felt like it. Paul was ahead of me and I felt as though I couldn't keep up. I just wanted to lay down in the snow and go to sleep! The dark, cold mornings get to me!
Marshall has a somewhat long approach. It's 4.5 miles to Flowed Lands, then about another mile (give or take) to the start of the herd path, and another mile & a half or so to the summit. From the trail register to the herd path isn't too bad in terms of elevation gain/loss so going was ok...not going to say "easy" because nothing is "easy" in the ADK's this time of year. :) We made good time to Flowed Lands and found ourselves at the start of the herd path fairly quickly too. We covered most of those miles in the dark. The sky was changing color as we made our way to the herd path.
We were thankful for the tracks we had to follow and later found out they belonged to other forum members. When we got home, we sent a thank you note to let them know we appreciated it! The path typically follows Herbert Brook but at some point veered off and made a more direct approach to the summit. We were navigating via GPS as well, but knew we were off the summer herd path because we had a track log from Bill, one of our forum friends. Paul also knew this route was different since he had been up Marshall before. Anyway, it was steep in some spots with lots of spruce trees and some spruce traps. At one point Paul noticed that one of my trekking poles was missing from my pack. Apparently a rogue spruce tree stole it! We slowly made our way up and got to a little "bump" where we could see Marshall in the near distance. We continued to follow the tracks until we found the little yellow disk of happiness: the Marshall summit marker! Yay! Regular peak #42/Winter #40! We were really excited to have been able to get all three peaks we attempted! Summit photos and back down we went. Going back down we made good time, even though it was a little steep. Paul found my trekking pole and I stopped cursing spruce trees. After all, what did they ever do to me? Wait, they've done a LOT....cuts to the face, caused falls, direct hit to our eyeballs.....for now, a truce. A truce for the spruce. Ah, I digress.
We had a good butt slide just before returning to the marked trail (see the video) and once back on the marked trail ran into a lone hiker on his way to Marshall. The first person we'd seen all day! Back to Flowed Lands where we took some photos. Flowed Lands really is a special place. Then, 4.5 miles back to the car. It's amazing how hard we can push ourselves when we head out. We held a remarkable pace getting out of there! Stopped when we saw a chocolate lab on the trail and waited for the owners to come around the corner. It was a nice couple just out for a snowshoe to go for lunch at the lean-to. Bid them farewell and back on our fiery pace for the car. Arrived just after 1pm, changed, had a snack, and started on our journey home. Stopped for a meal on the way to pick up Moab and got home before 8pm, tired, sore, sore, and tired.
Only 6 peaks left to go! If things go right, we should be able to finish in two weekends. One day will be Haystack & Basin, one for Big Slide, and the grand finale finish will be Marcy, Gray, & magnificent Skylight. We are supposedly in for a massive snowstorm tomorrow which means the ADK's have the potential to get a good dose of snow too. We also wouldn't mind staying home this weekend for the Super Bowl and really, to rest. BUT! :) If the weather looks favorable, we may head up again this weekend to try for Hay, Bay, & Big. We won't make that call until probably Thursday. It's tough because part of me wants the weather to be horrible so we can stay home, but part of me wants to go get those peaks! Never satisfied I guess!
Come back for updates through the week to see what we decide to do!
Colden, Iroquois, Algonquin & Marshall-24-25 Jan 09
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oh Bother, Weather!
It's Thursday again. Gear is out. Packing will consume our evening as we get ready for another Adirondack adventure this weekend. It's much the same every week these days. I just wish the weather would cooperate. We're getting to the point where the weather forecast really determines which trip we do. The problem is that we only have so many trips left....which is good AND bad. Only bad because if the weather doesn't work out, we're forced into doing "easier" trips. We don't want to save all the hard trips for last!
It's looking like it's going to be cold Saturday night into Sunday. Latest forecast is for -12 overnight, with it "feeling like" -31. Granted, we'll be snug in our sleeping bags in the car overnight, BUT, with early 3am starts for some of these hikes, we're out in the coldest part of the night/morning. These dark, cold mornings are rough!
So, I'm trying to buck up and get a better outlook. Hopefully Mother Nature and Old Man Winter will decide not to continue conspiring against us and will grace us with milder temperatures and calmer winds. I'm not asking for 60 degrees people! : ) At this point I'd take 20 and party cloudy! Better keep dreaming I guess!
