docross
In Memoriam to a Deceased Member
4 of us started from the base of the Mt Ellen ski area at 8:30 and headed up slope. At the base it was 45 and sunny, so we were quickly layered-down for the climb. We met one ski patroller who thought we should have hiking passes, but when he radioed his base, they said we could continue up without the passes. (Moral: it is a good idea to check in with Ski Patrol).
Two hours and 2500 vertical feet later we summited Ellen, now in fog, and headed off onto the LT, to see if it had been broken out since Mad Townie's report last week. We were delighted to see that skiers and boarders had been up there, so we headed south.
No problem until the col after Cutt's Peak, when the ski tracks disappeared, and we lost the trail. We estimated anywhere from 5 to 8 feet of snow were on the ridge. Fred fell into a spruce trap 2 feet over his head, similar to what befell Mad Townie. By the time he got out, we had found the trail again.
We lost the trail a few more times, and fell into a few more traps, but by Nancy Hanks the skiers and boarders had reappeared, and we had a relatively easy time of it to Lincoln Peak, the top of Sugarbush, south area. We arrived there about 2 pm. An officious ski patroller said that he would prefer that we descend his slopes after 4 pm when the lift stopped; we assured him that we wouldn't be back from Abraham until well after the lifts stopped.
It turned out that the trail to Abraham hadn't been broken out recently, but at some point it had been, since we only sank 6-8 inches before finding a consolidated base. We reached the Abraham summit at 3:15, traded hi-fives, and headed back down out of the wind. After some light refreshment, we booked it back to Lincoln, arriving there just at 4 pm.
Nobody but friendly ski patrollers there, and we walked and butt-slid down the slope. We hadn't spotted a car, since we were sure that the LT hadn't been broken out, but fortunately Marty has a slick butt, or something, and reached the parking lot just as the last shuttle to Ellen was leaving. We had thought to give him the keys to one of the vehicles, and by the time we got down, we only had a 10 minute wait before Marty showed up.
Of course, due to all the snow, and the recent storm, we were hiking along the LT in the tree-tops; consequently we were soaked through, despite Gore-tex. Luckily temps were on the warm side, even on the ridge (probably in the low 20s).
We over-nighted at the Brandon Motor Lodge and ate a fine meal at Sully's in Brandon, with plenty beer. This am we breakfasted down the road at a nice diner, and headed to Pico, which we knocked off in 3 hours RT, up and down the slopes (this time we checked in with Ski Patrol).
All in all, a satisfying weekend, and #70 through 72 for my Winter NE HH.
Thanks to Fred McH, Marty J, and Bob B for breaking trail and companionship! Thanks to Mad Townie for his original reports on 2/24 and 2/25, and his emails to my questions.
Two hours and 2500 vertical feet later we summited Ellen, now in fog, and headed off onto the LT, to see if it had been broken out since Mad Townie's report last week. We were delighted to see that skiers and boarders had been up there, so we headed south.
No problem until the col after Cutt's Peak, when the ski tracks disappeared, and we lost the trail. We estimated anywhere from 5 to 8 feet of snow were on the ridge. Fred fell into a spruce trap 2 feet over his head, similar to what befell Mad Townie. By the time he got out, we had found the trail again.
We lost the trail a few more times, and fell into a few more traps, but by Nancy Hanks the skiers and boarders had reappeared, and we had a relatively easy time of it to Lincoln Peak, the top of Sugarbush, south area. We arrived there about 2 pm. An officious ski patroller said that he would prefer that we descend his slopes after 4 pm when the lift stopped; we assured him that we wouldn't be back from Abraham until well after the lifts stopped.
It turned out that the trail to Abraham hadn't been broken out recently, but at some point it had been, since we only sank 6-8 inches before finding a consolidated base. We reached the Abraham summit at 3:15, traded hi-fives, and headed back down out of the wind. After some light refreshment, we booked it back to Lincoln, arriving there just at 4 pm.
Nobody but friendly ski patrollers there, and we walked and butt-slid down the slope. We hadn't spotted a car, since we were sure that the LT hadn't been broken out, but fortunately Marty has a slick butt, or something, and reached the parking lot just as the last shuttle to Ellen was leaving. We had thought to give him the keys to one of the vehicles, and by the time we got down, we only had a 10 minute wait before Marty showed up.
Of course, due to all the snow, and the recent storm, we were hiking along the LT in the tree-tops; consequently we were soaked through, despite Gore-tex. Luckily temps were on the warm side, even on the ridge (probably in the low 20s).
We over-nighted at the Brandon Motor Lodge and ate a fine meal at Sully's in Brandon, with plenty beer. This am we breakfasted down the road at a nice diner, and headed to Pico, which we knocked off in 3 hours RT, up and down the slopes (this time we checked in with Ski Patrol).
All in all, a satisfying weekend, and #70 through 72 for my Winter NE HH.
Thanks to Fred McH, Marty J, and Bob B for breaking trail and companionship! Thanks to Mad Townie for his original reports on 2/24 and 2/25, and his emails to my questions.
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). Too bad about that one patroller, though.
