Collection of Winter NPT Trip Reports

[DSettahr]

On Saturday, February 24, 2007, myself and 3 of my friends hiked from Long Lake to Lake Durant on the Northville-Placid Trail. In doing so, the 4 of us have now hiked every section of the NPT during the winter season. What follows is the trip reports from each of the 4 trips during which we section hiked the trail. Some of this has been posted here before, but not all of it has, and I repost it all so that it is all in one location where anyone can read through it.

Leg #1, January 2006: Upper Benson to Piseco Lake

Day #1: Upper Benson to Silver Lake:

8 members of the PSC Outing Club completed this first section of the Northville-Placid Trail. We started out in Benson on a sunny day, following ski tracks. There was just barely enough snow for snowshoes, but we still managed to hit buried rocks with our crampons. As the day progressed, it clouded over and started to snow.

The ski tracks ended at Rock Lake, and from here on out we followed a set of snowshoe tracks that were several weeks old and buried beneath several inches of snow. We crossed the Sacandaga River at about nightfall, and continued on to Silver Lake with headlamps.

While cooking dinner, a catastrophe nearly occurred. One of our stoves (an MSR Whisperlite) began to spill fuel out onto the lean-to floor. As the stove had already been lit, the fuel quickly ignited and began to spread. Even after the snow was shut off, it continued to spray fuel. I quickly grabbed the stove by the fuel bottle and tossed it into a snow bank, where it continued to burn for about 10 minutes. After the fire extinguished, examination of the stove showed that the cause of the leak had been over pressurization. Just goes to show that you can pump your fuel bottle up too much.

Day #2: Silver Lake to Mud Lake

We awoke late to find the snow still falling. We got a late start, and only made it to Mud Lake, whereas our itinerary had originally been to hike to Hamilton Lake Stream.

Along the way, we got lost for a bit at an old beaver pond. There are trail markers going both through the wetland and around it, and we found ourselves hiking around in circles until we were able to find the correct route North. We also encountered some blow down on the trail, but no major obstacles.

We reached the Mud Lake lean-to shortly after dark. This is a fairly nice lean-to, set in a sheltered area away from the lake.

Day #3: Mud Lake to Hamilton Lake Stream

This section of trail proved to be fairly easy. After a short climb from the lean-to, it drops down a long hill to the Sacandaga River. The bridge across the river is impressive. We took our packs off here, and walked around on the island in the middle of the river that the bridge crosses.

The Hamilton Lake Stream lean-to is another nice lean-to, set on a rise above the stream. We arrived early enough to build a fire and cook a nice dinner of rice and mashed potatoes. I happened to look underneath the lean-to, and found a single hiking boot there. I wonder whose it was, and what their hike out was like without a shoe. At night, however, we were able to hear cars on the road at Piseco Lake. After 2 nights of quiet, it was somewhat disconcerting.

Day #4: Hamilton Lake Stream to Piseco Lake

We took our time on this short section of the trail, enjoying the hike and the views. There are some nice vleis and streams along this section of the trail. This section of the trail was mostly uphill, but at a moderate pace.

The parking area for the trailhead is the public works building right near where the trail comes out of the woods. According to the owner of the grocery store across the street, the town lets hikers park here, and the State Police are aware and will keep an eye on any cars parked there.

 

[DSettahr]

Leg #2, January 2007: Lake Placid to Long Lake

Day #1: Lake Placid to Wanika Falls

Several days after completing the first leg of the hike, 4 of us set out from Lake Placid to hike to Long Lake. The day started out warm, with some drizzling. The trail to Wanika Falls was broken about two-thirds of the way, with about 2 inches of fresh snow. The trail mostly follows some gentle ups and downs, but begins to gain significant elevation as Wanika Falls is approached.

As we got closer to the falls, the snow began to increase in depth, and the drizzle turned to snow. We arrived at the old lean-to sight after dark, and set up tents on a rise above the campsite.

Day #2: Wanika Falls to Moose Lake

We awoke late in the morning, and decided to head upstream to check out Wanika Falls before departing. The falls are very impressive, even in the winter, and we had fun climbing to the top of them and then glissading down over the cascades, which were covered in deep powder.

Immediately after Wanika Falls, the trail goes through a pass before descending to Moose Lake. Here we encountered a lot of deep snow, dense trees, and undergrowth. There were several areas of blow down, through which it was hard to follow the trail.

