Tom Rankin
Well-known member
A day off and back out we go!
Laurie and I started at the end of Spruceton Road, aka Ct. Rt. 6, arriving just after the snow plow had left! Sweet! It was about 10:10 when we started. 4 people drove up and asked us where the Hunter Mt. Ski Center was!
We told them to join us, and we would show them! Actually, we gave them directions and then went on our way.
The register has no pencils and the pens were all frozen. An illegible name was written yesterday, with the goal of the Hunter Loop. So we benefited from a broken trail for the first 20-30 minutes. At the junction, we crossed the bridge, admired the falls, which are kind of half frozen over, and began the hike in earnest.
There was about 12-18" of fresh powder, and no evidence of anyone being here recently. Quite a few blowdowns looked like no one else had been over them, and a zillion conifers were bent over the trail. All this made things very slow. It took us 4 hours to summit, but summit we did!
After changing a few layers, and getting some food and liquids, we eventually felt better, and started flying down the trail, doing the descent in 1:45. The sun was just setting as we finished the hike.
Very cold today, about 6F at the top, with blowing snow. Fortunately the snow is very light and fluffy.
If you care, the 'Rusk' lot and the one just beyond it (East) were not plowed out, nor was the lot at the end of the Devil's path. They did look like they had been plowed after the previous storm, FWIW. The 'Halcott' lot was plowed and footprints lead up the slope.
Laurie and I started at the end of Spruceton Road, aka Ct. Rt. 6, arriving just after the snow plow had left! Sweet! It was about 10:10 when we started. 4 people drove up and asked us where the Hunter Mt. Ski Center was!
We told them to join us, and we would show them! Actually, we gave them directions and then went on our way. The register has no pencils and the pens were all frozen. An illegible name was written yesterday, with the goal of the Hunter Loop. So we benefited from a broken trail for the first 20-30 minutes. At the junction, we crossed the bridge, admired the falls, which are kind of half frozen over, and began the hike in earnest.
There was about 12-18" of fresh powder, and no evidence of anyone being here recently. Quite a few blowdowns looked like no one else had been over them, and a zillion conifers were bent over the trail. All this made things very slow. It took us 4 hours to summit, but summit we did!
After changing a few layers, and getting some food and liquids, we eventually felt better, and started flying down the trail, doing the descent in 1:45. The sun was just setting as we finished the hike.
Very cold today, about 6F at the top, with blowing snow. Fortunately the snow is very light and fluffy.
If you care, the 'Rusk' lot and the one just beyond it (East) were not plowed out, nor was the lot at the end of the Devil's path. They did look like they had been plowed after the previous storm, FWIW. The 'Halcott' lot was plowed and footprints lead up the slope.
