Trail Conditions: From Upper Works to the Calamity Brook trail junction (0.4) the trail was well broken; the Indian Pass trail to the trail to Duck Hole (1.5) was broken by skiers; the trail to Duck Hole was unbroken (6"-8" unconsolidated snow on top of a soft crust. More powder with elevation gain; less in pine stands and more in open areas.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes a must; poles useful (surprisingly) all the way to the summit.
Comments: It was a long day (11:40 hrs.) for Jim and I. Progress up was slow and frustrating and we almost quit several times. If the terrain hadn't dramatically improved over the last 800' verticle we would have had to turn back. No views; it snowed all day.
From the trail we contoured over to the brook and crossed it below a falls. We continued going left because the going was easier. Jim felt we should go further left and follow the SW ridge. In the end, we headed back right toward the brook encountering some blow down. The brook was a hinderance because earlier thaws and rain had left it with 4'-5' vertical ice walls and in many places open water. Somewhere about 3200' the woods near the brook opened up and we made steady progress for the first time. My GPS was useful this time although it had the summit elevation at 4031. The snow was deep but not that deep!
The way out was a slog. Some snowshoers improved our trail from the lean-to at the N. end of Henderson Lake for about half a mile toward Duck Hole. They must have cut across the lake. From the side trail (at the lean-to) back to the Indian Pass trail we had to rebreak our fading trail.
I guess perserverence paid off, although we weren't sure of that until we got back to the car. The day's effort wouldn't have put us so close to our limits if we had been hardened this season to winter ADK trips. This one was our first of the season. It was still very good to be in the mountains again.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes a must; poles useful (surprisingly) all the way to the summit.
Comments: It was a long day (11:40 hrs.) for Jim and I. Progress up was slow and frustrating and we almost quit several times. If the terrain hadn't dramatically improved over the last 800' verticle we would have had to turn back. No views; it snowed all day.
From the trail we contoured over to the brook and crossed it below a falls. We continued going left because the going was easier. Jim felt we should go further left and follow the SW ridge. In the end, we headed back right toward the brook encountering some blow down. The brook was a hinderance because earlier thaws and rain had left it with 4'-5' vertical ice walls and in many places open water. Somewhere about 3200' the woods near the brook opened up and we made steady progress for the first time. My GPS was useful this time although it had the summit elevation at 4031. The snow was deep but not that deep!
The way out was a slog. Some snowshoers improved our trail from the lean-to at the N. end of Henderson Lake for about half a mile toward Duck Hole. They must have cut across the lake. From the side trail (at the lean-to) back to the Indian Pass trail we had to rebreak our fading trail.
I guess perserverence paid off, although we weren't sure of that until we got back to the car. The day's effort wouldn't have put us so close to our limits if we had been hardened this season to winter ADK trips. This one was our first of the season. It was still very good to be in the mountains again.