It's looking like it's going to be cold Saturday night into Sunday. Latest forecast is for -12 overnight, with it "feeling like" -31. Granted, we'll be snug in our sleeping bags in the car overnight, BUT, with early 3am starts for some of these hikes, we're out in the coldest part of the night/morning. These dark, cold mornings are rough!
So, I'm trying to buck up and get a better outlook. Hopefully Mother Nature and Old Man Winter will decide not to continue conspiring against us and will grace us with milder temperatures and calmer winds. I'm not asking for 60 degrees people! : ) At this point I'd take 20 and party cloudy! Better keep dreaming I guess!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saddleback, Lower Wolfie, & Windy Algonquin
After a weekend in the Sewards, we weren't sure we had recovered enough to head back into the ADK's, but we knew we had to keep plugging along at the peaks.
We had planned on hiking Marshall on Saturday with a couple from the online forum we belong to, but Friday night we got a phone message saying they weren't going to be able to make it. So, as we drove north, we talked about which trip to do and decided we'd head to the Garden parking lot and do a trip from there. We called my mom to get a last minute weather check and finally arrived at the Garden late Friday night. Paul checked the register to see who had signed in to where and to see what might be broken out. We went to bed figuring on trying for Haystack and Basin.
It was another VERY early wake up and honestly I was not in the best of moods. I'm finding lately that these Saturday mornings are very difficult for me mentally. I'm tired, cranky, doubt myself, and wonder what the heck I'm doing in the ADK's. Starting out in the dark is hard and it seems that once daylight breaks, my attitude improves. Most times! ; ) Just ask Paul! Ha! : )
We started on our way and we could hear the wind above us. While it didn't sound too strong, it made us change plans and we bailed on Haystack. It was still very cold and very cold + wind + a bald summit = multiple concerns. We set our sights on Saddleback.
We were heading down the trail, just behind a small hill when all of a sudden we heard a dog start barking. Talk about startled! I must have gasped, because Paul said that we were coming to a lean-to. Oh! Got it! So, we kept moving and when we approached the lean to, the dog approached us. It was a husky and it was barking and I didn't like it one bit. I love dogs, but I don't like when dogs approach me in that manner. No owner trying to call the dog, nothing. I wasn't thrilled. I told the dog, "No" in a stern manner and we started hiking away. I didn't turn my back on the dog for a long time and even then kept looking over my shoulder often.
We continued on and I noticed Luna was up. She was still bright, even though she was only her half waning self. I thought about how last weekend she seemed to follow us and how this weekend we seemed to follow her. We headed directly toward her and so I knew we were heading west. Ahhh, my favorite direction. : ) Soon though, the sky brightened and Luna's light was lost for the rest of the day.
The trail had been pretty well traveled up until the lean-to. After that, there was a little more fresh snow on it, but it wasn't too difficult to break through. We soon began to climb and it did get steep. I led this section and while it was a little slow, it wasn't as steep as Seymour and that was a good thing! We had beautiful views of Gothics across the way and I thought about how just a couple weeks before, we'd been on that very summit. We made good time up the steep stuff and found ourselves on the summit of Saddleback! Since we had time, we had considered going over the other side of Saddleback and going to bag Basin, but it was quite windy on top, cold, and the rock steps (cliffs) off Saddleback looked a little too daunting. Quickly, we headed back to the trees and down we headed, snowshoe skiing most of the way and making great time doing so.
We ran into some people on their way up, but I was surprised that we hadn't seen the person/people with the dog. When we got back to the lean-to, they were gone. I wonder where they went.
Earlier, Paul had said that if we felt up to it, maybe we'd hike Big Slide after finishing Saddleback. I had thought 'no way'. So when we reached the trail junction for another peak we needed--Lower Wolfjaw--I posed a question to Paul. What about hiking Lower Wolfjaw? It was 2 1/4 miles to the summit from where we were. We had to do the peak at some point and really it made sense to do it. I didn't want to hike it from the other side, so I told Paul I wanted to go. He looked as tired as I felt and neither one of us REALLY felt up to it, but off we went. On the way up is a lean to and nearby was a neat snow shelter that Paul spotted. Not sure who built it, but my engineer was impressed! He even took a few photos.
