Trail up this sub-peak of Sugarloaf was easy to find. Parked at the end of muddy Bigelow Mt. Road in the condo area (beneath a sign proclaiming parking was only for condo owners and their guests... two guys in a condo maintenance pickup truck assured me I was okay to park, despite the sign).
Hopped over the five foot plowed snowbank, went downhill on a groomed x-country ski trail briefly, cross the creek, and saw a sign for "Burnt Mt. Trail" on the other side. The blue-blazed trail was well packed, and I barebooted with microspikes. After gaining 800 feet, at 2700', I put on the snowshoes as the snow had softened. Climbing out of the Sugarloaf-Burnt Mt col at 3100' or so, I broke out onto the open slopes and was immediately assaulted by gale-force winds from the north. As I struggled to the top over the drifts and icy glaze, I wished I'd brought an ice axe. In the lee of a giant cairn marking the top, I took a few pictures. Visibility had to be 100 miles. My snowshoe tracks were nearly obliterated by the drifting snow on the way down, and finally reaching the shelter of the spruce was a relief.
Hopped over the five foot plowed snowbank, went downhill on a groomed x-country ski trail briefly, cross the creek, and saw a sign for "Burnt Mt. Trail" on the other side. The blue-blazed trail was well packed, and I barebooted with microspikes. After gaining 800 feet, at 2700', I put on the snowshoes as the snow had softened. Climbing out of the Sugarloaf-Burnt Mt col at 3100' or so, I broke out onto the open slopes and was immediately assaulted by gale-force winds from the north. As I struggled to the top over the drifts and icy glaze, I wished I'd brought an ice axe. In the lee of a giant cairn marking the top, I took a few pictures. Visibility had to be 100 miles. My snowshoe tracks were nearly obliterated by the drifting snow on the way down, and finally reaching the shelter of the spruce was a relief.
