TMax
New member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 589
- Reaction score
- 85
Decided to have a "mellow" hike today after sleeping in 
. Got to the trailhead on route 42 around 11:30. One other vehicle was there. The brook crossing was easy as it's mostly frozen. Started up the old woods road that had just a dusting of snow. Made good time up and decided to follow the boot tracks of the pair that went up before me. I always have mixed feelings about doing that...I figure if I'm going to take a lousy route, it should be one I choose, not someone else's but their compass bearing was good so I hung in there. Well, the route was not so great! It meandered through every possible thick growth rather than haniging more in the open. I assume this is because the people choosing the path barebooted the entire way and needed stuff to hang on to! I donned crampons at about 2900' when the route started to get very steep. There was a perfect crunchy base of snow covered by a couple inches of new stuff...perfect for crampon bites! On the steepest section my legs started screaming (I promised them we weren't back on the Burroughs range and that it would be over soon!) but it was so steep I didn't want to stop and put that much pressure on my legs to hold on. Nor did I want to expend the extra energy to kick out a platform so I just plugged along. I wound up on top a little east of the cannister and walked along the ridge until I found it. No pen or pencil in the cannister to sign in and I didn't have one with me . The sun was shining brightly but it was cold and the wind was whipping. I stopped long enough to re-fuel and put an extra bottom layer on, changed mitts, and put a heavier fleece hat on for the walk down. Stuck closer to the ridge line to avoid some of the steeper stuff and enjoyed a thoroughly pleasant walk down. The wind was now at my back and helped me make even better time . Managed the entire hike without a slip or fall until just before the parking lot when an evil tangle of barbed wire jumped out and attacked me sending me sprawling onto my knees with enough forward momentum that I banged my head off the ground . I guess it wouldn't be a true Tmax hike without at least one spill
. Got to the trailhead on route 42 around 11:30. One other vehicle was there. The brook crossing was easy as it's mostly frozen. Started up the old woods road that had just a dusting of snow. Made good time up and decided to follow the boot tracks of the pair that went up before me. I always have mixed feelings about doing that...I figure if I'm going to take a lousy route, it should be one I choose, not someone else's but their compass bearing was good so I hung in there. Well, the route was not so great! It meandered through every possible thick growth rather than haniging more in the open. I assume this is because the people choosing the path barebooted the entire way and needed stuff to hang on to! I donned crampons at about 2900' when the route started to get very steep. There was a perfect crunchy base of snow covered by a couple inches of new stuff...perfect for crampon bites! On the steepest section my legs started screaming (I promised them we weren't back on the Burroughs range and that it would be over soon!) but it was so steep I didn't want to stop and put that much pressure on my legs to hold on. Nor did I want to expend the extra energy to kick out a platform so I just plugged along. I wound up on top a little east of the cannister and walked along the ridge until I found it. No pen or pencil in the cannister to sign in and I didn't have one with me . The sun was shining brightly but it was cold and the wind was whipping. I stopped long enough to re-fuel and put an extra bottom layer on, changed mitts, and put a heavier fleece hat on for the walk down. Stuck closer to the ridge line to avoid some of the steeper stuff and enjoyed a thoroughly pleasant walk down. The wind was now at my back and helped me make even better time . Managed the entire hike without a slip or fall until just before the parking lot when an evil tangle of barbed wire jumped out and attacked me sending me sprawling onto my knees with enough forward momentum that I banged my head off the ground . I guess it wouldn't be a true Tmax hike without at least one spill 
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