We made great time to the notch between Upper and Lower Wolfie and that's when the steep stuff began. I'd hiked Lower Wolfie with the Lower Great Range back in 2007, but that was not in winter. I had forgotten how steep it was! It was slow going and our quads & calves were burning by the time we got to the summit. We were excited though! We hadn't planned on getting a second peak on Saturday! Bonus! We flew back down past the lean to and got to the first trail junction and decided to take another trail back to the Garden trailhead, as it would cut off a little distance. We'd take whatever we could get!
We really pushed ourselves and arrived back at the car before dark! Yay! Usually we start AND end in the dark, so this was a real treat. A change of clothes and off we went to the Noonmark Diner for dinner.
We were exhausted and talked about which trip to do the next day. A drive out of Keene Valley toward Wilmington to get cell service and we both called home to check in. We use SPOT (our personal locator beacon) daily on these hikes, but we like to call when we can and we also wanted another weather report. The weather looked favorable: warmer and forecasted light winds. Ok! Now what? I suggested Big Slide, but Paul countered with a harder trip, that way we could save Big Slide to pair up with a harder Saturday in the future. Ok I thought. Off to the Adirondack Loj where we used the bathroom to brush teeth and get ready for bed. Checked the trail register and drove down to South Meadow Road where we parked for the night. We decided on Algonquin and Iroquois for the hike and were so exhausted we went to bed just after 7:30.
It snowed a little overnight, but nothing significant. We drove back to the Loj and got ready to go. Again, I could hear the wind up top and I was concerned. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York, standing over 5,000 feet. It's a bald peak and is exposed to the wind. I expressed my concern to Paul, but he thought things would be ok.
Paul has climbed Algonquin nearly a million times. I've been to the summit once and it took me three times to get there! It's a steep climb and while it's only four miles to the summit, it's a lot of climbing to get there. I threatened a couple of times to turn around because I was concerned. But, on we went.
We got to tree line and were getting closer. The wind was getting stronger. As we went up, I was having a tough time. I held Paul's hand for help and we step by stepped our way to just below the summit. As we made the last summit push and got up on top, I was taken aback at the ferocity of the wind. I was having trouble walking in it. Our faces were burning and cold. I was nervous. Paul checked the rocks and found the summit marker. I struggled up the rock, sat down/leaned into the wind and Paul shot a quick video (forgot it was on video/meant to take a photo) and we started on our way back down. We decided to bail on dropping down the other side of Algonquin to go to Iroquois.
We made it back below treeline and while we were glad we made Algonquin, we definitely were bummed that Iroquois had to wait until another day. I don't like failing and while we were successful, we also failed. Dang! We both were cold and were having trouble warming up, so we kept moving and headed down as quickly as we could. Tons of people on their way up. The peaks in this area are very popular.
It was back to the car VERY early and we were ready to go home. We changed clothes and set off toward home, making a stop for food on the way.
We have nine peaks left to go! It both seems like a lot and not very much. We're getting down to the nitty gritty and are constantly thinking about which trip to do next. Plans have us back in the High Peaks this weekend, but possibly taking Super Bowl weekend off. We need some rest after all! : )
We will continue to post to keep you updated! Be sure to check out the photos and watch the videos too!
Saddleback, Lower Wolfjaw, Algonquin-17-18 Jan 09
We had planned on hiking Marshall on Saturday with a couple from the online forum we belong to, but Friday night we got a phone message saying they weren't going to be able to make it. So, as we drove north, we talked about which trip to do and decided we'd head to the Garden parking lot and do a trip from there. We called my mom to get a last minute weather check and finally arrived at the Garden late Friday night. Paul checked the register to see who had signed in to where and to see what might be broken out. We went to bed figuring on trying for Haystack and Basin.
It was another VERY early wake up and honestly I was not in the best of moods. I'm finding lately that these Saturday mornings are very difficult for me mentally. I'm tired, cranky, doubt myself, and wonder what the heck I'm doing in the ADK's. Starting out in the dark is hard and it seems that once daylight breaks, my attitude improves. Most times! ; ) Just ask Paul! Ha! : )
We started on our way and we could hear the wind above us. While it didn't sound too strong, it made us change plans and we bailed on Haystack. It was still very cold and very cold + wind + a bald summit = multiple concerns. We set our sights on Saddleback.
