OMG we did a non-high peak. Why you ask? Because we are only mildly crazy! Current conditions on Big Slide (which we did last year) 4-5 FEET of snow. Legally you are required to wear snowshoes in that much snow. Although we do have snow shoes, they are difficult and more tiring. I am also afraid of rock climbing sections with ice on them. Little did I know we were still winter hiking this weekend.
This was a trip weeks in the making in order to get a shared day off without a little munchkin. We thought we might be deterred again when our friend who lives in the Adirondacks mentioned that the road to the mountain was closed due to mudslides! However there is a second entrance and trail that is actually better (longer). I almost made us switch to a mountain with less of a climb but I stuck it out. I layered up well - rain coat(windproof layer), sweatshirt, long sleeve wicking shirt. We finally got to use our new water backpacks. And I broke in my new boots with real waterproofing!
Driving into town we realized there was more snow in the area then by our house. So we get to the parking lot and it was busy. As soon as we register we can see snow along the trail. Walking along flat, packed snow is no problem. Walking on ice up a hill is a bigger problem, hiking up a river bed with snow breaking apart is even worse. Rocky sections were actually appreciated as they have traction. We were being followed by some girls- one in shorts and sneakers! When we reached a deep stream I expected them to turn back. They actually caught up to us at the top. Overall, it was a pretty average hike. Flatter sections of slush and then climbing sections where you slip back so much it feels like twice the effort! Our GPS watch was so so so wrong. You pass a 2.1 miles to the top sign and after a mile Ben said wow only 1 mile left! However it was woefully undercounting our miles. At the top it said we went 4.6 miles. After fewer than usual, but still too many, false peak sightings we were there. Kind of. Technically we didn't go all the way to the top oops. Some guys coming back down in shorts said that they were up to their knees. We got to bald summit and took photos and relaxed.
The way down was different and um interesting in the beginning. I think I got about 5 steps without falling. I would love to say I fell gracefully but no. Once on the ground I just slid a little bit further. Of course this happened about 20 more times in the next 20 minutes. Thankfully I have appropriate waterproof pants! I only hit my hip bone once and hurt my arm once. I did avoid falling on to rocks or sliding off the mountain so I will say I did okay! Ben did fall at least twice! Amazingly, after we got further down I stopped falling. I will guess it is because it got less deep. After the falling down section it was actually very easy to get down. Each step isn't as far because the incline has been evened out by snow. Snow has more give than rocks so it absorbs more. 2 hours later we were back down. It felt really slow considering the distance wasn't that long. But as the first hike of the year, I will say we did good!
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