Chilly yes but we still need some snow...

Woke up this morning with intentions to head up to Nakkertok to watch some of the Eastern National races but the man on the radio said it was -23C (windchill -31C). As I thought about it - under my covers - that temperature sounded too low for race officials to start a race. It was going to warm up through the day into "legal" racing territory but when exactly that would happen I wasn't sure. Even if it was "legally" warm enough to start a race, I didn't think it would ever get warm enough to stand around and spectate... so I opted to go skiing myself instead.

A little fresh snow on a chilly day

Headed up to P19 where I found the wind had died down and it was actually quite comfortable. Skied the Taylor Lake loop and then headed down trail 50 before getting into the backcountry and climbing trail 54 black. There was 4 inches of fresh snow on top of a hard, frozen base and things started out well. As I got higher up the trail however it became clear we don't really have enough base for this trail as of yet. Small creeks to be crossed had a thin layer of ice (someone had taken a brief dip). Roots and rocks were exposed in spots making things tricky. The final climb up to Lusk lake - which more or less follows a creek bed was just that... a rocky creek bed. It was easy enough for me to skirt from side to side and pick my way uphill but I wouldn't want to descend through it. Still, upon reaching the top of the pass and skiing along Lusk Lake the conditions improved and before long I was back to the groomed trail 54 blue. Made a quick stop in Renaud hut to warm up a bit and have a bite to eat before skiing back to P19. Not too many folks out braving the cold but I suppose that would be expected. Those I did see seemed to be enjoying another sunny, bluebird sky day. A little dump of snow would really help conditions on the whole but - with the season now probably half over - I guess we have to take what we can get.


Lusk Lake cabin is always a happy sight

Ski while the skiing is good

A beautiful weekend to ski to be sure. The sun shone, the skiers skied and the tracks were beautiful. I opted to ski out of P7 on Saturday under a brilliant sunshine. Haven’t had too much of that in the last month or so. Normally I wouldn’t go near P7 on a sunny Saturday (and fight for a parking spot) but with a weekend of races down low in the park I took a chance that some of the crowds would be down there. Proved a successful gamble as the lot was pretty quiet considering the beautiful day. I even managed to find some quiet tracks as I headed in to the practice loop at Camp Fortune. Everywhere else I skied there were mobs of people enjoying the day but on the practice loop – I counted 3 sets of tracks before me on the fresh corduroy. It’s certainly a fun loop with lots of fast transitions from steep up to steep down. Strangely the last km of the loop hadn’t been groomed recently but no bother, I skied it anyway and enjoyed it almost as much. Still a little ice in the trees that was falling here and there. I guess that won’t last much longer with Monday’s predicted rains.


Bit of an obstacle on trail 36... Maybe too thin for the groomers?
Sunday I opted for a “Petit loop du Meech” and skied out of P11. As I drove past P8 and P9 cars were overflowing out onto the road but P11 had only dozen or so cars parked there – sweet! Trail 36 hasn’t been groomed recently so perhaps that kept people away. That said I found it in reasonable shape. The descents were a bit of an icy torment but not unmanageable and the classic tracks on more gentle terrain were holding strong. Once I reached Meech Lake I chose to ski across it for P12. Bit of a cool breeze coming down the lake but the skiing was good. Decided to rewax before climbing McCloskey as the icy descents on 36 had stripped most of the wax clean off my skis. Fresh wax meant a short climb up to Ridge and then off down towards Fortune. Decided on one last exploratory run onto Fortune Lake where I rediscovered lucky trail 13. It hasn’t been an official trail in about a dozen years or so and there was nothing lucky about it for me today. It had lots of branch debris to push through and “leg hold traps” (snow covered branches) lying in wait to slow me down but it was still nice to ski on an old trail like that. The sun even managed to hang on for me to finish my ski before the storm clouds started to take root overhead. Tough weather for the next day or so. With luck it won’t be as much of an impact on the snow as the weather men are predicting. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Fingers crossed for some cold winds to whip the rain clouds into a snow bowl. Certainly don't want to see more freezing rain...


