Peg and I followed the route taken by Christine & Gary the rest of their party the previous day, crossing Flowed Lands and easily surmounting the monster blowdowns on the lower flanks of Cliff beyond Livingston Pond, thanks to the deep and well-consolidated snow (and thanks to the excellent route-finding by those who went before). Then it was mostly easy climbing the rest of the way. This approach would be nearly undoable any other time of year. About 15 minutes below the summit, the broken path split two ways. We headed for the higher place on the ridgeline taking the path to the left, which proved the correct choice. The highest peaks, Iroquois, Algonquin, Colden, and Marcy were snow-covered domes of pure white and we enjoyed the view for a while before heading down the summer path. We carried crampons but didn't need them. In the trickiest spots, tossing the snowshoes down and bare-boot heelplanting was the most secure method. The standard path up Redfield was very well packed and we lingered on top in the warm sun and taking in the views for at least half an hour, and enjoyed a few good butt slides on the descent back to the yellow trail. Cutting across the Flowed Lands saved a lot of time in both directions. The Calamity Brook trail was hard-packed and bare-bootable both ways. On the trail at 6:30, back at the car by 5:30 just as the sun went down behind Santanoni. Bright sun, blue skies, temps in the 20s, no wind, and broken trails all the way; it was about as perfect a day as one could wish.
Cliff and Redfield March 6
- Thread starter nundagao
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