We had intended to head to Duck Hole, but due to our late start, we made it to Moose Lake before deciding to camp for the night. Moose Lake is an amazing lean-to site. We arrived early enough to start a fire, and spent some time out on the lake enjoying the sunset. One of my companions accidentally melted part of his boot while trying to dry it over the fire, but the damage does not seem to be too bad, and we decided to continue to Cold River 1 and 2 lean-tos the next day.

Day #3: Moose Lake to Cold River 1 and 2

Managed to wake up early (for once) and get started quickly. This was fortunate, as the trail immediately south of Moose Lake runs through some swampy areas and was very hard to follow at times. We encountered a lot of blowdown in this area, and at one point the snow gave way and one of us sunk into the swamp up to their thigh.

We reached Duck Hole in the late afternoon, and continued down the Ward Brook Truck Trail to the lean-tos. The truck trail is very open, with some blowdown but it is few and far in-between. We were able to make quick time along the truck trail, following a set of snowshoe tracks that were several weeks old from someone who hiked from Upper Works to Coreys.

During the night, we awoke to hear the sound of freezing rain hitting the snow outside the lean-to. It made midnight trips outside to go to the bathroom somewhat interesting.

Day #4: Cold River 1 and 2 to Seward Lean-to

This section was long but easier than the previous day’s section. The trail followed an old road south from the truck-trail until reaching the Rondeau Hermitage, then followed the banks of the Cold River. The day was warm and damp, and we finished the day cold and wet.

At the Rondeau Hermitage, we could see a few pots and pans sticking up out of the snow, but not much. If there was more there, then the snow covered it. The highlight of the day was at the Ouluska Pass Lean-to, where we found binders with typed up copies off all the lean-to register entries going back many years. We wasted probably a good hour at the lean-to, reading aloud the entries to each other.

 

[DSettahr]

Day #5: Seward Lean-to to Cold River 3 and 4

We planned a short day so that we would have plenty of time to relax, and given an early start, we were able to. We hiked the 3 miles to the lean-tos, arriving shortly after noon. The trail mostly followed an old road, but the snow had a crust that proved to be fairly obnoxious. Half the time our snowshoes would break through the crust, the half they would not.

We spent the afternoon exploring the area, around the lean-tos, and gathering wood for a fire in the evening. We were able to dry off all of our wet clothing over the fire that evening, which was nice. It was also the first time I used a wilderness toilet (sort of like an outhouse but without walls or a roof) and I found it to be a pleasant experience preferable to outhouses.

Day #6: Cold River 3 and 4 to Plumley’s Landing

The day started out warm. We listened to the weather forecast, which said that a significant storm was headed our way, so we quickly packed and headed out on the trail for Plumley’s Landing. We hiked through fog most of the way, and the temperatures peaked at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. We even passed through some sections where the snow had completely melted, which was quite weird.

The trail was mostly flat and easy to follow. Shortly after reaching Plumley’s in the late morning, the wind started to pick up. We fastened a tarp across the front of the lean-to, and sat down to wait out the storm. We ended up spending 16 hours in our sleeping bags through the afternoon and the night. Fortunately, we had cards to pass the time with, and we also played the alphabet game using various food items as our category.

Day #7: Plumley’s Landing to Long Lake

We awoke to find an inch of snow on our sleeping bags. Our original plan had been to spend the next night at either Kelly Point or Catlin Bay, but after the storm, I think everyone had had enough of the woods for a while, so we packed up and headed to the car. The day was cold and windy, with drifting snow coming off of the lake. It’s one of the few times I’ve been able to hike with fleece layers beneath my outer shell and still felt comfortable.

The trail out was somewhat hilly, and passes close by to several private camps on the lake. The Rock Point lean-tos are somewhat easy to miss as well, as they are located a ways away from the trail and we saw no signs. This also marked the first time I had returned to Catlin Bay and Kelly Point since my first backpacking trip where I had spent one night at each during a February some years prior.

 

[DSettahr]

Leg #3, January 2007: Piseco Lake to Lake Durant

Day #1: Piseco Lake to Fall Stream

The first day of our hike was fairly warm, with sunny skies. Knowing that we had less than 5 miles to hike, we took a leisurely morning, left Albany around 8:30 and got to the trailhead around 10. There was some initial confusion as to whether or not we were actually at the trailhead, as there are no signs in the parking lot and the register is a little ways down the trail.