Tough conditions a month ago at the Biathalon range

All fixed up now so the "Biathalon Bears" can practice their craft

Grey day to celebrate MLK

This past weekend was pretty grey and dreary but there was some lovely skiing to be had. Most everywhere I went there were freshly groomed tracks and fast conditions. Add to that most of the ice up in the trees came down on Friday so we're mostly past the bombardment from above phase. Monday I skied to the Tower and then poked around some of the BC trails like Western, 22 and 18. The snow was pretty coarse and my wax only lasted about halfway on my loop before I had to resort to skating the climbs and double poling the flats. Still nice to be out though. Conditions off the groomers were a little tougher (icy and choppy) so I think I'll wait until we get some fresh snow before heading back in there. There was evidence of the trail clearing crews hard at work. These folks sure must be tough. They're working the trails on foot - no snowshoes, no skidoos, no skis... just postholing down the sides of the trails all day clearing and cutting bush (and leaving the ski track in good shape down the center). I took a few more pictures on Monday but clearly I wasn't alone out there as there are some very (very) similar shots to mine here. Similar (photographic) eye I suppose ;-).

January Thaw

Early morning commuter heading in to check on the huts
Headed up to the park early this morning to get in a ski. Don’t usually go for the early morning skis until later in the season but I’d missed my chance to ski Thursday night so decided to make the early trip up. Grey, drizzly skies greeted me as I pulled into P10 at quarter to 7. Grim weather but I had seen the groomers rolling along the Doldrums so I knew I would have fresh tracks. Indeed all the primary trails seemed to be freshly groomed so the skiing was quite nice. In spite of the +2C weather (and rain falling) the tracks were actually firming up nicly with the cold supplied by the snowpack beneath them. This made the skating fast but the classic tracks looked to be glazing over and might prove to be icy. I skied up along the Parkway to the lookouts but had to use my imagination as thick fog blocked any view. No stunning sunrise either as the dark, gloomy grey brightened only slightly to light, gloomy grey as the sun came up. A quick loop around 1A and B before heading down Burma for the trip home. In the woods the conditions were a little bit tougher than the parkways. The warm temperatures were bringing the last of the ice on the branches down and the delicate sound of breaking "glass" filled the air as the ice dropped from above. I probably was less than an hour behind the groomer riding the fresh corduroy but the trails had already built up a good layer of icy chunks and bits of branches making the skiing a little more like riding ball bearings. It was manageable on skate skis but I would think the classic tracks would fill up fast and be a bit of a pain. Once I shot out onto the parkway it was apparent that the wider open parkway skiing might be the ticket for today. Far less debris and nice new tracks Could be the answer for the weekend which shows more of the same weather ahead. Maybe we can get rid of the last of the ice covered branch debris with this warm weather and get back to some more wintry weather in the days to come.

Tough to make out the ice chunks but lots of little twigs on the foggy Burma road (and the ice chunks are there!)

Beautiful weekend for some skiing

Even the bright shiny orb called the sun was out on Saturday which has been a rare sighting in the last couple of weeks. With sunny skies I headed up to P19. I figured the upper part of the park would be comparatively quiet and I wouldn’t have to fight for a parking spot with the hordes of skiers clambering for P10 and P7. Sure enough I was rewarded with easy access and relatively quiet trails. After skiing the lower valley and up 55 to Taylor Lake I took a tour up to the Pontiac lookout on trail 56. I thought this was a “backcountry” trail and would receive no grooming this year but looks like a skidoo ran up to the lookout at some point recently. Perhaps it was the maintenance crews trimming and cutting fallen branches. Unfortunately they hadn’t pulled a grooming sled behind them so I was left with a somewhat flat track to ski up which slowed things up a bit but no matter. The warm sunshine and shiny ice on the trees made up for the slower skiing. Love this trail punching through the tall pines. Reminiscent of the skiing at Vernon although the pines are 2 or 3 times as tall out there. Also did a quick ski around the Ste Cecile loop and it too was in pretty good shape – free from branches and logs and reasonably well groomed. As it was somewhat cold out I wore my wonderful new fleece layer (just purchased). Unfortunately it proved too effective and I over heated 10 minutes into my ski… gonna have to assign that fleece to -20C (and colder) skis and work on a layer that works for… ummm, “slightly cold” conditions.

