Tom Rankin
Well-known member
A group of 4 hikers, Pete Hickey, Cantdog, Laurie and yours truly set off at about 6:00 from the Round Pond Trail head. It was not as cold as we expected and the wind was almost calm. So far, so good. There was just an inch or so of snow on the trail at the beginning, so Pete volunteered to break trail for the first section! There was a nice sunrise, and views of Giant and Noonmark as we progressed.
We stopped a few times for breaks, one being at the lean-to. Pete regaled us with tales of his trail work in the Dix region, including moving the very smelly outhouse on top of the hill behind the lean-to!
I love listening to Pete!
When we crossed the slide, it was getting windier. We hurried across and into the cover of the trees for another break, before beginning the steep ascent next to the slide. This part of the trail gains about 1200' in about a mile, according to Pete. There was more new snow here, and we all slipped and slid as we labored up the mountain, most of us wearing various MSR models. Laurie was having a lot of problems getting traction (more on that later).
Just before the junction for Hunter's Pass, Pete suggested we layer up for the final assault of mighty Dix. So we put on wind protective layers, and headed up for the summit. The wind was moderate, and it felt a lot colder up here! We made it to the summit, and took a few pictures. The views were obscured by the blowing snow and clouds, but we caught glimpses of other peaks. We started a discussion of whether to go on to Hough. We all decided to walk at least to the Beck Horn and decide from there if we were going to do Hough. When we got there, the trail did not look broken. A lot of snow appeared to have been blown over the trail. Pete said he was not feeling very well, and Julie decided to turn back as well. It was already Noon, and the prospect of a very long day did not appeal to her.
I knew Laurie REALLY wanted to get to Hough. It was the only peak she needed that I did not. (I did Dix/Hough a few years ago). I knew that it would break her heart if I did not go, so I sucked it up and said yes. Pete gave us some general guidance, and we plunged down the steep herd trail. It was fairly easy breaking trail going down hill (a rare experience!), but finding the route and avoiding the blowdown and frozen trees was more difficult. We struggled for over an hour to get to the col, moving slowly along the ridge line that curves over to Hough. There are several up/downs along the way for added character building! In spite of the snow and clouds, we could usually see the summit of Hough, so this helped the navigating. We were constantly finding and losing the herd path that Tom and Alain had broken a week earlier.
But eventually, we reached the base of the mountain, and started looking for a herd path up, but there did not appear to be one. We floundered around in some spruce traps, and tried a few approaches before finding a route that seemed to work. Eventually we hit the herd path, and this made it easier. It was around 2:30 when we summited. Laurie was overcome with emotion, thanking me for coming with her. We took a few quick pictures, with Dix in the background, and turned for 'home'. The walk back to the Beck Horn was much faster, since we had a clear trail to follow. But it was almost 4:00 by the time we arrived back above tree line. We struggled going back up quite a bit! I was physically as well as mentally tired. When we reached the Beck Horn, and made it over the relatively flat summit area to the shelter of the trees on the other side, our spirits rose. After a snack break, we felt a lot better physically too.
The butt slide down Dix was a '9'! We dropped all the way from the junction to the base of the slide in 15 minutes! Yippee! We stopped at the lean-to around 5:00 and had more snacks and hot tea! Mmmmmm! We got to the Noonmark junction just at 6:00, and met 2 Canadian women who were headed in to the lean-to. We wished them 'bon journee' and headed off. At this point we donned our headlamps, and started the last leg of the trip.
As we headed towards the pond, it grew completely dark. The stars were shining, but it seemed that there were snow flurries falling from the sky, not coming from the trees! Hmmmm??
As we neared the lake, we could see several lights on the far side. A group of campers had a good fire going and they seemed to be enjoying the evening. My watch chimed 7:00 just one minute before we got to the register box. I signed us out and headed down the last little hill to the road. We had done it!
Back at The Ark, we gathered with many others and exchanged stories, food and beer! It was great sitting amongst the gathering, hearing what they did, and having the satisfaction of 2 more tough summits. Only 5 to go for both of us now!
It turned out that Laurie's crampons under her Red Feathers had BOTH SNAPPED OFF! No wonder she had trouble getting a grip!
