Tromping Around On Tabletop – 12/29/10

[DSettahr]

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Route Taken: South Meadows to Marcy Dam via the truck trail, up the VanHoevenburg Trail to the herd path the summit, return to Marcy Dam via the Indian Falls-Lake Arnold Crossover Trail, Mount Colden Trail, and Avalanche Pass Trail, back to South Meadows via the truck trail

Snow Depth: About 1 foot at south meadows, nearly 2 feet at the summit of Tabletop

Trail Condition: Truck trail was well broken out by skiers; trail from Marcy Dam to the summit of Tabletop well broken out by snowshoe traffic and easy to follow; Indian Falls-Lake Arnold Crossover Trail broken out but had an inch of fresh snow on it; Mount Colden and Avalanche Pass trails well broken out

Traction Devices Used: Skis on the truck trail into and back out of Marcy Dam, snowshoes between Marcy Dam and the summit of Tabletop and back

My friend Danie and I wanted to climb a mountain today, but I, still recovering from my climb of Seymour two days ago, didn't want anything too intense. We selected Tabletop as our destination for the day as it was one of the easier High Peaks I have remaining for my Winter 46. Our plan was the ski into Marcy Dam via the truck trail, and continue on snowshoes from there.

We arrived at the start of South Meadows road to find that the cement barriers were in place. After parking the car, grabbing our packs, and donning our skis we started off. Joining us on the hike was Danie's malamute, Inga, who was ready and eager for a day in the woods. The day was much warmer (or at least it felt so) than the previous days had been, and while the skies were covered in clouds and some small wet crystals of snow were falling, it was shaping up to be a nice day to be in the woods.

The ski into Marcy Dam, in contrast to our difficult ski into the Ward Brook area two days prior, was quite easy and we made good time. It was mostly an uphill traverse, with a few downhill stretches. The trail itself was was well packed out by those who'd skied through before us, and there was a nice set of deep tracks in the powder on the side to guide us that continued most of the way in with few breaks in between.

Soon, we were at Marcy Dam, where we stashed our skis in the woods and switched to snowshoes. While photographing the views, some chickadees (perhaps the same ones I'd encountered here while climbing Phelps 4 days previously!) came over the check us out. The dam itself was also a busy destination on this day, as several groups came by while we were at the dam.

Just as we were getting ready to head up the VanHoevenburg Trail, a flash of brown caught my attention, and I looked up just in time to see a mink dart across the trail ahead of us. We ran down the trail to where'd I seen it cross, and while we didn't see any further sign of the furry little creature himself, his footprints were quite visible in the snow.

Off we went along the VanHoevenburg Trail. The conditions were quite similar to what I'd encountered when climbing Phelps several days before: a well broken out trail, but with some rocks still exposed and requiring one to step carefully in spots. The trail was perhaps a tad bit more icy than it had been, but nothing major, and we made good time. After stopping at the junction with the Phelps Trail for a quick snack, we continued up the VanHoevenburg Trail, which started to gain some serious elevation after the stream crossing.

Soon, we came across a tent pitched next to the trail. Not only was the tent no more than 2 or 3 feet off the trail, but the owner had somehow managed to pitch it only a few hundred feet beyond the “No Camping Beyond This Point” sign at the 3500 foot elevation. No sign of the owner anywhere nearby, and as we didn't come back that way, we never saw if it was still up later in the day.

After a fair amount of climbing, the trail started to level off as we approached the col between TR mountain and Tabletop. I looked for the herd path for TR Mountain, which I'd climbed this summer as part of my quest towards climbing the Adirondack Hundred Highest, but I saw no sign of it. We found ourselves at the junction with the herd path for Tabletop Mountain. The herd path itself is, of course, unmarked, but the junction is marked with a small DEC sign with the standard yellow lettering on a brown background. Here, we left the main trail and started up the herd path.

The herd path itself was also well broken out and easy to follow. It was a bit narrow in spots, with not much room to squeeze between the trees, but otherwise in great shape, with no major blowdowns. As we climbed, Danie and Inga, not encumbered like I was by the stiffness that I still felt as a result of my ascent of Seymour, darted on up ahead of me. I followed in their wake, making slow but steady progress. As we climbed, the snow and ice cover on the trees thickened, and before long it was obvious from all the stunted trees that we were well within the alpine zone. There was some ice, but nothing we couldn't handle with our Evo Ascents.

Near the summit, the trail turned into a narrow and winding canyon, lined with thick spruce and fir growth covered in snow. Each twist and turn in the trail hid what was ahead, and we wound back and forth quite a bit across flat ground before the trail finally opened up, and we saw the sign... we'd made it! Out came our thermoses of tea and hot chocolate, and a Stewart's sandwich (my lunch) and tuna and mayo packets (Danie's lunch). Inga got a tuna packet to herself which she made disappear in no time at all. The weather forecast that morning had promised the elevations above 4,000 feet should be above the clouds, but we were faced with no view, only a wall of gray and what trees in the foreground that we could see. On the summit, the temperature was cold, but quite pleasant after our climb, and I felt comfortable for a while without gloves or a hat. Soon, we became chilled, however, and after finishing off the candy I'd pulled out of my pack, we donned our packs again and started down the mountain.