Mind your head under the arch
Sunday I got one of the last places to park at P7 and checked out the backountry trails skiing 6, 22, 17, a bit of 11 and 8 along with sundry other groomed trails. To be honest I prefer the backcountry trails with some fresh snow as today the tracks were somewhat hard packed and “skied out”. Still they proved a sometimes interesting challenge to negotiate so a good afternoon was had. Still a few branches here and there to dodge but – unlike my last post – there have been enough skiers smashing through them that the blocks of ice are mostly gone. Not quite so painful if you fail to duck at an inopportune moment. I could have used a few layers (inches?) of binder wax on the skis today though. Icy trails and blocks of ice left in the track as they fall from the tree branches above did short work on my wax. I was forced to stop a few times to reapply some fresh wax or flounder helplessly up the climbs.



I must say I am impressed with how quickly the crews have worked to clear the trails from fallen debris after the ice storm. Having done a little “post ice storm” clearing myself in the past I know it to be long, labourious work. Skiing the trails over the Christmas break and seeing trails choked with bent over trees and down fall it’s hard to believe most of that has been refreshed. The NCC website suggests 80% of the network is now free and clear. That's 160km of trails cleared so good on them to work through this. The only big ticket omissions at this point are Ridge to the Fire tower and trail 36 but hopefully those are on the work sheet for this week.

Can I have a do-over on Christmas vacation?

New Year, new snow!

Snow!
A beautiful layer of snow fell overnight! By no means is it enough to cover all the damage from last weeks freezing rain but its certainly a good start. Pete and I went for a New Year's Eve (well, afternoon really) ski along the Pine road as the fresh snow started to fall. This ski has become a bit of a tradition as Pete typically works a half day on New Year's Eve and then schedules in a ski before making the drive for home. I on the other hand am not working at all this week so I traditionally sleep in, prepare the pack with some celebratory liquids, wax up some skis and wait for him to book off work. It's a tough job but I always feel up to the challenge. Conditions were quite good although there were still a lot of sticks and twigs exposed at that time but it was certainly encouraging to see the snow falling hard.

Icy trees
Today - New Year's day - I felt a little optimistic as snow had been falling all night so I threw the wider skis in the truck with the hope of skiing some of the backcountry trails. Things were pretty nice although there certainly has been a lot of damage from last weeks freezing rain. Quite a lot of downed branches and even a few trees along with iced up trees bent over double on the trails. I pulled a few medium sized logs off the tracks but there are still a few much bigger ones here and there that will need to be cut. If the NCC isn't going to groom the backcountry trails this year I wonder who will? For that matter does grooming include cutting deadfall and brushing back the trails? If it does how will they get there if not with a skidoo (and will that ruin the track?)? Perhaps if I think about it for a bit longer more snow will bury all the hazards and I won't have to worry about it.

Took a little work to pull this broken branch off the track
While the logs might be one issue there is also a lot of branches doubled over with the prodigious weight of ice coated to their branches. This makes for some awkward skiing in the woods. Forces you to mosey left and right to avoid them. That isn't too bad when the trail is flat. Bigger problem is screaming down a steep incline to be faced with a load of ice covered branches in your way. Bit like going through those beaded curtains... at speed... and the beads are blocks of ice... and they're quite heavy... and there are often rather a lot of them (from the voice of experience;-). If we can get a few (more) skiers to go crashing through the branch traps, the ice (or maybe the branches) should break off forming some nice tunnels. Could make for some interesting trails. Either way it sure is beautiful skiing in the park right now. More snow over the next couple of days should make for a happy start to the year.

