daxs
Active member
It was a dark and stormy night.... Ok so it wasn't. This weekend involved myself, Crazymamma, Nancy (Crazy's friend) and Paula daughter of Nancy, friend of Crazy's, decision to do a easy, stress free hike in the ADK's to test our winter skills. We decided on Tirrell Pond in Blue Mountain Lake becuase we could do it as a thru hike and because of lean-to availability. We met at the trailhead on Rte 30 Saturday morning and spotted cars. After a great breakfast at Nonies in Indian Lake (good food but no bathrooms 
) we got a late morning start at the NP trail on Rte 28. The hike was easy going, a flat snow covered trail that made for easy travelling. We had cloudy skiies and a light snow for the trip in. Snow shoes or skiis a must on this trail due to heavy ski usage. In no time, a privy in the woods welcomed us to Tirrell Pond. It seems that the skiiers opt to ski across the frozen pond but we kept to the trail which hugs the pond and soon came to the unoccupied lean-to. A Hyatt in the woods to us. We fired up the stove for some hot drinks and I officially started happy hour by having hot cider and bourbon (what else?). We dug out a fire ring in front of the lean to and broke out our weapons.... We fiendishly planned a night of bloody mayhem and destruction that would rock the newspapers.... Oh, wrong story again. We broke out our "weapons" - hatchet, saws and mallet and proceeded into the woods to find downed wood for the bonfire we envisioned. We accumulated quite a pile of wood and proceeded to saw and hatchet it into usable sizes. After a great deal of effort we got a reasonable fire going but not the blazing inferno we had dreamed. With darkness falling and happy hour continuing, we decided to pitch the tents. Two reasons, it was going to be damned cold that night and we wanted to try out the snow/sand anchors. Paula and Nancy had an easier time with their freestanding tent. Crazy and I had a bit more work with the non freestanding Clip Flashlight. The anchors worked great though and I am pleased to say the tent did not collapse on our heads during the night. Back to the waning fire, dinner, dessert, scotch and bourbon. By this time, the clouds had cleared and the skiies were crystal clear. Crazy and I hiked down to the pond where we were treated to an awesome display of stars. An early bedtime followed. During the night though sleep was interrupted by snowmobilers off somewhere int he distance. Also during the night, one of our party began to suffer from early hypothermia. We were up and out of our tents to help. Another sleeping bag, hot drinks and we decided to pack up and hike out early. But not before a final trip to the pond. The sun was rising over the mountains and the snow of the pond looked like a field of shimmering diamonds. The summit of Blue Mountain was in a cloud (not a bad thing since it hid the awful towers on the top) and the woods leading to the summit were covered in frost. The moon, not quite full was still shining to the right of the peak. What a glorious morning! It was difficult to leave but we hoisted our packs - How did they get soooo heavy? Wet tents? and off we went. There was a bit more uphill on the way out but the scenery and the cold, about zero degrees, kept us energized. It was a quick 3+ miles out to the cars we had spotted. Then off for another breakfast. A good time was had by all. All in all a successful Women with Weapons Winter Weekend in the Woods, Vol 1. Plans are being made for volume 2 next year.
On a more serious note, wood collecting for a fire and dealing with a friend with hypothermia made us work togther as a team. Its amazing how efficient we were. I think we reinforced existing skills, learned new skills, strenghthened friendships. On a less serious note, I can't beleive how empty the bourbon bottle was when I got home..... I am not responsible for any typo's in this report.
) we got a late morning start at the NP trail on Rte 28. The hike was easy going, a flat snow covered trail that made for easy travelling. We had cloudy skiies and a light snow for the trip in. Snow shoes or skiis a must on this trail due to heavy ski usage. In no time, a privy in the woods welcomed us to Tirrell Pond. It seems that the skiiers opt to ski across the frozen pond but we kept to the trail which hugs the pond and soon came to the unoccupied lean-to. A Hyatt in the woods to us. We fired up the stove for some hot drinks and I officially started happy hour by having hot cider and bourbon (what else?). We dug out a fire ring in front of the lean to and broke out our weapons.... We fiendishly planned a night of bloody mayhem and destruction that would rock the newspapers.... Oh, wrong story again. We broke out our "weapons" - hatchet, saws and mallet and proceeded into the woods to find downed wood for the bonfire we envisioned. We accumulated quite a pile of wood and proceeded to saw and hatchet it into usable sizes. After a great deal of effort we got a reasonable fire going but not the blazing inferno we had dreamed. With darkness falling and happy hour continuing, we decided to pitch the tents. Two reasons, it was going to be damned cold that night and we wanted to try out the snow/sand anchors. Paula and Nancy had an easier time with their freestanding tent. Crazy and I had a bit more work with the non freestanding Clip Flashlight. The anchors worked great though and I am pleased to say the tent did not collapse on our heads during the night. Back to the waning fire, dinner, dessert, scotch and bourbon. By this time, the clouds had cleared and the skiies were crystal clear. Crazy and I hiked down to the pond where we were treated to an awesome display of stars. An early bedtime followed. During the night though sleep was interrupted by snowmobilers off somewhere int he distance. Also during the night, one of our party began to suffer from early hypothermia. We were up and out of our tents to help. Another sleeping bag, hot drinks and we decided to pack up and hike out early. But not before a final trip to the pond. The sun was rising over the mountains and the snow of the pond looked like a field of shimmering diamonds. The summit of Blue Mountain was in a cloud (not a bad thing since it hid the awful towers on the top) and the woods leading to the summit were covered in frost. The moon, not quite full was still shining to the right of the peak. What a glorious morning! It was difficult to leave but we hoisted our packs - How did they get soooo heavy? Wet tents? and off we went. There was a bit more uphill on the way out but the scenery and the cold, about zero degrees, kept us energized. It was a quick 3+ miles out to the cars we had spotted. Then off for another breakfast. A good time was had by all. All in all a successful Women with Weapons Winter Weekend in the Woods, Vol 1. Plans are being made for volume 2 next year. On a more serious note, wood collecting for a fire and dealing with a friend with hypothermia made us work togther as a team. Its amazing how efficient we were. I think we reinforced existing skills, learned new skills, strenghthened friendships. On a less serious note, I can't beleive how empty the bourbon bottle was when I got home..... I am not responsible for any typo's in this report.