We were heading down the trail, just behind a small hill when all of a sudden we heard a dog start barking. Talk about startled! I must have gasped, because Paul said that we were coming to a lean-to. Oh! Got it! So, we kept moving and when we approached the lean to, the dog approached us. It was a husky and it was barking and I didn't like it one bit. I love dogs, but I don't like when dogs approach me in that manner. No owner trying to call the dog, nothing. I wasn't thrilled. I told the dog, "No" in a stern manner and we started hiking away. I didn't turn my back on the dog for a long time and even then kept looking over my shoulder often.
We continued on and I noticed Luna was up. She was still bright, even though she was only her half waning self. I thought about how last weekend she seemed to follow us and how this weekend we seemed to follow her. We headed directly toward her and so I knew we were heading west. Ahhh, my favorite direction. : ) Soon though, the sky brightened and Luna's light was lost for the rest of the day.
The trail had been pretty well traveled up until the lean-to. After that, there was a little more fresh snow on it, but it wasn't too difficult to break through. We soon began to climb and it did get steep. I led this section and while it was a little slow, it wasn't as steep as Seymour and that was a good thing! We had beautiful views of Gothics across the way and I thought about how just a couple weeks before, we'd been on that very summit. We made good time up the steep stuff and found ourselves on the summit of Saddleback! Since we had time, we had considered going over the other side of Saddleback and going to bag Basin, but it was quite windy on top, cold, and the rock steps (cliffs) off Saddleback looked a little too daunting. Quickly, we headed back to the trees and down we headed, snowshoe skiing most of the way and making great time doing so.
We ran into some people on their way up, but I was surprised that we hadn't seen the person/people with the dog. When we got back to the lean-to, they were gone. I wonder where they went.
Earlier, Paul had said that if we felt up to it, maybe we'd hike Big Slide after finishing Saddleback. I had thought 'no way'. So when we reached the trail junction for another peak we needed--Lower Wolfjaw--I posed a question to Paul. What about hiking Lower Wolfjaw? It was 2 1/4 miles to the summit from where we were. We had to do the peak at some point and really it made sense to do it. I didn't want to hike it from the other side, so I told Paul I wanted to go. He looked as tired as I felt and neither one of us REALLY felt up to it, but off we went. On the way up is a lean to and nearby was a neat snow shelter that Paul spotted. Not sure who built it, but my engineer was impressed! He even took a few photos.
We made great time to the notch between Upper and Lower Wolfie and that's when the steep stuff began. I'd hiked Lower Wolfie with the Lower Great Range back in 2007, but that was not in winter. I had forgotten how steep it was! It was slow going and our quads & calves were burning by the time we got to the summit. We were excited though! We hadn't planned on getting a second peak on Saturday! Bonus! We flew back down past the lean to and got to the first trail junction and decided to take another trail back to the Garden trailhead, as it would cut off a little distance. We'd take whatever we could get!
We really pushed ourselves and arrived back at the car before dark! Yay! Usually we start AND end in the dark, so this was a real treat. A change of clothes and off we went to the Noonmark Diner for dinner.
We were exhausted and talked about which trip to do the next day. A drive out of Keene Valley toward Wilmington to get cell service and we both called home to check in. We use SPOT (our personal locator beacon) daily on these hikes, but we like to call when we can and we also wanted another weather report. The weather looked favorable: warmer and forecasted light winds. Ok! Now what? I suggested Big Slide, but Paul countered with a harder trip, that way we could save Big Slide to pair up with a harder Saturday in the future. Ok I thought. Off to the Adirondack Loj where we used the bathroom to brush teeth and get ready for bed. Checked the trail register and drove down to South Meadow Road where we parked for the night. We decided on Algonquin and Iroquois for the hike and were so exhausted we went to bed just after 7:30.
It snowed a little overnight, but nothing significant. We drove back to the Loj and got ready to go. Again, I could hear the wind up top and I was concerned. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York, standing over 5,000 feet. It's a bald peak and is exposed to the wind. I expressed my concern to Paul, but he thought things would be ok.
