Searching for Winter

Fall starts to drag at this point of the year. The leaves have mostly fallen. The days get shorter and shorter. Nothing but cold and rainy weather.... Preparations for the ski season ahead continue but - in the dark and cold it's sometimes hard to believe it will ever arrive. I have a series of 3 running races I help out with(on consecutive weekends) through this period of the fall and they prevent me from taking long weekends in the mountains but sometimes I can get away for a quick day trip. With 2 of the 3 races in the "bag", so to speak, I decided to head down to the Adirondacks on Monday. The weather forecast was grim for first thing in the morning but showed signs of potential improvement throughout the day. I normally would steer clear of a forecast like that as the mountains tend to hug clouds like a small child hugs a bear at bedtime - with a strong grip that lasts longer than you'd think. Still, I had the day off and things were looking no better at home... so off I went. It would be a good chance to pull out some of the "winter" gear as the colder temperatures meant that the rain down low might be snow up high. I had of course carefully stowed my winter gear last spring so everything would be easy to find... well... I found some of it anyway - enough to be reasonably safe. Hints of winter I like hiking in the late fall. Most might think -with the colours mostly gone - that the attraction would also be gone. Certainly the days are much shorter so - without a headlamp - you have to pick shorter hikes. Add to that some extra care should you be hiking where the deer and the antelope... umm, get shot (wouldn't want to join them). With that in mind though I find that mountains are a nice harbinger of things to come. Often, warm fall weather down low can transition (ever so subtly) to wintery weather as you ascend... and once you top out you can face the full brunt of winter storms and cold temperatures. On the drive down I had my fingers crossed but the rains kept coming. I pulled into Saranac Lake and pulled over to plan (or perhaps re-plan) my day. The weather was easing but none too fast and - at 5C and pelting rain - it was not too conducive to a pleasant hike in the mountains unless hypothermia is your thing. There looked to be some promise though so I decided to stall a bit. Taking some scenic drives in and around, checking out a few trailheads, seeing the lay of the land and in turn biding my time - ever hopeful that the clouds would roll on. By 11 the rain had almost stopped and as I ate lunch the clouds started to withdraw! Angry clouds start to thin Half the day was gone now and I had to plan something a little less ambitious with less daylight at my disposal. Cascade and Porter were close-by so I decided to head there. The trail itself was muddy to start. A dark, black, coffee colour with no hint of the warm, brown, boot-sucking mud the ADK is known for in summer. There were a few people already on trail when I arrived but I still had a pretty quiet time hiking up this popular route. No doubt most who might have hiked on a Monday were put off by the early rains and found something better to do with their day. As I got higher the snow started to get thicker beside the trail and finally at about 3500 feet the trail was indeed snow covered itself. I continued bare booting up the trail as the snow wasn't too slippery but it’s often easier to ascend slippery snow covered rock than descend. By the time I got to the summit block of Cascade the winds were howling over my head and the snow and ice was thick so I dropped my pack, strapped on the µspikes and put on a dry layer or two before exiting the trees. Limited views on Cascade My timing was poor though and I exited the tree line straight into a cloud. The long ranging vistas from Cascades summit would remain hidden today but the clouds were moving fast so I was still hopeful. Back to my pack and then the short walk over to Porter where I arrived to blue skies! I could see now that Cascade was clear but the Great Range to my south was still clinging to the cloud deck. Still it was an impressive view and I filled the camera with as many shots as I could. Sadly winter (like) ascents mean that summit time is often brief. Even with my puffy down "summit" vest I started to chill down after 20 minutes or so and was soon headed down the trail. One last glimpse at a little ledge on the Cascade summit trail and then it was back into the trees for the return trip down. The µspikes did their job and I had no trouble descending the upper reaches of the snowy trail. Soon enough I was happily walking back to the car under warm sunshine and colourful leaves (on the ground). Finally the clouds start to lift But the Great Range resists the clearing trend A quick shot of Whiteface as I drove through town, an awesome roast beef sandwich from my favourite deli and then the satisfying drive home. Winter IS coming. It may be a few more weeks - even a month or two - but it WILL arrive. I can tell myself that repeatedly as the days get infernally shorter and the cold, wet fall marches on. It's always nice to have reassurances though - and finding winter at 4000ft is a nice confidence booster. It will inexorably march down the hill to meet us - even if I have to march up the hill to visit with it for the next few weeks. Whiteface starting to look snowy!