Monday with Marshall

Decided to go down to the Adirondacks on Monday to get a little hiking in. For a moment it seemed like maybe I would have some company… but alas it didn’t work out and I was on my own. No trouble though, a chance for some trail solitude is always nice and, as is often the case, I usually meet some interesting people on the trail. As I packed up, I decided the weather would be good for a ski-shoe and maybe I should give that a go. With the snowshoes strapped to my pack I could ski in a distance of the flatter terrain and then – when things got steep – ditch the skis and put on the snowshoes to climb. Always tough to get going when the 4 am alarm rings – especially when I’ve been packing until midnight – but I managed to get going regardless and was soon on my way. On the way down I decided upon the Upper Works trail head. I don’t get down there too often and it has a nice skiable approach to Lake Colden with a few options to climb from there.

Time to sign in for the day ahead
Arrived at the parking lot to find 1 car which was slightly covered in snow so they had probably been camping somewhere in the woods. Interestingly, no one had signed in yesterday (Sunday) either so it meant I would have some snowy tracks to contend with. Undeterred I strapped on the pack, jumped in the skis and set off. A light dusting of snow in the well trodden track made for some nice skiing and it looked like I wouldn’t have to break trail all day. Temperatures were decidedly warm though - at -1C – and I soon had my winter gloves off and never put them back on until I was well up the mountain. The climb up to “Flowed lands” is a nice one. It opens with a flat stretch of mostly open woods and then has a few short, steep ascents as it climbs along the Calamity brook. Once at Flowed lands it became clear there would be no views from the summits but the day as a heavy overcast sky loomed over the peaks. The warm day and the light snow made me decide on Mt Marshall for the climb. I skied across Flowed lands to the Herbert Brook leanto and took a short break to stow the skis, strap on the snowshoes and eat and drink before the climbing began.
Skiing past the rock wall along the Flowed lands

The trail up the Herbert Brook is a really nice one through thick evergreen forests. In summer it winds its way back and forth across a slide sometimes splashing up the brook that gently trickles down the mountain. In winter the snowshoe track goes straight up the slide which climbs about halfway up the mountain. It made for an easy ascent and I was bitter I had left the skis at the leanto as they would have been perfect to take for the descent later on… next time for sure.
Wide open slide would have been great skiing
As the climb gets higher the trees get shorter and the track gets narrow and low. A lot of hunching over and plowing through the spruce is required for the last few hundred feet of the climb. While this is tough on the body it also means all the lovely dusting of snow that you enjoy on the branches is destined to wind up down your neck as you push through the trees. Hood or no hood on my gortex the snow found its way in. So it goes though and soon enough I was topped out – quite soaked mind but on the top. Put a dry layer on and wandered around to a few of the “viewing spots” which offered up a few tantalizing glimpses of what lay beyond. Now that I was stopped I did in fact enjoy how the light snow had carefully frosted all of the tree branches. Quite beautiful when it’s not ending up as a cold, wet lump dribbling down your back.
Delicately frosted branches
The descent was speedy (though not as speedy as if I had brought my skis up the slide). There were a couple of nice buttslides to be had but for the most part the pitch was a little shallow. Still, winter hiking is nice and soft on the knees so a fast pace can be maintained going down.
Time to switch to skis for the ride back to the car
Back at the leanto, I packed the snowshoes and jumped into the skis for a short tour of the “Flowed lands” area before heading back to the car. There are certainly a few nice leantos around the edges of the “pond” area although I seem to recall there being a few more many years ago when I first started coming here. I suppose they(the DEC) have removed a few to try and limit the number of people coming in on a busy summer weekend. Certainly not too busy today as I saw no one all day – just me and my tracks. The ski back down to the car was good fun. Some nice little drops as I worked my way back. Always tough to try and remember the little twists and turns of a trail I haven’t been on in a few years but the snow was relatively slow so there was lots of time to step around a sharp curve or dodge a snow covered boulder. All in all a successful ski-shoe.
Leaving the snowy high peaks
Back at the car I signed out, got changed and loaded up for the drive home. There are a few more pictures HERE. A nice day out in the woods with just Marshall and me today.