After reading the recent weather reports, it was my time 
! The plan was to attempt the Rockpile and just go as high up as I could. Due to rough weather and trail conditions, I only made it to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, at 5,050'. Not too shabby though IMHO- I was lucky that I got as high as I did!
The hikers' lot at the Cog RR was coated in about 3/4 to 1'' of snow; the access road was also slick. The temperature was 20 F when I started the hike. The first few tenths of a mile of the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail had freshly fallen leaves on the footway; from the junction with the summer route to Gem Pool, it was a mix of slush, unpacked snow, and running water. Once past Gem Pool, there was constant, but thin, snow cover. After about 4000-4100', ice became more prevalent, so I put on MICROspikes for the first time this season, and they stayed on for the rest of the hike. At around 4200-4300', I whipped out the ice ax I brought with me due to the steepness combined with the icy, snowy trail conditions. The ax may have been a bit overkill, but I was solo, so I did whatever I had to do to make myself feel comfortable.
Once I popped above treeline at about 4,900', visibility dropped to about 1/16 of a mile, the wind picked up, and the wind chill DROPPED. At the hut, the wind was about 35-40 MPH, and it felt COLD- the wind chills had to be around 15-20 below zero. Also, some of the snow drifts in front of the hut were a foot deep; I may have made the first posthole of the year . Reluctant to go back down Ammo Ravine, I tossed around backup routes, but eventually decided that it would be best to carefully go back down the way I came. At 10:45, about 3 hours 50 min. after starting the hike, I got back to my car.
This was a wild but fun hike! I do, however, need to do a big-time gear upgrade, including but not limited to a second ice ax, a pair of 12 pt. crampons, new inner and outer layers, and new goggles. Once I get all of that stuff, I'm gonna be rearing to go for more above-treeline winter hiking! Roundtrip distance was 4.8 miles with 2,300 ft. of elevation gain.
Here's the video recap, if you're interested: https://youtu.be/x4RMUqk4adE
! The plan was to attempt the Rockpile and just go as high up as I could. Due to rough weather and trail conditions, I only made it to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, at 5,050'. Not too shabby though IMHO- I was lucky that I got as high as I did!The hikers' lot at the Cog RR was coated in about 3/4 to 1'' of snow; the access road was also slick. The temperature was 20 F when I started the hike. The first few tenths of a mile of the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail had freshly fallen leaves on the footway; from the junction with the summer route to Gem Pool, it was a mix of slush, unpacked snow, and running water. Once past Gem Pool, there was constant, but thin, snow cover. After about 4000-4100', ice became more prevalent, so I put on MICROspikes for the first time this season, and they stayed on for the rest of the hike. At around 4200-4300', I whipped out the ice ax I brought with me due to the steepness combined with the icy, snowy trail conditions. The ax may have been a bit overkill, but I was solo, so I did whatever I had to do to make myself feel comfortable.
Once I popped above treeline at about 4,900', visibility dropped to about 1/16 of a mile, the wind picked up, and the wind chill DROPPED. At the hut, the wind was about 35-40 MPH, and it felt COLD- the wind chills had to be around 15-20 below zero. Also, some of the snow drifts in front of the hut were a foot deep; I may have made the first posthole of the year
. Reluctant to go back down Ammo Ravine, I tossed around backup routes, but eventually decided that it would be best to carefully go back down the way I came. At 10:45, about 3 hours 50 min. after starting the hike, I got back to my car.This was a wild but fun hike! I do, however, need to do a big-time gear upgrade, including but not limited to a second ice ax, a pair of 12 pt. crampons, new inner and outer layers, and new goggles. Once I get all of that stuff, I'm gonna be rearing to go for more above-treeline winter hiking! Roundtrip distance was 4.8 miles with 2,300 ft. of elevation gain.
Here's the video recap, if you're interested: https://youtu.be/x4RMUqk4adE