Paul has climbed Algonquin nearly a million times. I've been to the summit once and it took me three times to get there! It's a steep climb and while it's only four miles to the summit, it's a lot of climbing to get there. I threatened a couple of times to turn around because I was concerned. But, on we went.
We got to tree line and were getting closer. The wind was getting stronger. As we went up, I was having a tough time. I held Paul's hand for help and we step by stepped our way to just below the summit. As we made the last summit push and got up on top, I was taken aback at the ferocity of the wind. I was having trouble walking in it. Our faces were burning and cold. I was nervous. Paul checked the rocks and found the summit marker. I struggled up the rock, sat down/leaned into the wind and Paul shot a quick video (forgot it was on video/meant to take a photo) and we started on our way back down. We decided to bail on dropping down the other side of Algonquin to go to Iroquois.
We made it back below treeline and while we were glad we made Algonquin, we definitely were bummed that Iroquois had to wait until another day. I don't like failing and while we were successful, we also failed. Dang! We both were cold and were having trouble warming up, so we kept moving and headed down as quickly as we could. Tons of people on their way up. The peaks in this area are very popular.
It was back to the car VERY early and we were ready to go home. We changed clothes and set off toward home, making a stop for food on the way.
We have nine peaks left to go! It both seems like a lot and not very much. We're getting down to the nitty gritty and are constantly thinking about which trip to do next. Plans have us back in the High Peaks this weekend, but possibly taking Super Bowl weekend off. We need some rest after all! : )
We will continue to post to keep you updated! Be sure to check out the photos and watch the videos too!
Saddleback, Lower Wolfjaw, Algonquin-17-18 Jan 09
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Success in the Sewards!
While I'm starting out with this story, there are other trips we've done before this one, but for whatever reason, I don't feel like writing about those now. : )
After failing in the Sewards back in December, Paul and I made these four peaks our priority. The problem was that we needed everything to work out just right. We wanted the road to be plowed so we could get down to the summer trailhead, we needed good weather conditions, we needed (hoped for) broken trail...we were asking a lot. Last week we discussed which trip we were going to do and the Sewards weren't even an option until around Thursday when we found out the road had been plowed, people were heading in on Friday, and weather conditions looked good, albeit cold. It really was a last minute decision and we figured this might be the best opportunity to grab these peaks.
On my way home from work Friday night I grabbed a pizza, came home, changed clothes, and we were on our way. A quick stop at Lowe's for some salt (just in case the road was icy) and Dunkin' Donuts (Saturday's breakfast) and we were Northbound.
I was really tired and the mysterious sore throat I'd had during the week finally turned itself into a cold. Perfect timing! So, Paul was nice enough to drive the entire way into Tupper Lake to the trailhead.
We got to Corey's Road and indeed, it was plowed. Score 1. We did take our time getting down the road and got to the trailhead sometime after 11:30. After moving things around in the car, we probably got to bed around 12 or thereafter. The moon was big and bright and it was cold outside.
After a mere couple hours, the alarm went off at 2 or 2:30...I can't even remember which. We decided to give ourselves another 30 minutes, reset the alarm, and tried to nap, but it just went off again and we gave up. It was time to go. We ate our donuts, got ready to go, and ran the car to get warm before we got outside. The forecast had said to expect lows of -12 so we knew it would be cold, but at the time, we didn't realize how cold it really was. More on this later.
We started out at about 4am and recognized names in the register at the trailhead. People from the online forum we're a part of had been in the day before. Trail was broken to Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward and also to Seymour, as people had been in there as well. Score 2! We signed in and started on our way down the very familiar Ward Brook Truck Trail. It was cold. Bitterly cold. And, we hiked by headlamp and bright moonlight for what seemed like days. Luna was bright and I felt like she was following us as sometimes she'd be on my left and sometimes she'd be on my right. It was as if she was trying to help light our way. I was disappointed when she disappeared as we got closer to the peaks and daylight approached.
