Haystack from the Loj, Feb 14,09

[BlackSpruce]

Easiest route to Haystack, in spite of the "down" section. We did take an easy four minutes shortcut to the Phelps Trail in order to avoid a bit of climbing. Trail hardpacked all the way, it would have been possible to bareboot the whole 8.5-miles. We found the Little Haystack and Haystack proper ridge ascent extremely windy but upon returning, at the former plateau lean-to site, we met two climbers just back from Marcy who told us NO it wasn't windy with a tone that implied we were amateurs, so I guessed it wasn't windy after all, just our feeble minds and old knees at work.

Another great day of peakbagging....