Beautiful skiing

crystal tunnels
Originally uploaded by kenmores

After yesterday's storms I wasn't expecting much but skiing today was actually quite nice. Along with the freezing rain (and actual rain) that fell yesterday a little snow also fell. Not much but enough to make the skating track nice with a firm base underneath. The classic tracks also looked skiable as people "broke them out". For the most part, I stuck to the parkways as the tinkling glass coming from the forests sounded ominous. The sounds were of course the ice covered branches dropping little bombs of ice (and occasional branches) as the sun warmed them up. No grooming on the trails but perhaps the crews were also waiting for the falling debris to subside before heading in to work. There'll be a little work to clear the fallen branches and trees that came down as a result of the freezing rain. Sking along the parkways required a little creativity to duck and dodge around some fallen limbs but I saw nothing that couldn't be skied around. With such nice warm temperatures the skiing was actually quite pleasant. Another cold snap is coming so it was good to take advantage of the nice day while we had the chance.

Christmas coal...

Expectations were high for a dump of snow to finally bury the rocks and get the ski season headed in the right direction... but alas it was not to be. Christmas morning dawned grey and warm so I loaded up the skis and headed to P17 to try a loop of the Wakefield triangle. The trails were pretty used up but still skiable. With no fresh snow there really isn't much for the groomers to work with so no complaints here. I opted out of the trail past Ste Cecile as it had only been compacted but not trackset for classic.

On a positive note the "ditch" I mentioned in my last post on the main skating trails through the Lac Phillipe area were renovated and are now nice and smooth. Perhaps the crews up here can till 12" deep in 7" of snow! I also got a look at the newest yurt in the park. Wanakiniwa(sp?) is set in the main Lac Phillipe campground high on a hill looking over the lake. Looks like a nice spot to spend the night. Based on the few notes in the logbook its a little hard to find the yurt in the dark as its set off the main trail in a little maze of skidoo trails. Apparently one group had to call the NCC emergency linefor directions when they couldn't find their rented hut in the dark. Not like Taylor lake yurt which is set right on the main trail... but maybe this one is quieter as a result of being a little deeper in the woods.

Completed the loop down trail 52 which is still a little thin on snow but skiable none the less. Sadly that was the good news as any threat of fresh snow quickly perished as freezing rain started to fall overnight and bouts of actual rain (and some freezing stuff) fell throughout the day. I spent most of the day looking out the window in hopes of seeing a flake or two of snow falling... but no luck yet. This could set things back on the trails but hopefully a little snow will fall this week.

Bit of a chill in the air

Bit of cold weather has set in over the last few days. Good for the snow to help firm up the tracks but sometimes a shock to the system when you actually get out into it. I guess the first cold snap is time to toughen up and get ready for the much colder days ahead in January. Always seems like my mid-weight fleece layers have gotten a little thinner though and aren’t providing the same insulative properties they did last year. The lint trap in my dryer might corroborate that evidence (all that fluff has to come from somewhere) but perhaps I just have to suck it up and get out there. Once I actually get going it’s never too bad.


The ever present Lusk Lake residents come to collect the "rent"

Saturday I made the long drive up to Lac Phillipe to check out the conditions high in the park. The drive is now 30 seconds faster thanks to the new highway extension which I got to enjoy (with promises of another 30s shaved off my drive time by 2012!). The grooming on the whole was pretty good but I wonder if the guys doing the grooming actually know what skate skiing is. I seem to recall a similar “ditch” being a constant problem last year… but too soon to start complaining. As Johnny Klister suggests (#6) no point developing the rare grooming technique of tilling 12” deep in 7” of snow so perhaps we’ll have to wait for a bit more snow before assessing the grooming quality. The classic tracks looked great by the way and the ditch only forced me over to one side a little bit so it wasn't the end of the world. To be honest I was the only person I saw all day that was skating so if its just for me... I was fine with it! I skated up to Lusk Lake first where there was still a little warm sunshine to be had. Beautiful spot to sit on the deck even if the Hut marauders set upon you with blinding efficiency. Surprised to have the trail and hut to myself but I stoked the fire as I left and met the overnight guests at the bottom of the hill as I skied out (Good advice Mike - stoking the fire – thanks). Another quick trip out to Taylor lake and I see they’ve moved the hut out there again. No longer out on the point it is instead set back in the trees. Nice new deck here as well so I’ll have to test that out on a sunny day. Finally a trip along the Pine road towards Herridge. For the most part – while it was pretty cold there wasn’t much wind to speak of so all in all a beautiful day on the trails.

