Peggy is closing in on her W46x4 and I tagged along just 'cuz. We signed in at the gate at 7:45 and were back at the car before 5. It was a perfect winter day with bright sun, no wind, and gorgeous views of the Great Range. We took microspikes, snowshoes, and crampons, and needed all of it. There was enough grip for snowshoes on the ascent, barely, but coming down Blake it was too steep and too slidy. I switched to 'spikes only because I was in an awkward place to put on crampons. At the bottom of the col I strapped them on and kept them on all the way up and over Colvin. I've carried them on several hikes but this was the first time I used them for any distance. It was an eye-opener. The difference between microspikes and crampons is almost as big as the difference between bare boots and microspikes. The Gill Brook trail below the Indian Head trail junction was made especially difficult by solid ice hidden by thin, loose snow. A couple of forays into the woods for better footing were rewarded with instant gravity takedowns. There was ice everywhere and hiking out on the lake road was much more tiresome than normal. Even with microspikes, one had to constantly walk sort of tensed-up and the hard ice transmitted a shock wave straight to the head with each step. An Advil, hot tea, and chili made it all better when we got to Stewarts in Keene. At the end of the day after a long hike it's always hard for me to contemplate going on another, but here it is only two days later and I'm already looking forward to Mike and Nicole's finish next weekend on Big Slide.
Colvin and Blake Feb 5
- Thread starter nundagao
- Start date
