ALGonquin Bob
Well-known member
January 4-5 (Sunday-Monday)
Last weekend’s hiking in the Dix Mountain Range has been well documented already, so I'm going to post a short TR just to put out a little info about Lillian Brook and winter camping.
The Dix Range has always been a difficult place for me (I normally use alternate terminology to describe that aspect). My first trip there was in ‘03, when I managed to summit 4 of the 5 peaks over the course of 2 days, but had to turn back from Hough to avoid descending the steep Beckhorn trail after dark. When I returned to climb Hough several months later in April ‘04, before Lillian Brook was an option, I chose to climb over Macomb and Carson. After topping out on Hough late in the day, I spent a cold unplanned night in the steep ravine of Slide Brook after I veered off the Macomb slide in darkness. This time, it was different.
Last weekend, my friend and coworker, Dan, and I headed up to Clear Pond on the Elk Lake Preserve to attempt Hough, Carson, and Grace. After presenting a winter camping seminar at Gander Mountain in Henrietta, NY, we arrived at the winter parking area by Clear Pond. We hit the trail just after 5:30AM, and were happy to see that another group (ADK88) was signed in, and would be tramping on all 5 peaks. Under cold, crisp, and dark skies, we bare-booted the 2 miles on a closed but plowed road back to the summer trail head. After donning snowshoes, Dan and I crunched another mile or so in the dark until we had to step down under a small tree that spanned the old Jeep trail (see ADK88’s first sled video link). As I easily ducked under and stood up, I realized that it shouldn’t be that easy…… there was no big foam pad strapped to my pack that normally snags on something like that. I had forgotten my sleeping pad. After the customary “Oh s***!”, we decided that adding another 6 miles to our day was not an option, and that I could use our 2 empty packs as a ground pad. The relatively flat walk in was easy enough (no sled!), and we finally arrived at Lillian Brook LT to see if anyone was there. We met Charlie, who had opted out of his friends’ 4-peak effort that day in favor of hiking out to prep for a trip up Cascade & Porter and some ice climbing. Dan and I took a left from the LT and walked until we saw Dix Pond. That was far enough for me - I didn’t want to go down and lose all of that “up”, so we went back again to look for the Lillian Brook herd path. Two hikers headed for Dix and Hough informed us that the HP was flagged by a pink ribbon and was broken out. We had missed seeing the Lillian Brook path on our way in, perhaps because we were headed to visit the lean-to first, or maybe because we were in “trudge” mode with blinders on.
For those who have the excellent Barbara McMartin Tyvek map, the Lillian Brook herd path is pretty much where it appears on that map - well before you reach the lean-to. A single piece of pink ribbon (quite appropriate for a brook named “Lillian”) marks the turn out for the path up to the Hough-Pough/Carson col. This unofficial trail goes through an area of blowdown that a crew cleared in ‘06 (I think), thereby re-opening a very convenient path that had been filled in by the hurricane known as “Floyd” (not pink).
The path remained fairly level to moderate, and crossed the brook a few times, then we finally hit the steeper slope and began to climb. I marveled at the great day we had; a clear, cobalt-blue sky beckoned us upward, and I hoped the weather would remain this nice for our summit bid. The trail was well broken, and we just had to follow the groove as we gained altitude. In the open forest of the upper slope, we saw a single backpack hung on a tree. The custom-embroidered patch on it proclaimed it as belonging to one of the “ADK Ladies”.
Upon arriving at the top of the trail in the Hough-Pough col, we stopped at the junction of the track that headed toward Carson. Our original plan was to huff our packs up and over Pough and drop them on Carson while we went over to tag Grace Peak. The time of day dictated that we change that plan, so we dropped packs right there and began to climb up Hough, unencumbered by any backpacks, with only what we could fit into our pockets and with our crampons strapped to our waists like a spiny 20-point fanny pack ready to spear our kidneys if we should fall.
Soon, we encountered the group of ADK Ladies as they descended the steep trail. We confirmed their footwear as mostly MSR Lightning Ascents, as we had surmised from observing their tracks all the way up the mountain. After a short introductory greeting, we all continued on our opposite paths. Hough is a fun mountain to climb from that col, especially in winter when one can glissade back down a good part of it! We saw the Ladies’ “glissade prints” as we climbed, and soon emerged from the steep open forest and into the rocky area below the summit. A mostly clear sky remained for us, and it was a real pleasure to be there (as opposed to that day in April of “04).
Near the top of Hough, there is a point where you must sidestep through a very tight spot between two faces of a chest-high fractured boulder. I went first, and had a difficult time getting through. Like any good friend would, Dan shot a picture of me as I was temporarily stuck in what he dubbed the “lemon squeezer”. I managed to wiggle my way through, then stepped up and over the feature as I continued the climb. We enjoyed the view from the top while I celebrated my fortieth “W” - my first winter High Peak since climbing Dix last March from Round Pond.
