rbalbs
New member
Route: Shawn D and I had planned to hike the Sewards however the conditions on the Northway were tough and limited speeds to 35 mph for long stretches. Instead we went with Plan B - Redfield and Cliff from the Loj and hit the trail by 7 AM. We hiked in to Uphill Lean-to via Avalanche Pass and retraced out steps on the way out. We were back at the car before 7 PM.
Trail Conditions:
6 “ of fresh dry powder from the Loj to Avalanche Camp. From here to Avalanche Lake we followed the tracks of 3 backpackers who were climbing the Trap Dike. Enjoyed the walk across frozen Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden.
Once on the Marcy trail we again had 6 “ of powder to pack down. Had lunch at Uphill Lean-to and then we were off to Redfield. We benefited from DLhiker and Rejean’s work as the path was very obvious and easy to follow to the summit. We had beautiful sunlit skies and great views of Skylight and Allen from the summit.
Cliff was more challenging as the week-old tracks were only apparent on the old corduroy section of the Twin Brook Trail – much better than hiking this section in summer! Path had about 24 “ of powder to the base of the cliffs then 12” from the false summit to the Cliff Sign. The cliffs were a bit tricky to get up due to ice flows underneath the snow and thankfully they were much easier to get down.
Special Equipment Required: Wore snowshoes all day - essential.
Comments: Another great hike – the walk through Avalanche Pass never gets old and the winter season always seems to increase the tranquility and solitude of the wilderness experience.
Rick B
Trail Conditions:
6 “ of fresh dry powder from the Loj to Avalanche Camp. From here to Avalanche Lake we followed the tracks of 3 backpackers who were climbing the Trap Dike. Enjoyed the walk across frozen Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden.
Once on the Marcy trail we again had 6 “ of powder to pack down. Had lunch at Uphill Lean-to and then we were off to Redfield. We benefited from DLhiker and Rejean’s work as the path was very obvious and easy to follow to the summit. We had beautiful sunlit skies and great views of Skylight and Allen from the summit.
Cliff was more challenging as the week-old tracks were only apparent on the old corduroy section of the Twin Brook Trail – much better than hiking this section in summer! Path had about 24 “ of powder to the base of the cliffs then 12” from the false summit to the Cliff Sign. The cliffs were a bit tricky to get up due to ice flows underneath the snow and thankfully they were much easier to get down.
Special Equipment Required: Wore snowshoes all day - essential.
Comments: Another great hike – the walk through Avalanche Pass never gets old and the winter season always seems to increase the tranquility and solitude of the wilderness experience.
Rick B
