Rhody Seth
Active member
I didn't expect to do any hiking over this winter break but the wife gave the okay so I found myself quickly planning a trip. A had some flexibility with the schedule and the weather inversion made for an excellent couple days up in the Whites. After dropping my daughter at her all day driver's ed course (it's basically consumed her holiday break but at least she got it done in one fell swoop) I made the four hour drive up to the farside of Moosilauke. I want to finish or at least chip away at my Winter48 this season and with 12 left there were plenty of options. Hitting Moose via Glencliff seemed like a good one considering I'd be starting around noon. With plans to drive another hour and sleep in my car afterwards, it afforded plenty of flexibility in terms of how long this would take.
My legs were a bit of a question mark - a bad fall while running in November messed up my right knee and I've been dealing with soreness and limping after hard runs. I didn't think hiking would be too much of an issue but I also didn't really know.
I carried more gear than I needed, but with such a gap since my last winter hike I opted for more conservative options. Such as my beefy MSR Ascent snowshoes which were overkill but certainly smoothed out the trail. I had read a report of nasty blowdowns from a few weeks back but I didn't have any issues on this day. They had either been cut away or a suitable path tracked out around. Despite the full parking lot it took away before I passed people descending. It was the sort of day that encouraged a late start. The climb was definitely harder than I anticipated and an appropriate wake-up call to winter hiking.
Near the summit I saw one trail runner and a couple bare chested skiers. But I still had the summit to myself for five minutes which was also the only time I really experienced much wind. With such mild temps (37°) it was barely an issue. The trip down was uneventful though my legs were beginning to ache. But overall I was very happy with how they held up. I finished just in time to see lovely sunset colors near the trailhead. Then I took a long roundabout drive over to Twin Mountain where thankfully there was a pizza place open.
My legs were a bit of a question mark - a bad fall while running in November messed up my right knee and I've been dealing with soreness and limping after hard runs. I didn't think hiking would be too much of an issue but I also didn't really know.
I carried more gear than I needed, but with such a gap since my last winter hike I opted for more conservative options. Such as my beefy MSR Ascent snowshoes which were overkill but certainly smoothed out the trail. I had read a report of nasty blowdowns from a few weeks back but I didn't have any issues on this day. They had either been cut away or a suitable path tracked out around. Despite the full parking lot it took away before I passed people descending. It was the sort of day that encouraged a late start. The climb was definitely harder than I anticipated and an appropriate wake-up call to winter hiking.
Near the summit I saw one trail runner and a couple bare chested skiers. But I still had the summit to myself for five minutes which was also the only time I really experienced much wind. With such mild temps (37°) it was barely an issue. The trip down was uneventful though my legs were beginning to ache. But overall I was very happy with how they held up. I finished just in time to see lovely sunset colors near the trailhead. Then I took a long roundabout drive over to Twin Mountain where thankfully there was a pizza place open.