My spirits rose once it began to get light. It was a beautiful day with blue skies, cirrus clouds, and bright sun. We made our approach to Donaldson via Calkins Brook and had a well worn trail to follow. We made it to the summit and were thrilled! It was such a lovely day! This was winter peak #31 for us. We took some photos and headed on our way to Emmons. We made good time and got to Emmons, again took photos, and headed back to Donaldson. On our way back, we ran into a few people that we'd later find out were other forum members. And, as we stood on the sunny summit of Donaldson once again, a group of four women came up and they too were forum members. We chatted with them briefly and they left for Emmons and we left for Seward. On our way to that summit, again we ran into more forum members. They happened to be two of the guys that were in breaking trail the day before. We thanked them for their efforts and quickly headed on our way. We soon arrived at the summit of Seward and had completed our mission of the day! We were 3 for 3. The plan was to drop down the other side of Seward so that we could stay in the lean-to in preparation for hiking Seymour the next day. As we made our way that direction, we found ourselves in deep, powdery snow and were getting swallowed up by spruce traps. It was exhausting and we hadn't gone very far at all. We stopped and reevaluated the situation. We had known the trail wasn't going to be broken, but we were having trouble finding our way and decided that perhaps it wasn't the safest route. We opted to turn back, head for Donaldson (again!) and descend the way we came. We felt defeated, but knew it was the right thing to do.
Down we went, as quickly as we could. We made good time and we knew we had a big decision to make once we got back down to the trail intersection. Do we hike 3.5 miles to get to the lean-to or do we hike 1.2 miles to get to the car? We hadn't made an official decision but we both seemed to lean toward hiking to the lean-to just to help ourselves out for Sunday. But, as we neared the intersection, I began to get very cold. Paul was concerned about us staying in the lean-to, so we made our way to the car.
We both were exhausted and sore. We'd carried full packs for nothing! Paul boiled water for dinner and we started the car to warm up. We discussed options for Sunday. Truthfully, neither of us wanted to hike Seymour, but we knew we HAD to. We had no idea if the road would be plowed after we'd left, if they'd close the gate, if anyone else would be in there to provide tracks....we were already there, how could we not? So, after a meal and time to get warm, we went to bed early planning on another early wake up to do our best to bag Seymour.
We woke up and found that it had snowed through the night. We hadn't expected it to do much other than flurry, but 4-6 inches of fluffy snow blanketed the ground. I was a little concerned, but full more of dread than anything else. That 6 or so miles of trail just to get to the herdpath for Seymour was going to be tough. I was sore, tired, and anxious. This would be our third attempt at Seymour and I really wanted to get it.
Off we went, hiking by headlamp once again. Luna was nowhere to be seen. She was sleeping in I surmised. I should be doing the same, I thought! We made fairly good time getting to the lean-to. We made the turn and headed up the herdpath, following tracks from a forum member who'd been in on Friday. Even with the fresh snow, we could still make out where the path was. We soon reached the beginning of the slide and the steep climbing began. It was relentless. We made it to where we'd turned around last time and found that we were right on target. We had made mistakes earlier in the trip last time and we could see where we went wrong, but this time we were on track. Soon, we pushed to the top of the slide and were at the first little "knob" where we traversed and before long arrived at the summit of Seymour. Finally! Third time was the charm, apparently. We both were filled with relief! We took photos....I didn't smile in mine, instead, I kept the same look on my face that I'd had all day. One of exhaustion. It's a horrible photo of me and I've decided not to share that one with too many people for that reason, but it definitely conveys how I was feeling at that moment and how difficult the trek was.
We didn't stay long, as usual, and I wondered how going back down the super steep stuff was going to be. With the fresh powder, it turned out to be awesome. We were able to snowshoe-ski and butt slide nearly all of it. We got down in record time. It was at least a somewhat fun section and we were glad to be able to speed things up.
Before we knew it, we were back on the marked trail, heading back to the car. Once at the Ward Brook Lean-To we knew we had 5.4 miles to go. Daunting when you're already sore and exhausted out of your mind! I led the way out. We stopped a couple times for a snack or quick water break, but we wanted to keep moving so that we could get the heck out! We were glad we started early, because we got back to the car early too. It was nice to hike out while it was actually still light out!