Sunday the wind picked up so it was both cold and a bit raw. I tried to stick to the trails in the trees skiing out of MacKenzie King and down to the CEGEPs. The Parkways were beautifully tracked and (as long as the wind was at your back) a great ski. Unfortunately the trails in the trees still are a bit thin with occasional rocks poking through and even a couple of small water hazards spotted on trail 15. Makes it a bit of a game of "spot the obstacle" (rock, dip, divot or creek) and then dodge around it. More snow for Christmas is on the agenda so hopefully that will fill things in nicely... and maybe I’ll check out some post-Christmas sales to get some new fleece – just in case it happens to be cold in January.

Bryan's birthday ski - take 3

What's become an annual event went off again on Monday. Sadly it had been planned for Sunday when a larger contingent would likely have participated but Bryan got marooned with car woes and spent much of the day arguing with mechanics on the correct balance of his tires... Delayed until Monday most folks were occupied with other distractrions and only Bryan and myself made it for the ski. Not sure if that even constitutes a quorum but I suppose it still counts. Fresh grooming on the parkway and Ridge road made for some nice skiing. We made a Tour du Hut visiting 4 of the Gatineau Trail huts with some form of pit stop at each. At Western a gentleman had the fire well stoked and the hut was downright toasty. Great spot for some lunch and a beverage but it made it a challenge to get back out on the skis and continue along the trail... Had I brought a sleeping bag I might have gone for a long afternoon nap. At Shilly Shally we met the self proclaimed "Chalet Beautification squad" who spent a 1/2 hour preparing some adornments for the hut. Mostly made from local materials there were a few odds and ends packed in to complete the project. They said something about "having a contract" with the NCC but I probably misheard and in fact it was that they "wanted a contract" with the NCC. Either way it was a nice addition to the hut... and as it decays and becomes unsightly it will also make an excellent firestarter for the woodstove.

Excellent job ladies, only 8 more chalets (and maybe a few yurts?) to go :-)

Mistakes picking sticks - but what odds...

Beautiful weekend to get out and ski. Lots of fresh snow out there to be had. Unfortunately in my haste I probably made a rookie mistake and picked the wrong techniques on each of the days. Saturday was cold and sunny and the tracks seemed to have firmed up nicely from the first grooming. Perfect day for a skate ski... but I picked the classic boards. Not a big loss though as the classic tracks were equally good and I did a nice long loop to check out much of the parkway and Ridge road. All of which are in good shape with just a few thin spots here and there. For the most part its easy enough to step around the trouble spots so clean sailing all day.

Rare sunshine and snowflakes... where were these things coming from?
On Sunday it was much warmer and not snowing (at my house) so I decided to load the skate skis into the truck. Of course as I drove up to the park it began to snow (hard) and soon enough there was lots and lots of soft wet snow. Perfect day for a classic ski... but I was commited to skating at that point. Ah well, off I went down the Pine road past Herridge and almost out to Lac Phillippe. Skating in the soft snow was hard work but I wasn't in a rush and I'll take the extra snow without complaints. The weatherman had called for rain on Tueday which likely would have thinned out the skiing almost completely. Thankfully he's revised his forecast and it looks like more snow is on the way. Soon the thin spots will be a thing of the past.
no more trucks...
On a positive note I did get out Sunday morning to catch my cousin Bob carry the Olympic Torch. Knowing only the "road" he would be running on (and it was a long road with several runners) I managed to luck out and catch him at the end of his run passing off to the next runner. Good job Bob! You didn't stumble and drop the torch in the snowbank or anything ;-)

That's better...