As we began our descent, I decided to use my crampons as hand brakes to slow my speedy (no backpack) slide on the steep sections. That went very well, and I did not stab myself at all. We were back in the col in short order and set up camp. Dan had a 1.5 lb. MSR shelter - a floorless tent with no poles. You stake out the perimeter with sticks buried in the snow, then tie lines from nearby trees to a couple loops on top to give it shape. We buried the edges with piles of snow and were quite warm inside. I slept inside a thin Gore-Tex bivy bag, which is just a waterproof cover for the sleeping bag. I used a thin fleece sleeping "bag" inside my ZeroF down bag, and Dan slipped his Thermarest pad under my sleeping bag inside the bivy. I wore down booties and a down puffy jacket, and didn't need to zip my bag all the way or even use the hood. Dan used our 2 empty backpacks under his Minus20F bag and we both slept very well. The inside temp rose to almost 40F, while it must have been in the low teens outside. “No comment” about my tent mate’s unique snoring. One thing about winter camping like that, as soon as you set up a shelter, you get into your bag, boil water, then go to sleep no matter what the time. It was barely dark when the snore fest began (oops!).
We woke about the same time the sun lit the sky, and began our preparations for a long day of hiking. After melting a couple pots of snow, we geared up and huffed our way up Pough to the crest of Carson. Starting your day at 3800 feet really helps, and we were soon looking up at the yellow disc that is labeled “South Dix (Carson)”. I did not celebrate my 41st peak at that time, because if for any reason we didn’t reach Grace Peak, we’d be visiting that spot again. There is just the minimum descent to the col before you climb back up to Grace’s peak, and I recognized the rocky summit from my only other visit there back in August ’03. I was able then to relax a bit and claim winter peak #42. After the mandatory photos, we boogied on down to our camp in the col and packed up. As we descended Lillian Brook, at a point about a mile before reaching the main trail, we noticed a trace of a path to the south that might have led to the Macomb-Carson col, but no guarantees there.
The descent back to the main trail was more work than the 2 summits we had just visited, and after 1½ hours of down, we were on the marked trail and on our way out. It felt good to knock off 3 mountains that weekend, and it was the first time I’ve attempted multiple peaks in the Dix Range and managed to hit the summits of all of them. I hear that the mountains received several more inches of snow since we left, and next weekend’s trekkers will again have the joy of breaking trail. As we hiked out, both places where we had to duck and/or crawl under fallen trees had been cleared (trail maintenance performed Sunday or Monday), so those obstacles are now gone. We reached my car at about 5:30PM and shuffled back to Buffalo. So this wasn’t really that short, but it WAS a perfect weekend in the Dixes…
PHOTOS http://tinyurl.com/Hough-Carson-GraceJan09
Last weekend’s hiking in the Dix Mountain Range has been well documented already, so I'm going to post a short TR just to put out a little info about Lillian Brook and winter camping.
The Dix Range has always been a difficult place for me (I normally use alternate terminology to describe that aspect). My first trip there was in ‘03, when I managed to summit 4 of the 5 peaks over the course of 2 days, but had to turn back from Hough to avoid descending the steep Beckhorn trail after dark. When I returned to climb Hough several months later in April ‘04, before Lillian Brook was an option, I chose to climb over Macomb and Carson. After topping out on Hough late in the day, I spent a cold unplanned night in the steep ravine of Slide Brook after I veered off the Macomb slide in darkness. This time, it was different.
Last weekend, my friend and coworker, Dan, and I headed up to Clear Pond on the Elk Lake Preserve to attempt Hough, Carson, and Grace. After presenting a winter camping seminar at Gander Mountain in Henrietta, NY, we arrived at the winter parking area by Clear Pond. We hit the trail just after 5:30AM, and were happy to see that another group (ADK88) was signed in, and would be tramping on all 5 peaks. Under cold, crisp, and dark skies, we bare-booted the 2 miles on a closed but plowed road back to the summer trail head. After donning snowshoes, Dan and I crunched another mile or so in the dark until we had to step down under a small tree that spanned the old Jeep trail (see ADK88’s first sled video link). As I easily ducked under and stood up, I realized that it shouldn’t be that easy…… there was no big foam pad strapped to my pack that normally snags on something like that. I had forgotten my sleeping pad. After the customary “Oh s***!”, we decided that adding another 6 miles to our day was not an option, and that I could use our 2 empty packs as a ground pad. The relatively flat walk in was easy enough (no sled!), and we finally arrived at Lillian Brook LT to see if anyone was there. We met Charlie, who had opted out of his friends’ 4-peak effort that day in favor of hiking out to prep for a trip up Cascade & Porter and some ice climbing. Dan and I took a left from the LT and walked until we saw Dix Pond. That was far enough for me - I didn’t want to go down and lose all of that “up”, so we went back again to look for the Lillian Brook herd path. Two hikers headed for Dix and Hough informed us that the HP was flagged by a pink ribbon and was broken out. We had missed seeing the Lillian Brook path on our way in, perhaps because we were headed to visit the lean-to first, or maybe because we were in “trudge” mode with blinders on.