We packed up our gear, changed clothes, and got ready to leave. The Element drove perfectly though the new snow which was great because the road had not been plowed. We headed into town to The Lumberjack Inn where we had a hot meal. Grabbed some drinks for the road and set off on our 4 hour journey home.
When we got home, we'd found that it had snowed a lot more here than it did up there. Our driveway was completely plowed in, so we couldn't even pull the car up the drive. We grabbed the shovels, cleared the walk and the driveway, unloaded most of the car, and headed inside.
What an exhausting weekend it was! A productive 30 miles though! We couldn't be happier and more relieved that we were able to get all four peaks in one weekend! And I have to admit that I'm pretty proud of it too. Especially knowing how cold it really was up there. My mom saw on weather.com that the low on Saturday in Tupper Lake was -21 degrees!
This trip brings us to 34 winter peaks (40 regular). Only 12 winters left to go!! Plans have us back up there this weekend, so we'll do our best to post again soon!
Sewards 10-11 Jan 09
After failing in the Sewards back in December, Paul and I made these four peaks our priority. The problem was that we needed everything to work out just right. We wanted the road to be plowed so we could get down to the summer trailhead, we needed good weather conditions, we needed (hoped for) broken trail...we were asking a lot. Last week we discussed which trip we were going to do and the Sewards weren't even an option until around Thursday when we found out the road had been plowed, people were heading in on Friday, and weather conditions looked good, albeit cold. It really was a last minute decision and we figured this might be the best opportunity to grab these peaks.
On my way home from work Friday night I grabbed a pizza, came home, changed clothes, and we were on our way. A quick stop at Lowe's for some salt (just in case the road was icy) and Dunkin' Donuts (Saturday's breakfast) and we were Northbound.
I was really tired and the mysterious sore throat I'd had during the week finally turned itself into a cold. Perfect timing! So, Paul was nice enough to drive the entire way into Tupper Lake to the trailhead.
We got to Corey's Road and indeed, it was plowed. Score 1. We did take our time getting down the road and got to the trailhead sometime after 11:30. After moving things around in the car, we probably got to bed around 12 or thereafter. The moon was big and bright and it was cold outside.
After a mere couple hours, the alarm went off at 2 or 2:30...I can't even remember which. We decided to give ourselves another 30 minutes, reset the alarm, and tried to nap, but it just went off again and we gave up. It was time to go. We ate our donuts, got ready to go, and ran the car to get warm before we got outside. The forecast had said to expect lows of -12 so we knew it would be cold, but at the time, we didn't realize how cold it really was. More on this later.
We started out at about 4am and recognized names in the register at the trailhead. People from the online forum we're a part of had been in the day before. Trail was broken to Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward and also to Seymour, as people had been in there as well. Score 2! We signed in and started on our way down the very familiar Ward Brook Truck Trail. It was cold. Bitterly cold. And, we hiked by headlamp and bright moonlight for what seemed like days. Luna was bright and I felt like she was following us as sometimes she'd be on my left and sometimes she'd be on my right. It was as if she was trying to help light our way. I was disappointed when she disappeared as we got closer to the peaks and daylight approached.
My spirits rose once it began to get light. It was a beautiful day with blue skies, cirrus clouds, and bright sun. We made our approach to Donaldson via Calkins Brook and had a well worn trail to follow. We made it to the summit and were thrilled! It was such a lovely day! This was winter peak #31 for us. We took some photos and headed on our way to Emmons. We made good time and got to Emmons, again took photos, and headed back to Donaldson. On our way back, we ran into a few people that we'd later find out were other forum members. And, as we stood on the sunny summit of Donaldson once again, a group of four women came up and they too were forum members. We chatted with them briefly and they left for Emmons and we left for Seward. On our way to that summit, again we ran into more forum members. They happened to be two of the guys that were in breaking trail the day before. We thanked them for their efforts and quickly headed on our way. We soon arrived at the summit of Seward and had completed our mission of the day! We were 3 for 3. The plan was to drop down the other side of Seward so that we could stay in the lean-to in preparation for hiking Seymour the next day. As we made our way that direction, we found ourselves in deep, powdery snow and were getting swallowed up by spruce traps. It was exhausting and we hadn't gone very far at all. We stopped and reevaluated the situation. We had known the trail wasn't going to be broken, but we were having trouble finding our way and decided that perhaps it wasn't the safest route. We opted to turn back, head for Donaldson (again!) and descend the way we came. We felt defeated, but knew it was the right thing to do.