During the descent, I had great fun knocking the trees, causing massive loads of snow to fall around me. While I wasn't aiming for Danie, a couple of times I heard her shriek in surprise as she unexpectedly found herself caught in the deluge of white powder. A few snowballs managed to score direct hits on Inga (who was in front), however, I had intentionally been aiming for her!

When we reached the VanHoevenburg Trail again, we decided to head up to Indian Falls to check it out. In contrast to what I remember from the summer (crowds of people lunching and hanging out the falls, enjoying the view of the MacIntyre Range), Indian Falls was desolate with no one around, and no fresh tracks in the snow. We couldn't even hear any running water, in fact, I'm pretty sure the stream was frozen solid.

I was curious to check out the Indian Falls-Lake Arnold Crossover Trail, which I'd never seen broken out in the winter. On my second backpacking trip ever in November of 2004, we'd tried to follow the trail downhill but gave up after a few hundred feet of trying to track the trail through pristine snow. Today, however, the trail bore old snowshoe tracks... it looked like it had been traversed by several people at some point recently, but their tracks were covered in about an inch of fresh powder. Since the trail was more or less broken out, we decided to return to Marcy Dam this way rather than retrace our steps. This trail, which obviously is not high on the DEC's maintenance priority list due to the low level of use it gets (even in the summer!), was mostly in good shape, but there were a few blowdowns that required us to either duck or scramble up and over. About midway down, we encountered 6 hikers coming uphill to Indian Falls (first time ever I've encountered other hikers on this particular trail!). After being traversed by a minimum of 8 hikers, I'd say that it's safe to say that the trail is quite well broken out, a rarity for this trail in the winter months.

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Continued...

 

[DSettahr]

After following the trail all the way to the junction with the Mount Colden Trail, we took a right an headed downhill on a well packed trail. As we descended towards Avalanche Camp, my snowshoe started to feel quite funny... I took a closer look at it, and realized that the part that straps to your foot had separated from the pivot that connects it to the snowshoe itself! Closer examination revealed that the metal that supports your feet had fatigued and cracked right through... not a design flaw, really, but rather a result of 5 winters of intensive use. I could still walk alright with it, however, and it seemed that as long as I proceeded carefully I'd be able to make it back to Marcy Dam ok. These snowshoes had certainly reached the end of their life time... “Just one more mile,” I said out loud to them... “And then you'll never have to walk anywhere again!”

We passed through Avalanche Camp, where the Mount Colden Trail joins the Avalanche Pass Trail, and headed north to Marcy Dam. Just as we could see the pond and the dam through the trees, we noticed a clearing in the woods that was roped off and signed with “Do Not Enter” signs. We stopped to investigate (not entering, of course, but observing from a distance!). “Isn't this where the hotel was?” Danie asked, referring to the large lean-to that could sleep many people (I had always referred to it as the “Party Lean-to” myself). I soon realized that she was right... the large lean-to had been dismantled! I had known that 3 of the 2 lean-tos at Marcy Dam were destined to go as stipulated in the Unit Management Plan, and I'd always figured that due to the size of the largest lean-to, it would certainly be removed, but all five had been there for as long as I'd been backpacking and hiking, and it was still a bit of a shock to realize that one of them had actually be taken apart!

Back at the dam, we retrieved our skis, and headed out. What had been a mostly uphill trip on the way in provided for some good ski runs as we descended on the way out. It was nice to be skiing on a wide trail (the trail into the Ward Brook area was quite narrow, which made steering difficult at times), but Danie still managed to wipe out and tangle herself up in her skis at one point. On the next hill, as I was descending I heard shouts of “No! No! Stop! Slow down!” behind me... I stopped, and turned, just in time to see Danie go whizzing past me as I realized she was not shouting at me but herself! She made it down the hill in one piece without falling that time, however.

We returned to South Meadows, and while we made our way back up the road, darkness started to fall. Inga was apparently quite tired, as she was no longer trotting ahead of us, but rather walking by our sides. Danie and I both felt the weight of the day as well, perhaps me more so than Danie, as my winter High Peaks adventures were starting to add up. As we returned to the car, I was definitely looking forwards to spending the next few days relaxing and enjoying the New Year's celebrations.

This hike puts me at 20 total winter High Peaks climbs, with 5 of them having occurred this winter during the past week. I've definitely put myself on a roll, but I'm afraid the snowshoe malfunction might set me back a bit... I checked the MSR website, and it says to allow for 4 to 6 weeks for repairs or replacements! Guess I'll be begging and borrowing snowshoes for the time being!