Oncoman
Active member
Saturday 11th March I hiked to the summit of MacNaughton. A most enjoyable hike under true early spring conditions with warm temps, a beautiful sunny day and an absolutely clear sky allowing me to have excellent views of the snow-capped peaks of Algonquin & Iroquois and further off Marcy & Skylight.
I snow-booted up to the Scott Clearing Lean-to as there was little snow on the trail and no dangerous icy conditions. The trail breaking to the Wallface ponds was strenuous (3hrs) with no packed base. There seemed to have been very little traffic on that trail this winter. Also with the warm temps the snow was sticky and wet, such that my snowshoes seemed heavier than usual. However there was negligible blow-down.
As for the bushwhack up MacNaughton, it was through open forest all the way. It was of course hard as any bushwhack in spring conditions is, with frequent sinking in almost at each footstep, but nothing overly strenuous for someone with endurance used to hiking 14-16 day hikes. I reached the ridge 2½ hrs after leaving the beaver dam. And then the fun started as I had no idea on which of the 3 peak knobs I was on. It took me a good hour of searching around to finally find the wooden sign on the most westerly peak. I even had to climb up a big spruce tree to orient myself. After relishing my victory and contemplating the nearby summits, Henderson Lake & the Wallface ponds, I retraced my tracks and was back to the beaver dam in barely 1 hr. Then I slipped off the dam and fell in 2-3 ft of cold water. But with the warm temps I didn’t even bother changing socks.
The return trip was much easier and quicker. I was back to Scott’s Dam shortly after nightfall. Just before reaching the Lean-to I had the pleasant surprise of meeting Sam accompanied by a friend heading off for MacNaughton under the moonlight. WOW! The moon was very bright that warm night along with a perfectly clear starry sky. Enjoy guys!
I was back to my car at 21h00, after a 15 hrs hike, tired but not exhausted. There another pleasant surprise awaited me as I met Jeffery who had just completed 5 peaks that day, finishing his 46W on Wright after nightfall. What an impressive 46W finish. Congratulations again Jeff!
Now that the trail is nicely broken down by 3 brave hikers right up to the summit of MacNaughton, now is the perfect time to bag that peak this winter for all those interested out there.
Pierre
I snow-booted up to the Scott Clearing Lean-to as there was little snow on the trail and no dangerous icy conditions. The trail breaking to the Wallface ponds was strenuous (3hrs) with no packed base. There seemed to have been very little traffic on that trail this winter. Also with the warm temps the snow was sticky and wet, such that my snowshoes seemed heavier than usual. However there was negligible blow-down.
As for the bushwhack up MacNaughton, it was through open forest all the way. It was of course hard as any bushwhack in spring conditions is, with frequent sinking in almost at each footstep, but nothing overly strenuous for someone with endurance used to hiking 14-16 day hikes. I reached the ridge 2½ hrs after leaving the beaver dam. And then the fun started as I had no idea on which of the 3 peak knobs I was on. It took me a good hour of searching around to finally find the wooden sign on the most westerly peak. I even had to climb up a big spruce tree to orient myself. After relishing my victory and contemplating the nearby summits, Henderson Lake & the Wallface ponds, I retraced my tracks and was back to the beaver dam in barely 1 hr. Then I slipped off the dam and fell in 2-3 ft of cold water. But with the warm temps I didn’t even bother changing socks.
The return trip was much easier and quicker. I was back to Scott’s Dam shortly after nightfall. Just before reaching the Lean-to I had the pleasant surprise of meeting Sam accompanied by a friend heading off for MacNaughton under the moonlight. WOW! The moon was very bright that warm night along with a perfectly clear starry sky. Enjoy guys!
I was back to my car at 21h00, after a 15 hrs hike, tired but not exhausted. There another pleasant surprise awaited me as I met Jeffery who had just completed 5 peaks that day, finishing his 46W on Wright after nightfall. What an impressive 46W finish. Congratulations again Jeff!
Now that the trail is nicely broken down by 3 brave hikers right up to the summit of MacNaughton, now is the perfect time to bag that peak this winter for all those interested out there.
Pierre
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