As there was at the most 2 inches of snow on the trail, we strapped our snowshoes to our packs and hiked in on foot. The trail was very well maintained for the first couple of miles, with no blowdown on the trail to be seen. As the trail reached the turn to the west, however, blowdown began to appear more and more frequently, foreshadowing the trail conditions we would encounter daily for the next 7 days.

We arrived at Fall Stream, our intended camp site for the night, about an hour before sunset. The main camp site near the stream crossing was hard to miss, and we found a fire pit buried beneath the snow. A walk around the area revealed numerous other potential camping sites as well, so the area probably receives quite a bit of overnight use in the summer. Our shelter for the evening was comprised of three 8 by 10 foot tarps, two of which we overlapped and ran a ridge line through, and the third was used as a drop cloth on which we put our sleeping pads.

Day #2: Fall Stream to Spruce Lake #1 Lean-to

In the early hours, we awoke to hear the sound that every hiker dreads (especially in the winter): rain. Fortunately, it tapered off to a drizzle by the time daylight arrived and we started to pack up camp. During the night, the rain melted much of the snow so there was even less than before.

The section of trail between Fall Stream and Spruce Lake was rather hilly, with short, steep sections in spots. We passed through and by some old logging camps which were very obvious, even with the snow on the ground. Parts of the trail clearly followed old logging roads, but was not as confusing as the ADK guide made it out to be. Side trails mentioned by the guide were unmarked, very overgrown, and easy to miss, while the main trail was for the most part easy to follow. Some places had a fair amount of blowdown, however, especially the ridge just after the Fall Stream crossing. Furthermore, the trail became very wet and muddy after the Jessup River crossing.

We spent the night in the Spruce Lake #1 Lean-to. As we would later find out, this was the most sheltered of the lean-tos at Spruce Lake, as #2 and #3 are both on the shore while this one is set back into the woods a bit. If there is rain or wind in the forecast, Spruce Lake #1 is the lean-to of choice.

Day #3: Spruce Lake #1 to Spruce Lake #3

During the night, the drizzle re-intensified into a steady rainfall. To our surprise, all of the snow had melted when it became light enough to see. This, combined with the fact that the rain had not abated with the coming of daylight, definitely dampened our spirits- we had come prepared for winter, but instead we found conditions more closely in line with fall or spring. We were also hesitant to spend a day hiking in the pouring rain, as we had no idea whether or not the temperatures would drop again afterwards.

Around 10:30 am, the rain stopped, and we decided to hike to Spruce Lake #3, a mile up shore from #1, so that the day would not be a complete loss. It was a decision that turned out to be a good one, as it took us nearly 4 hours to traverse that mile.

The trail after Spruce Lake #1 starts out very hilly and muddy, and as usual, is covered with blowdown. At Spruce Lake #2, we found 2 canoes but no paddles. One canoe was in somewhat decent shape, the other looked like a tree had fallen on it at some point in the near past. According to the lean-to register, there is a byop policy in effect. The register also mentions a stash of beer and canoe paddles hidden in the woods that was air dropped but never found.

Shortly after Spruce Lake #2, we encountered our first major stream crossing of the trip. The outlet of Balsam Lake, which flows into Spruce Lake, was very high from the rain and snowmelt. What looked like it was normally a 2 or 3 foot wide trickle was a 30 foot wide torrent of water and foam ripping through the woods at incredible speeds. There was no possible way it could be crossed without getting everything from the thighs down soaked and risking a full head to toe soaking from tripping.

Being the smart college students we were, we remembered the canoes at the lean-to a little ways back up the trail, and decided that the one in decent shape would be our means of getting around this obstacle. My friend Brendan and I grabbed our trekking poles, intending to use them in lieu of paddles to propel the canoe along by sticking to the shallows and pushing off along the bottom of the lake. We got to the canoe, put it in the water, and climbed in.

At this point, it should be noted that there was still about a half an inch of ice on the lake. To get the canoe up to the point where we would cross the outlet, we had to repeatedly back the canoe up, ram it forwards up onto the ice, and then jump up and down in the canoe to break the ice so that we could repeat the process again. Eventually, we made it to the section of shore where Sarah and Teresa waited.

Because of the small size of the canoe, it took 6 trips back and forth across the outlet to get everyone and all of our packs to the other side. On each trip, we either carried a pack or a passenger in addition to the two people with trekking poles propelling and steering the canoe. Spruce Lake #3 was right on the other side of the outlet, so as soon as we made our last trip, we set up camp at the lean-to and went to bed early.