"David" promised those magical words that all skiers love to hear - a "Colorado Low" and now the park is blanketed with snow. Last night I went for a short ski (trudge?) though things were pretty soft but it was still nice to be back on skis (after a 5-day lay off). This morning I went back for another ski and the parkways were nicely groomed. The tracks were still pretty soft when I started at 7 and my skis would sink 3/4" every time I weighted them. Made for slow progress but I guess someone has to be the "compactor" when we get a dump of soft, wet snow. After a few dozen more skiers take to the trails things should firm up nicely. Add to that colder temperatures on the way and the track should be really nice by the weekend. Only the parkway was groomed this morning (at least where I skied). Perhaps more will get tracked today but to be fair we only really got 8" of snow so working the side trails might be a little premature exposing rocks here and there. There was a little asphalt exposed on a windy corner and I did tap through the snow in a few spots with my poles so - while we might hope for "mid winter" to arrive overnight... it has not. But it's still really nice to be out there and getting this ski season underway on home turf! Quite a number of skiers heading up as I was coming down and all of them had a pretty good smile on.

What the heck is going on here!!!

I go away for 1 week, leaving you people with a simple task - get snow! - and this is what I come back to?! Okay, I thought the emails asking me to bring snow back in my carry-on luggage were funny but I had no idea you weren't joking. I guess if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Time to make some calls...

Heading home

Sweet tracks
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Well that's it. After a week of skiing its time to pack up and head home. The snow here has been superb (and things are looking grim back home) so it proved a fortuitous trip indeed. When I think back just a few months ago - when I broke my foot - I didn't think I would be skiing so soon or to such an extent. After 6 days and close to 25 hours on the boards I'm quietly pleased with the progress. Oh, a little vitamin I was consumed to be sure but on the whole the foot performed well. This ski camp was a bit of a departure for me. Not sure I would do it again. It was a lot of fun but I found it to be a little too much of the same thing day in and day out. My usual M.O. would be to ski a few different places in the same period of time. Still the price was right so it was hard to refuse. That said, the skis are coated in travel wax, bags are packed.... so tomorrow I head for home.

Moonrise on Paradise

Moonrise on Paradise
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Snow here continues to be sensational. Can't believe how few people are out here (though the weekend was pretty busy) and often find myself on my own on the trails.... such a shame but I continue to tough it out. Monday we got another big dump of snow (4 inches) and it fell spectacularly fast. Made the skate ski I was on a somewhat tough slog but I didn't hear anyone around here complaining. Today it was blue skies and perfect grooming. A morning ski followeed by an early afternoon nap and then out again for an evening (which falls pretty early these days) ski... life is tough. I am following the pictures of "snow" back home but to be honest... don't feel too bad that I missed some of the "first skis" on the parkway verges. Here's hoping some more snow falls before I come home.

No snow at home?

home for a few days
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Somebody's been hogging it all. Their not even sharing with the local valley.... but I found it. There's lots to ski on(over a meter of base) and everyones welcome.

Waiting for snow

This weekend is supposed to be quite pleasant and sunny - definitlely not November weather. Had a look at the blog posts from the last couple of years at this time (who knew they'd be useful for something). Seems I hadn't skied much by this point in the last two years either. They turned out to be great ski years... so I remain optimistic that snow will indeed fall this winter. It will be cold. The skiing will be great. All will be as it should. In the meantime I continue to rollerski... and hike... and wait...


Should be a snowcat... soon, very soon

Remembrance Day hike

Well I missed it… The snow fell last week(just 36 hours off my predicted time) and then disappeared almost as quickly! Sadly I must have overslept because I didn’t think to go ski on it… and now it looks like it could be a few weeks before we see any more snow . Back to roller skiing and hiking for me… Wednesday was Remembrance day and - with the day off work - an opportunity to take a hike . Bryan, Mike and I have gone hiking the last couple of years on Remembrance Day and the weather was looking like this year would be another fine one. At the last minute I spotted a new geocache planted deep in the northern end of the park so we headed off to check it out. Met a few other cars full of hikers as we hit the Eardley escarpment road but no one was at our trail head so we had the back woods to ourselves. The route principally followed a high tension hydro easement through the woods. I thought it would be a pretty dull hike but it turned out to be quite nice. The trail dipped and rolled, in and out of the woods and provided scenic and varied views the whole length. The Gatineaus obviously aren’t high enough to have much “above treeline” hiking but in the hydro easement we had all kinds of views so this worked out as a nice alternative. At the end of the trail a sizeable summit presented itself – I dubbed Mount Hydro Pylon – and after a tough scramble up we topped out to great views of the northern end of the park. I had brought the stove so we heated up some soup and had a little lunch in the warm fall sunshine. Took a few moments to remember why we had the day off and relaxed a while before making the call to head back down for the car. All in all another great day out on the trails. I’d rather be skiing but I guess patience will be the word this year.

