Tom Rankin
Well-known member
Laurie and I left the AMR parking lot at about 7:00. We walked the road for 2 miles, and turned off on the trail that leads to Beaver Meadow Falls. The road had a dusting of new snow. It was about 10 degrees, and there was a light breeze. We never saw the sun all day.
The falls were mostly frozen over, but a little water could still be seen. We climbed the ladder and then I put my snowshoes on. Laurie continued to bareboot. The trail had been taken by one hiker fairly recently, who had come down from on high in bare boots. The trail was packed down pretty well either way in most places. In a few places, it had blown over, but it was never difficult going. Eventually, we were almost to the junction, but first we had to negotiate the icy ladders. It was a little dicey, but we both made it safely through this section.
At the junction, we ate, changed gear, and prepared for the windy summits. We started over for Armstrong first. The trail was a little hard to find in places, but we were over to the summit before we knew it. The wind was not too bad on Armstrong. The views were mostly socked in, but we could see mighty Gothics waiting for us, less than a mile away.
In no time, we were back at the junction. A pair of crampons were now visible on the trail. They had come up behind us and gone on to Gothics. After a quick break, we went on to Gothics. It's the same distance to Gothics, but there is more elevation gain. It is also more exposed near the top. Just before we came out in the open, we caught up to Ken Hubert. We stopped to chat and within less than 30 seconds, John Swanson and Nan Giblin came down the other way! I had met John before, but never on the trail. What a meeting, in the middle of nowhere!
We trudged up to the summit and encountered some wind, but nothing that caused any difficulty. We could see the boathouse, way down on Lower Ausable Lake. But beyond that, not much else was visible. We turned around and repeated our steps, getting back to the gate by 3:00. We noticed that 'Hickey' had signed in.
Tomorrow: The big 4 day trip to Peggy O'Brien! Can't wait!
The falls were mostly frozen over, but a little water could still be seen. We climbed the ladder and then I put my snowshoes on. Laurie continued to bareboot. The trail had been taken by one hiker fairly recently, who had come down from on high in bare boots. The trail was packed down pretty well either way in most places. In a few places, it had blown over, but it was never difficult going. Eventually, we were almost to the junction, but first we had to negotiate the icy ladders. It was a little dicey, but we both made it safely through this section.
At the junction, we ate, changed gear, and prepared for the windy summits. We started over for Armstrong first. The trail was a little hard to find in places, but we were over to the summit before we knew it. The wind was not too bad on Armstrong. The views were mostly socked in, but we could see mighty Gothics waiting for us, less than a mile away.
In no time, we were back at the junction. A pair of crampons were now visible on the trail. They had come up behind us and gone on to Gothics. After a quick break, we went on to Gothics. It's the same distance to Gothics, but there is more elevation gain. It is also more exposed near the top. Just before we came out in the open, we caught up to Ken Hubert. We stopped to chat and within less than 30 seconds, John Swanson and Nan Giblin came down the other way! I had met John before, but never on the trail. What a meeting, in the middle of nowhere!
We trudged up to the summit and encountered some wind, but nothing that caused any difficulty. We could see the boathouse, way down on Lower Ausable Lake. But beyond that, not much else was visible. We turned around and repeated our steps, getting back to the gate by 3:00. We noticed that 'Hickey' had signed in.
Tomorrow: The big 4 day trip to Peggy O'Brien! Can't wait!