FWIW, we wore snowshoes all day. There are a few icy patches here and there, but as long as your snowshoes still have their crampons ( ) you'll be fine.
We stopped a few times for breaks, one being at the lean-to. Pete regaled us with tales of his trail work in the Dix region, including moving the very smelly outhouse on top of the hill behind the lean-to!
I love listening to Pete!When we crossed the slide, it was getting windier. We hurried across and into the cover of the trees for another break, before beginning the steep ascent next to the slide. This part of the trail gains about 1200' in about a mile, according to Pete. There was more new snow here, and we all slipped and slid as we labored up the mountain, most of us wearing various MSR models. Laurie was having a lot of problems getting traction (more on that later).
Just before the junction for Hunter's Pass, Pete suggested we layer up for the final assault of mighty Dix. So we put on wind protective layers, and headed up for the summit. The wind was moderate, and it felt a lot colder up here! We made it to the summit, and took a few pictures. The views were obscured by the blowing snow and clouds, but we caught glimpses of other peaks. We started a discussion of whether to go on to Hough. We all decided to walk at least to the Beck Horn and decide from there if we were going to do Hough. When we got there, the trail did not look broken. A lot of snow appeared to have been blown over the trail. Pete said he was not feeling very well, and Julie decided to turn back as well. It was already Noon, and the prospect of a very long day did not appeal to her.
I knew Laurie REALLY wanted to get to Hough. It was the only peak she needed that I did not. (I did Dix/Hough a few years ago). I knew that it would break her heart if I did not go, so I sucked it up and said yes. Pete gave us some general guidance, and we plunged down the steep herd trail. It was fairly easy breaking trail going down hill (a rare experience!), but finding the route and avoiding the blowdown and frozen trees was more difficult. We struggled for over an hour to get to the col, moving slowly along the ridge line that curves over to Hough. There are several up/downs along the way for added character building!
In spite of the snow and clouds, we could usually see the summit of Hough, so this helped the navigating. We were constantly finding and losing the herd path that Tom and Alain had broken a week earlier.But eventually, we reached the base of the mountain, and started looking for a herd path up, but there did not appear to be one. We floundered around in some spruce traps, and tried a few approaches before finding a route that seemed to work. Eventually we hit the herd path, and this made it easier. It was around 2:30 when we summited. Laurie was overcome with emotion, thanking me for coming with her. We took a few quick pictures, with Dix in the background, and turned for 'home'. The walk back to the Beck Horn was much faster, since we had a clear trail to follow. But it was almost 4:00 by the time we arrived back above tree line. We struggled going back up quite a bit! I was physically as well as mentally tired. When we reached the Beck Horn, and made it over the relatively flat summit area to the shelter of the trees on the other side, our spirits rose. After a snack break, we felt a lot better physically too.
The butt slide down Dix was a '9'!
We dropped all the way from the junction to the base of the slide in 15 minutes! Yippee! We stopped at the lean-to around 5:00 and had more snacks and hot tea! Mmmmmm! We got to the Noonmark junction just at 6:00, and met 2 Canadian women who were headed in to the lean-to. We wished them 'bon journee' and headed off. At this point we donned our headlamps, and started the last leg of the trip. As we headed towards the pond, it grew completely dark. The stars were shining, but it seemed that there were snow flurries falling from the sky, not coming from the trees! Hmmmm??
As we neared the lake, we could see several lights on the far side. A group of campers had a good fire going and they seemed to be enjoying the evening. My watch chimed 7:00 just one minute before we got to the register box. I signed us out and headed down the last little hill to the road. We had done it!
Back at The Ark, we gathered with many others and exchanged stories, food and beer! It was great sitting amongst the gathering, hearing what they did, and having the satisfaction of 2 more tough summits. Only 5 to go for both of us now!
It turned out that Laurie's crampons under her Red Feathers had BOTH SNAPPED OFF!
No wonder she had trouble getting a grip!FWIW, we wore snowshoes all day. There are a few icy patches here and there, but as long as your snowshoes still have their crampons (
) you'll be fine.
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