Day #4: Spruce Lake #3 to West Lake #1

This day dawned cooler than any of the previous days, but was sunny as well. We packed up and quickly traversed the first few miles of trail. There was some blowdown in this section, but not as bad as many of the previous sections of trail. Encouraged by the good weather, we had made it up over the col north of Spruce Lake and down the other side in no time.

We had thought that we had left what would be the sketchiest stream crossing behind, but we were soon proven wrong. The bridge over Sampson Bog Outlet is washed out, and the torrent we encountered made the previous days stream crossing seem like a little trickle. The roar of water could be heard a quarter mile away up the trail. We were not to be deterred however. There was no way we were going to turn back after coming this far.

Downstream, the stream split up into 3 or 4 separate channels flowing between a cluster of islands. We examined this area for about an hour, figuring that 4 smaller crossings would be more feasible than one large crossing, but gave up after failing to find a good spot to cross. We then hiked about a quarter mile upstream, and found a beaver dam. Here, the water was flowing evenly across the entire top of the dam, no more than 6 inches deep at any spot, but about 50-60 feet wide.

I went across first, and found that the dam was much stronger and studier than it looked from first observation. Gotta give credit to those beavers. I was able to get across with dry feet, protected by both my North Face winter hiking boots, and my Outdoor Research gators. I plan on writing both companies letters of appreciation. The crossing, however, was too hard to do with full packs, as there are sections of the dam with saplings growing up that must be squeezed through or swung around, and the chances of falling into incredibly deep water above or below the dam.

Where the bridge used to cross the river was the narrowest point of the stream that we could find. Two of us crossed the dam, and then we returned to this point. We strung a rope across the stream, and tied off each end. We then placed a carabiner on the rope, and tied two long pieces of P-cord to the carabiner. The p-cord was used by those of us on either side of the stream to pull the carabiner back and forth along the rope. Slowly, piece by piece, we got all of our gear across the stream (we were too afraid that if we sent a full pack across, the rope would come undone- our packs were heavy, at least 60 lbs each). After about an hour, we managed to get all of our gear across, and then we hiked back up to the beaver dam and the remaining 2 members of our group came across.

The trail from this point on went through some swampy sections. We also so trail signs pointing out mileage to “West Canada Lake,” which we later figured out referred to West Lake. The Mud Lake outlet bridge has been replaced, but the new bridge looks pretty shabby and might not last longer than a few more years.

Since we still had some daylight left, we decided to continue on to the West Lake lean-to. The bridge over South Lake is pretty well built, but the water was so high that it began and ended in the water. Fortunately, someone had placed planks in the water that kept our feet dry even though they were partially submerged. There is a beaver lodge next to the bridge that is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen; it was at least 8 or 9 feet high and twice as wide. While we were crossing the bridge, a beaver came out to see who we were, and began swimming around, splashing his tail.

We arrived at the West Lake #1 Lean-to right about at sunset. There was enough dead and down wood around to build a roaring fire.

 

[DSettahr]

Day #5: Rest Day

During the night, we awoke to feel wet snow hitting our faces. We quickly stretched one of our tarps across the front of the lean-to (why do they always built lean-tos right on the water where the wind will blow rain and snow into the lean-to?) and went back to sleep. In the morning, however, the snow had turned to rain, which was coming down hard and steady. We elected to take a rest day, and hoped that the rain would let up by the next day. We had brought enough food for 2 extra days in the woods, so after this day we would be forced to move regardless of the weather.

As the day progressed, it got colder, and slowly the rain turned to snow. By the time we went to sleep there was about 2-3 inches of new snow on the ground.

Day #6: West Lake #1 to Second Cedar Lake

We awoke to find about 4 inches of snow on the ground with a continuing light snowfall. We decided against snowshoes as the snow was not yet deep enough to obscure many of the rocks and roots in the trail. We quickly hiked past the old Interior Outpost location at West Lake, where the trail register had fallen over and become buried in the new snow. The tote-road bridge over the West Lake outlet is still submerged, and the water was high enough that the detour trail crossing was impassable as well. We were forced to hike a little ways upstream where we found a section of stream narrow enough for us to place a couple of fallen trees across to build a bridge. It took us about an hour to find this spot and then find the fallen trees necessary to complete the stream crossing. Fortunately, this would prove to be the final sketchy stream crossing of our hike.

