U
unregistered
Guest
Went in from the Garden parking lot and passed the NYSDEC cabin on the way to the Orebed. Headed up the Orebed to Gothics and then traversed over to Armstrong and Upper Wolfjaw before heading back down to the NYSDEC cabin and back out to the Garden.
This was a very long day. There was 5-10" of snow on the low trails with tons of slush and mud. It was melting fast though. Higher up it was wet, icy, and slushy, with around 2 feet of snow, there was up to 3 feet near the summits where drifting had occurred. We hiked in mountaineering boots but didn't use crampons or snowshoes, although we brought both along. The crampons would have made things go faster in spots but the trails were broken and there were areas with roots and stuff sticking out which would have resulted in some bad falls if a crampon snagged. We made up for the lack of traction by using nearby trees, roots, and rocks to help us along.
The weather was gorgeous and we hiked in our base layers the entire time, we only put on jackets when taking extended breaks. There was hardly any wind at all except a few gusts up high.
This was a very long day. There was 5-10" of snow on the low trails with tons of slush and mud. It was melting fast though. Higher up it was wet, icy, and slushy, with around 2 feet of snow, there was up to 3 feet near the summits where drifting had occurred. We hiked in mountaineering boots but didn't use crampons or snowshoes, although we brought both along. The crampons would have made things go faster in spots but the trails were broken and there were areas with roots and stuff sticking out which would have resulted in some bad falls if a crampon snagged. We made up for the lack of traction by using nearby trees, roots, and rocks to help us along.
The weather was gorgeous and we hiked in our base layers the entire time, we only put on jackets when taking extended breaks. There was hardly any wind at all except a few gusts up high.
