B
BenReller
Guest
Left Clear Pond at 5 am and xc skied down Elk Lake Road to the summer trailhead. The road had a dusting of snow, which made it passable, but I didn't do my bases any favors. I continued down the trail to Slide Brook and stashed the skis there. Putting on snowshoes, I made my way towards Dix via the Beckhorn. The trail was well packed the whole way, but I opted out of my original plan via Hunter's Pass as it was completely untouched. The Beckhorn was bare with patches of ice, but otherwise smooth going all the way to the summit. The path through to Hough, and then on to South Dix, East Dix and finally Macomb was a different story however. The high winds the previous day (I read gusts up to 50 mph) had completely hidden the track in many sections and made for frequent dead ends and searching. There were enough clues remaining that after a bit of investigation I was able to find the path again, but this was a common theme throughout the day. It felt as if I spent much of the day bushwhacking! The trail down Macomb back to Slide Brook was well packed and easy to follow. By the time I returned to Elk Lake Road, the sun had melted much of the snow, and I walked the remainder back to Clear Pond, just breaking twelve hours. Overall, the day was sunny, warm, and beautiful, with morning winds that died down by noon.
Necessary gear: snowshoes, compass, and ice axe for descending the Macomb slide
Necessary gear: snowshoes, compass, and ice axe for descending the Macomb slide