We continued east along the tote road, as a light snowfall continued all day. Our original plan had been to take an easy day and hike to the First Cedar Lake lean-to, but we decided to try and make up for some lost time by heading to the second lean-to instead. The side trail that leads to the first lean-to is not marked at all, except for a rudimentary pictograph of a lean-to and an arrow pointing out the direction of the trail that we found carved into a tree at the junction.

Whoever decided to route the NPT up over Cobble Hill has a sick sense of humor. The trail gains considerable elevation over a long extended grade. Every time you think you are near the top, you round a bend and see that you have more uphill climbing to do.

The side trail to the second lean-to is also easy to miss; it’s about 100 feet before the bridge over the Beaver Pond outlet is reached, on the right side of the trail. This was a nice lean-to, set back from the water a ways. We arrived shortly before sun set. It had continued to snow all day, and the temperatures had dropped considerably. Instead of the 40 and 50 degree days we had encountered at the start of our hike, it had dropped to teens and single digits.

Day #7: Second Cedar Lake to Carry Lean-to

During the night, enough snow had fallen that we decided to don our snowshoes for the first time so far of our trip. We hiked to the Third Cedar Lake Lean-to, located near the old Cedar Lake Interior Outpost, and past the dam holding back Cedar Lake. Thereafter, the trail followed many short steep ups and downs, but the only major elevation gain of the day was Lamphere Ridge.

I totally missed the Sucker Brook trail junction; one of my companions who saw the sign said that it was set off the trail a ways and easy to miss. The Carry lean-to is also set a little ways off the trail, with a great view of the Cedar River and several mountains to the north. Entries in the lean-to register indicated that it is very difficult to find the lean-to by canoe from Cedar River Flow- apparently there are many channels where the river enters the flow that make navigation confusing. When we arrived, the Cedar River was unfrozen and flowing pretty stron.

 

[DSettahr]

Day #8: Carry Lean-to to Wakely Dam

We awoke to hear the first sounds of civilization since leaving Piseco Lake 7 days before: snowmobiles. The river had also completely frozen over, testament to the drop of temperature during the night.

The trail north from Carry Lean-to mostly followed old logging roads, but was covered with the most blowdown we had encountered yet. It seemed like every 50 feet, another tree was across the trail that we had to climb over, crawl under, or walk around. I’ve seen herd paths in the High Peaks that were more passable than the trail was in this section.

We reached the Cedar River Road in the early afternoon, and began following it to Wakely Dam. Plenty of snowmobiles passed us, most of them heading east towards Indian Lake. Wakely Dam seems to be a popular hangout spot for snowmobile enthusiasts; when we arrived we saw a fair number of them parked and chatting with each other. A couple of them came over and talked to us, giving us the weather forecast and asking if we wanted them to call anyone when the got out of the woods that evening. Overall they were all very friendly. We set up tarps that night near the Wakely Dam Ranger Station in one of the Moose River Recreation Area campsites.

Day #9: Wakely Dam to Stephen’s Pond

The day dawned a bit warmer than the previous couple of days had been. We broke camp and started down the road. We crossed the first 4 miles to the snowmobile parking lot very quickly, as we no longer had to break trail. Again, a lot of snowmobiles passed us, and most of the drivers slowed down and waved.

Upon arriving at the parking lot and plowed road, we took off our snowshoes and began hiking on foot. It wasn’t long before a pickup truck passed us and asked if we needed a ride. Since we had a 9 mile day planned, and a good 2 miles to go before we reached McCane’s, we weren’t going to refuse the ride.

The sign at McCane said that the property was open only to “long distance hikers hiking the section of trail to complete the entire Northville-Placid Trail.” Since we were long distance hikers, and our goal for the hike to was to hike the remaining sections we had not yet hiked, we figured this applied to us. We may have been the last hikers ever to pass through the McCane’s property, however- a significant section of the trail passed through an area of forest that had clearly been marked for timber harvesting within the past few days, and we heard chainsaws in the woods nearby. Furthermore, we found survey tape marking a new trail that came in from the east shortly after crossing onto state land; our guess is that this is the re-route that the DEC has been planning.

Stephen’s Pond seems to be a popular party spot, judging from the register entries, as well as a popular spot for couples to camp at together. The lean-to is a nice one, set back from the lake in a sheltered location. By the time we arrived, it had warmed up considerable and a drizzle had started to come down.