Down we went, as quickly as we could. We made good time and we knew we had a big decision to make once we got back down to the trail intersection. Do we hike 3.5 miles to get to the lean-to or do we hike 1.2 miles to get to the car? We hadn't made an official decision but we both seemed to lean toward hiking to the lean-to just to help ourselves out for Sunday. But, as we neared the intersection, I began to get very cold. Paul was concerned about us staying in the lean-to, so we made our way to the car.
We both were exhausted and sore. We'd carried full packs for nothing! Paul boiled water for dinner and we started the car to warm up. We discussed options for Sunday. Truthfully, neither of us wanted to hike Seymour, but we knew we HAD to. We had no idea if the road would be plowed after we'd left, if they'd close the gate, if anyone else would be in there to provide tracks....we were already there, how could we not? So, after a meal and time to get warm, we went to bed early planning on another early wake up to do our best to bag Seymour.
We woke up and found that it had snowed through the night. We hadn't expected it to do much other than flurry, but 4-6 inches of fluffy snow blanketed the ground. I was a little concerned, but full more of dread than anything else. That 6 or so miles of trail just to get to the herdpath for Seymour was going to be tough. I was sore, tired, and anxious. This would be our third attempt at Seymour and I really wanted to get it.
Off we went, hiking by headlamp once again. Luna was nowhere to be seen. She was sleeping in I surmised. I should be doing the same, I thought! We made fairly good time getting to the lean-to. We made the turn and headed up the herdpath, following tracks from a forum member who'd been in on Friday. Even with the fresh snow, we could still make out where the path was. We soon reached the beginning of the slide and the steep climbing began. It was relentless. We made it to where we'd turned around last time and found that we were right on target. We had made mistakes earlier in the trip last time and we could see where we went wrong, but this time we were on track. Soon, we pushed to the top of the slide and were at the first little "knob" where we traversed and before long arrived at the summit of Seymour. Finally! Third time was the charm, apparently. We both were filled with relief! We took photos....I didn't smile in mine, instead, I kept the same look on my face that I'd had all day. One of exhaustion. It's a horrible photo of me and I've decided not to share that one with too many people for that reason, but it definitely conveys how I was feeling at that moment and how difficult the trek was.
We didn't stay long, as usual, and I wondered how going back down the super steep stuff was going to be. With the fresh powder, it turned out to be awesome. We were able to snowshoe-ski and butt slide nearly all of it. We got down in record time. It was at least a somewhat fun section and we were glad to be able to speed things up.
Before we knew it, we were back on the marked trail, heading back to the car. Once at the Ward Brook Lean-To we knew we had 5.4 miles to go. Daunting when you're already sore and exhausted out of your mind! I led the way out. We stopped a couple times for a snack or quick water break, but we wanted to keep moving so that we could get the heck out! We were glad we started early, because we got back to the car early too. It was nice to hike out while it was actually still light out!
We packed up our gear, changed clothes, and got ready to leave. The Element drove perfectly though the new snow which was great because the road had not been plowed. We headed into town to The Lumberjack Inn where we had a hot meal. Grabbed some drinks for the road and set off on our 4 hour journey home.
When we got home, we'd found that it had snowed a lot more here than it did up there. Our driveway was completely plowed in, so we couldn't even pull the car up the drive. We grabbed the shovels, cleared the walk and the driveway, unloaded most of the car, and headed inside.
What an exhausting weekend it was! A productive 30 miles though! We couldn't be happier and more relieved that we were able to get all four peaks in one weekend! And I have to admit that I'm pretty proud of it too. Especially knowing how cold it really was up there. My mom saw on weather.com that the low on Saturday in Tupper Lake was -21 degrees!
This trip brings us to 34 winter peaks (40 regular). Only 12 winters left to go!! Plans have us back up there this weekend, so we'll do our best to post again soon!
Sewards 10-11 Jan 09
Monday, January 5, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Welcome to our blog!
Paul and I decided to create a blog to document our adventures. Here it is, in its beginning stages. Stay tuned for more updates, photos, and information.