For those who have the excellent Barbara McMartin Tyvek map, the Lillian Brook herd path is pretty much where it appears on that map - well before you reach the lean-to. A single piece of pink ribbon (quite appropriate for a brook named “Lillian”) marks the turn out for the path up to the Hough-Pough/Carson col. This unofficial trail goes through an area of blowdown that a crew cleared in ‘06 (I think), thereby re-opening a very convenient path that had been filled in by the hurricane known as “Floyd” (not pink).
The path remained fairly level to moderate, and crossed the brook a few times, then we finally hit the steeper slope and began to climb. I marveled at the great day we had; a clear, cobalt-blue sky beckoned us upward, and I hoped the weather would remain this nice for our summit bid. The trail was well broken, and we just had to follow the groove as we gained altitude. In the open forest of the upper slope, we saw a single backpack hung on a tree. The custom-embroidered patch on it proclaimed it as belonging to one of the “ADK Ladies”.
Upon arriving at the top of the trail in the Hough-Pough col, we stopped at the junction of the track that headed toward Carson. Our original plan was to huff our packs up and over Pough and drop them on Carson while we went over to tag Grace Peak. The time of day dictated that we change that plan, so we dropped packs right there and began to climb up Hough, unencumbered by any backpacks, with only what we could fit into our pockets and with our crampons strapped to our waists like a spiny 20-point fanny pack ready to spear our kidneys if we should fall.
Soon, we encountered the group of ADK Ladies as they descended the steep trail. We confirmed their footwear as mostly MSR Lightning Ascents, as we had surmised from observing their tracks all the way up the mountain. After a short introductory greeting, we all continued on our opposite paths. Hough is a fun mountain to climb from that col, especially in winter when one can glissade back down a good part of it! We saw the Ladies’ “glissade prints” as we climbed, and soon emerged from the steep open forest and into the rocky area below the summit. A mostly clear sky remained for us, and it was a real pleasure to be there (as opposed to that day in April of “04).
Near the top of Hough, there is a point where you must sidestep through a very tight spot between two faces of a chest-high fractured boulder. I went first, and had a difficult time getting through. Like any good friend would, Dan shot a picture of me as I was temporarily stuck in what he dubbed the “lemon squeezer”
. I managed to wiggle my way through, then stepped up and over the feature as I continued the climb. We enjoyed the view from the top while I celebrated my fortieth “W” - my first winter High Peak since climbing Dix last March from Round Pond. As we began our descent, I decided to use my crampons as hand brakes to slow my speedy (no backpack) slide on the steep sections. That went very well, and I did not stab myself at all. We were back in the col in short order and set up camp. Dan had a 1.5 lb. MSR shelter - a floorless tent with no poles. You stake out the perimeter with sticks buried in the snow, then tie lines from nearby trees to a couple loops on top to give it shape. We buried the edges with piles of snow and were quite warm inside. I slept inside a thin Gore-Tex bivy bag, which is just a waterproof cover for the sleeping bag. I used a thin fleece sleeping "bag" inside my ZeroF down bag, and Dan slipped his Thermarest pad under my sleeping bag inside the bivy. I wore down booties and a down puffy jacket, and didn't need to zip my bag all the way or even use the hood. Dan used our 2 empty backpacks under his Minus20F bag and we both slept very well. The inside temp rose to almost 40F, while it must have been in the low teens outside. “No comment” about my tent mate’s unique snoring. One thing about winter camping like that, as soon as you set up a shelter, you get into your bag, boil water, then go to sleep no matter what the time. It was barely dark when the snore fest began (oops!).
We woke about the same time the sun lit the sky, and began our preparations for a long day of hiking. After melting a couple pots of snow, we geared up and huffed our way up Pough to the crest of Carson. Starting your day at 3800 feet really helps, and we were soon looking up at the yellow disc that is labeled “South Dix (Carson)”. I did not celebrate my 41st peak at that time, because if for any reason we didn’t reach Grace Peak, we’d be visiting that spot again. There is just the minimum descent to the col before you climb back up to Grace’s peak, and I recognized the rocky summit from my only other visit there back in August ’03. I was able then to relax a bit and claim winter peak #42. After the mandatory photos, we boogied on down to our camp in the col and packed up. As we descended Lillian Brook, at a point about a mile before reaching the main trail, we noticed a trace of a path to the south that might have led to the Macomb-Carson col, but no guarantees there.
The descent back to the main trail was more work than the 2 summits we had just visited, and after 1½ hours of down, we were on the marked trail and on our way out. It felt good to knock off 3 mountains that weekend, and it was the first time I’ve attempted multiple peaks in the Dix Range and managed to hit the summits of all of them. I hear that the mountains received several more inches of snow since we left, and next weekend’s trekkers will again have the joy of breaking trail. As we hiked out, both places where we had to duck and/or crawl under fallen trees had been cleared (trail maintenance performed Sunday or Monday), so those obstacles are now gone. We reached my car at about 5:30PM and shuffled back to Buffalo. So this wasn’t really that short, but it WAS a perfect weekend in the Dixes…
PHOTOS http://tinyurl.com/Hough-Carson-GraceJan09
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