One more trek in the High Peaks...

I took a quick trip down on Sunday to the Adirondacks to get one last hike in the big mountains before the snow starts to fall. Actually the high peaks have already seen their share of early snow but it has all melted now and for the most part the leaves are all gone. The forecast however was slated to be beautiful so this looked like as good a time as any. Sunday I took a leisurely start taking care of a few errands in town before packing up and making the drive down. Sadly that was bad judgment on my part as – with the switch to daylight savings time – it gets dark incredibly early. Arriving in Lake Placid a little after 3pm it was clear I had less than an hour before the woods would start to get dim and only a couple of hours at most before I’d be in full headlamp mode. With nothing incredibly short in mind to hike I took my time got some gear items and headed off to my favourite secret camp spot near Newcomb. Sadly my secret camp spot is no secret to the local hunters who have erected mini, mobile condos on all the best sites and were busy inside playing cards and (presumably) prepping their ammo. This left me with some slightly less ideal options but still acceptable for my needs. By 6:30 I was tucked in my sleeping bag with this month’s edition of Powder magazine (I read it for the pictures) and a long night ahead of me.

In the morning I woke to cooler temperatures (just slightly below zero) and quickly packed up and headed to the trail head. It was looking like a sterling morning and I was bound for Mt. Adams a firetower peak I’ve had my eye on for a long time. One car was at the trail head but they were bound for Allen so I would have Adams to myself. Much has been written about the disrepair of the Lake Jimmy bridge(crossed early in the hike) and I can report that it is in excellent shape with only minor issues… still totally serviceable. The climb up Mount Adams starts shortly after the fire observers cabin – about a mile from the trail head - and points pretty steeply upwards. Some might call it murderously steep but I was alone on the hike so this wasn’t an issue for this day. After a tough scramble up the trail I got to the treed-in summit and quickly climbed the tower. The view from the tower is probably one of the better ones I’ve had as Adams is tucked into a massive cirque of high peaks. The MacIntyres, Santanonis, Colden, Marcy, Skylight and Allen to name a few all play out around you. The tower itself is a little beat up – the roof having blown off the cab – but it’s still structurally sound. Could have spent hours there but after all too short a while I started to get cold – the temperature just above freezing at that point with a stiff breeze. Descending was no less a challenge as there are some pretty sketchy chutes to negotiate. Soon enough though I was back in the valley floor – round trip including an hour or so at the top was less than 4 hours. After the short walk back to the car I relocated to a sunny spot on the banks of the Hudson River to make some lunch and enjoy the early afternoon.

Mt Adams firetower observer's office

Lunch done I drove over to the entry to the Santanoni preserve and wandered partway up the trail to the “farm”. I had hoped to take the time to go all the way out to the great camp itself but with an incredibly short amount of daylight I opted to turn around after the farm house (about halfway to the great camp). Equally the trail register showed several groups ahead of me all of whom signed in as “hunting” which sealed the deal at a shorter walk in the woods. Fortunately I had left my antler hat at home but nevertheless the woods (particularly in flatter terrain) belong to other users at this time of year. This is truly a beautiful place and I hope to make the full walk out to the great camp next year. With that, another high peak hiking season draws to a close. Snow is forecast any day (most likely on Nov 4th) and soon the skis will be out. With luck I’ll get another hike in the high peaks this winter but we’ll see how that pans out.

Good News

The rain, fog and impending darkness could not discourage me from a quick trip to the park to roller ski. Of course I may need some help from Hans and Franz as my arms seem to be a little ummm, soft. Nothing a few nights climbing some big hills won't cure. Watch out for wet leaves tho'!! Not sure why they closed the parkways so soon - the first snow is still eleven days away.... just sayin'.