Day #10: Stephen’s Pond to Lake Durant

Our original itinerary had us hiking all the way to Long Lake, but as we had gradually become somewhat damp during the hike, we decided to take a break for a day and dry all of our gear and clothes off once we reached Lake Durant. We started out from Stephen’s pond in a light drizzle, heading up and over the ridge that parallels the pond. The climb is initially steep, but once the ridge is crested, it was all downhill to Lake Durant.

We encountered many muddy sections between the ridge and Lake Durant. The mud got so bad that we took off our snowshoes. Shortly before reaching Lake Durant, you pass some confusing junctions that the guidebook mentions, but the guidebook directions do not seem to be correct. Fortunately, we met a skier skiing in from Lake Durant, and followed his tracks to the campground. We encountered a group of school kids on skis in the campground, and a group of older people on snowshoes.

It was nice to see the car when we reached the road. It took a while to get it started, however. After spending 10 days on the side of the road, I think quite a bit of condensation had formed in the tank and engine, and possibly froze as well. It wasn’t until I had the engine running for well over an hour and was well on the way back home that it began to run smoothly again. Poor car.

 

[DSettahr]

Leg #4, February 2007: Long Lake to Lake Durant

We decided to finish the last 15 miles of the trail between Long Lake and Lake Durant as a day hike. We drove down from school the night before our planned hike, dropped off a car at Lake Durant, and returned to Long Lake to set up tents for the evening near the trailhead. It was a cold night, colder than the previous few nights had been.

We awoke early in the day, and rather than eating our planned breakfast of oatmeal, drove into Long Lake to pick up some more appetizing food from Stewart’s. We returned to the trailhead, packed up our tents and overnight gear, and set off.

The first few miles had been broken in recently, first by snowshoes, and later on by skis. There are sections where the Three Brooks Ski Trail diverts from the hiking trail, and then the two rejoin, presumable to route the hiking trail around swampy areas. A section of the trail early on also follows a snowmobile trail for a short distance. Despite there being recent tracks, we did not encounter any snowmobiles.

After leaving the Three Brooks Trail and the Snowmobile Trail behind, the NPT had not been broken out. According to the register, a hiker had passed through from Long Lake to Lake Durant about 3 weeks prior, but about 2 weeks later, the Valentines Day storm dumped about 2 feet of snow on the Adirondacks.

The going was tough. The trail here climbs about 1,000 feet to it’s highest elevation, topping out at 3,000 feet. As we climbed the ridge, we encountered deep drifts and spruce traps. The trail mostly follows an old road, but this disappears before reaching the top of the ridge. We took turns breaking trail, and slowly but surely reached the top of the ridge, where we ate lunch #1 at about noon.

The trail from here follows along the ridge a short ways before descending the other side. Despite the deep snow, we were able to make good time during the first mile or so of descent. It wasn’t long before we once again picked up an old road, and soon reached the area that has been flooded by beavers.

There are actually two areas of beaver activity along the trail, both within a quarter mile or so of each other. These areas are just south of the large flat area visible on the topomaps that is encountered as the trail descends the south side of the ridge. It appeared that both ponds had been drained, and we were able to cross the stream on a snow bridge. Even if the ponds were still full of water, finding a way around them wouldn’t have been too difficult as neither was very big.

From here, the trail continues to descend until it reaches a dirt road which it followed for a short distance. Shortly after leaving the road, we hiked through a recently logged area, which one of my companions remarked as looking a lot like the area you hike through on your way to Allen Mountain. From here, it again follows an old woods road and crosses through a small swampy section before reaching Tirrell Pond.

We reached the northern Tirrell Pond lean-to not too long after the sunset. We encountered a group of 5 or 6 camped here, and from here on out the trail was broken. We ate lunch #2 at the lean-to, and then followed a set of ski track across the pond. Hiking on the pond was amazing, the sky was clear and the stars and the moon were out. Even though the moon was only half-full, the snow reflected enough light to hike by moonlight.

Of the two Tirrell Pond lean-tos, the northern one seems to be the better. It is more sheltered, while the southern one faces the lake and the wind blows right into it. The trail from here on out follows some hills with many ups and downs, but mainly has a downward trend. We reached the car about 13 hours after starting the hike that morning, exhausted and sore but happy to have finally finished the trail.

 

[bucket head]

Congratulations all!

I think the mild wet weather this past January must have been very challenging both physically and mentally.

Excellent trip write-ups!

 

[SOFAS]

Congratulations on an epic hike and a very interesting set of reports. It's kinda of interesting that you started at the two ends and then finished with the middle sections. Any plans for a summer thru-hike?