Oldsmores
New member
I had climbed Dix 2 or 3 times before, but it had probably been 15 or 20 years. My previous climbs were from Rt. 73, had never been in from Elk Lake before. I had hoped I might be able to hook up with someone to do the entire Dix range, but I ended up solo. Given how long it took me to do the Dix loop, I did not start nearly early enough to do the rest of the Dixes! I look forward to going back when the days are longer and I’ve got someone with me.
Took off from the trailhead at 7:35. It was cold (below freezing) and clear. I really lucked out with the weather. The forecast was for scattered showers or snow. I had sunshine for most of the hike, and no precipitation until I got back to the car. The first couple of miles are easy walking on good trail. Got to the Slide Brook leanto in just under an hour and chatted briefly with 3 guys cooking breakfast. I hesitated at the cairn marking the herd path to the Macomb slide briefly, but did the “right” thing and decided that staying on trail was a lot smarter. Another 45 minutes to the Lillian Brook leanto, where a couple was staying – looked like they were working on breakfast too.
Dix Pond was gorgeous with the leaves and blue sky reflecting in it. I haven’t downloaded my pix yet. Hope they came out. At about 9:45 I reached the trail junction and my first decision point: did I want to go up over Beckhorn, or through Hunter’s Pass? Since Beckhorn is the shorter distance to the summit, I reasoned that it was the steeper route. I generally prefer to climb up the steeper way and down the more gradual route, so Beckhorn it was.
All along I was treated to lots of little pleasures of a frozen fall morning: frost outlining the colored leaves, ice crystals transforming mud pits to fields of gems. (Wow, did I say that out loud?) Anyway, it was a beautiful morning for a hike. The trail up to the Beckhorn was not too bad. There were icy spots, but it helped that the sun was now hitting the south-facing slopes. I was thankful for the cold in some places that would have been mud pits if they weren’t frozen. Topped out on the Beckhorn in brilliant sunshine, moderate winds, and reasonable temps. I just lingered long enough to take a panorama, which I’ll stitch together as soon as I get a chance. I had forgotten how close to the true summit the Beckhorn is, so just kept trucking to get there at high noon.
Had the summit to myself for 45 glorious minutes. Time for a cigar, lunch, and some hot tea while taking in the awesome views of the Great Range, Giant, etc. Alas, I still had quite a ways to go to get back to the car. I had already decided to head down through Hunter’s Pass. I much prefer loops to backtracking, and figured it was an easier downclimb anyway, even though the distance was greater.
Before Saturday, my vote for the most sustained steep trail in the High Peaks was the Algonquin – Lake Colden trail. I might re-think that now. Not only was the trail to Hunter’s Pass unrelentingly steep, it was covered in slick ice. Being on the north side of Dix, it had not seen any sun. I found myself wishing for crampons in places, but that would have been problematic, as the icy sections were punctuated with rocky and muddy places. I passed two parties on the way up from the Bouquet River lean-to and had to remind myself that it could be worse, I could could have chosen to hike UP this way!
Finally got down to Hunter’s Pass after about an hour an twenty minutes of picking routes around the worst of the ice. I had never been in the pass, very impressive cliffs on the Dix side! I’ve got to believe there are some great rock climbs there if anyone’s willing to make the hike in.
The rest of the hike was uneventful. The clouds had moved in and I wen into “death march” mode. I had told my wife I’d be back in Vermont for dinner and was behind schedule. After what seemed like an eternity I got back to the car at 4:30, where a cold Killian’s was waiting. It started snowing as I was taking my boots off. I almost felt sorry for the two guys just heading in with backpacks – they missed all the sunshine.
All in all, a great day. Makes me realize that life is pretty good.
Took off from the trailhead at 7:35. It was cold (below freezing) and clear. I really lucked out with the weather. The forecast was for scattered showers or snow. I had sunshine for most of the hike, and no precipitation until I got back to the car. The first couple of miles are easy walking on good trail. Got to the Slide Brook leanto in just under an hour and chatted briefly with 3 guys cooking breakfast. I hesitated at the cairn marking the herd path to the Macomb slide briefly, but did the “right” thing and decided that staying on trail was a lot smarter. Another 45 minutes to the Lillian Brook leanto, where a couple was staying – looked like they were working on breakfast too.
Dix Pond was gorgeous with the leaves and blue sky reflecting in it. I haven’t downloaded my pix yet. Hope they came out. At about 9:45 I reached the trail junction and my first decision point: did I want to go up over Beckhorn, or through Hunter’s Pass? Since Beckhorn is the shorter distance to the summit, I reasoned that it was the steeper route. I generally prefer to climb up the steeper way and down the more gradual route, so Beckhorn it was.
All along I was treated to lots of little pleasures of a frozen fall morning: frost outlining the colored leaves, ice crystals transforming mud pits to fields of gems. (Wow, did I say that out loud?) Anyway, it was a beautiful morning for a hike. The trail up to the Beckhorn was not too bad. There were icy spots, but it helped that the sun was now hitting the south-facing slopes. I was thankful for the cold in some places that would have been mud pits if they weren’t frozen. Topped out on the Beckhorn in brilliant sunshine, moderate winds, and reasonable temps. I just lingered long enough to take a panorama, which I’ll stitch together as soon as I get a chance. I had forgotten how close to the true summit the Beckhorn is, so just kept trucking to get there at high noon.
Had the summit to myself for 45 glorious minutes. Time for a cigar, lunch, and some hot tea while taking in the awesome views of the Great Range, Giant, etc. Alas, I still had quite a ways to go to get back to the car. I had already decided to head down through Hunter’s Pass. I much prefer loops to backtracking, and figured it was an easier downclimb anyway, even though the distance was greater.
Before Saturday, my vote for the most sustained steep trail in the High Peaks was the Algonquin – Lake Colden trail. I might re-think that now. Not only was the trail to Hunter’s Pass unrelentingly steep, it was covered in slick ice. Being on the north side of Dix, it had not seen any sun. I found myself wishing for crampons in places, but that would have been problematic, as the icy sections were punctuated with rocky and muddy places. I passed two parties on the way up from the Bouquet River lean-to and had to remind myself that it could be worse, I could could have chosen to hike UP this way!
Finally got down to Hunter’s Pass after about an hour an twenty minutes of picking routes around the worst of the ice. I had never been in the pass, very impressive cliffs on the Dix side! I’ve got to believe there are some great rock climbs there if anyone’s willing to make the hike in.
The rest of the hike was uneventful. The clouds had moved in and I wen into “death march” mode. I had told my wife I’d be back in Vermont for dinner and was behind schedule. After what seemed like an eternity I got back to the car at 4:30, where a cold Killian’s was waiting. It started snowing as I was taking my boots off. I almost felt sorry for the two guys just heading in with backpacks – they missed all the sunshine.
All in all, a great day. Makes me realize that life is pretty good.
