Tom Rankin
Well-known member
What a great way to finish off the year, driving in to the summer parking lot on Corey's Road! 
We arrived at 6:25 AM, and started the hike a few minutes later. A group of 3 women had preceded us in a Jeep, but we left before them. They were headed to Donaldson and Emmons, following the 15 people who had been there the day before, in a light snow. The snow had left us with 2-5" of new snow.
We bare booted into the Ward Brook leanto, which took a little less than 3 hours. We were moving a little slowly, thanks to the Sewards hike we had done 2 days before. It started to clear up as we approached the leanto. It had been overcast, but the forecast called for clearing skies. We donned waterproof layers and started up the herd path.
A lone hiker had set a very nice trail 2 days before. He followed the herd path unswervingly all the way, never making a mistake. Dude, if you read this, I owe you a cold one!
In spite of the excellent trailbreaking, the slog up Seward was excruciating. It took us 3 hours to get to the summit. There were tons of blowdown to negotiate, lots of hidden roots, and some ice. Snowshoes proved adequate for the task. It would have taken a little less time if we had not gotten off the trail once and ended up fighting the fir spruce trees for several minutes before retracing our steps. If you come to a cliff on the left of the path with a LOT of ice blocking the trail, turn around! We eventually figured out our mistake and resumed the herd path. By about 1:00 we had finally managed to get to the summit. The views in all directions were spectacular! We could see mountains in every direction all the way to infinity! Well almost. There were some wisps of clouds in various places around the high peaks, but it only added to the effect.
After some quick pictures and a snack, we headed back down, retracing our steps in less than 1.5 hours. The butt sliding was pretty lame, with all the blowdown and hidden roots, but we made good time. When we got back to the leanto, we both changed into dry clothes. Aaahh! Fleece!
The walk out was long and boring, but as the Sun started to set, the waxing moon made its presence felt, and we walked out with a combination of fading sun light and increasing moon light. It was beautiful. An owl hooted a few times as we neared the horse trail. We just managed to beat darkness, arriving back at the car at 5:20. I had to use my headlamp to sign out, as Laurie started the car. It was an awesome feeling driving out knowing we had bagged all 4 Sewards in Winter from the summer trailhead!
To top the day (night) off, we drove by the Loj Road, and saw Algonquin lit up in the moonlight, a truly awesome sight!
I'll post a few pics when I get a chance...
We arrived at 6:25 AM, and started the hike a few minutes later. A group of 3 women had preceded us in a Jeep, but we left before them. They were headed to Donaldson and Emmons, following the 15 people who had been there the day before, in a light snow. The snow had left us with 2-5" of new snow.
We bare booted into the Ward Brook leanto, which took a little less than 3 hours. We were moving a little slowly, thanks to the Sewards hike we had done 2 days before. It started to clear up as we approached the leanto. It had been overcast, but the forecast called for clearing skies. We donned waterproof layers and started up the herd path.
A lone hiker had set a very nice trail 2 days before. He followed the herd path unswervingly all the way, never making a mistake. Dude, if you read this, I owe you a cold one!
In spite of the excellent trailbreaking, the slog up Seward was excruciating. It took us 3 hours to get to the summit. There were tons of blowdown to negotiate, lots of hidden roots, and some ice. Snowshoes proved adequate for the task. It would have taken a little less time if we had not gotten off the trail once and ended up fighting the fir spruce trees for several minutes before retracing our steps. If you come to a cliff on the left of the path with a LOT of ice blocking the trail, turn around!
We eventually figured out our mistake and resumed the herd path. By about 1:00 we had finally managed to get to the summit. The views in all directions were spectacular! We could see mountains in every direction all the way to infinity! Well almost. There were some wisps of clouds in various places around the high peaks, but it only added to the effect.After some quick pictures and a snack, we headed back down, retracing our steps in less than 1.5 hours. The butt sliding was pretty lame, with all the blowdown and hidden roots, but we made good time. When we got back to the leanto, we both changed into dry clothes. Aaahh! Fleece!
The walk out was long and boring, but as the Sun started to set, the waxing moon made its presence felt, and we walked out with a combination of fading sun light and increasing moon light. It was beautiful. An owl hooted a few times as we neared the horse trail. We just managed to beat darkness, arriving back at the car at 5:20. I had to use my headlamp to sign out, as Laurie started the car. It was an awesome feeling driving out knowing we had bagged all 4 Sewards in Winter from the summer trailhead!
To top the day (night) off, we drove by the Loj Road, and saw Algonquin lit up in the moonlight, a truly awesome sight!
I'll post a few pics when I get a chance...
