Mimi
New member
The radio alarm startled us at 5am. Gee, I hardly slept! Were the first words we agreed on. Half asleep, Gail, Art & myself got up & geared up our last minute stuff for a long hiking day to Haystack. Last Saturday, the weather was overcast with mild winds down at the Ark Inn in Upper Jay where we stayed with a cool bunch of hikers for the ADK High Peaks winter gathering weekend. Although 5 of us initially planned to hike the loop from The Garden towards Haystack, Basin & Saddleback in one winter day, things changed: at 6am two of our fellow hikers had not heard their alarm & around noon just before heading the last part of the chimney towards the summit of Haystack, we decided not to venture to Basin & Saddleback. Haystack alone was a wise decision after all, considering the conditions in which we traveled the 18 miles hike that day. Most of the trail from Slant Rock to the col of Haystack’ peak was covered in a thick blanket of snow & waist-high snow drifts at times. The trail hadn’t been traveled by hikers since the last snow fall. As Robert Frost would say, that morning in “snow” no step had trodden “white” and wanted wear. Magical, yes; physical, ohhhhh yes! The last two miles towards the peak were the longest & slowest steps, leaving us feeling like slow snowy hikers.
We wore snowshoes for most of the hike & changed to crampons just before Little Haystack. A gusty, icy wind was darting from Basin’s way & tested our determination to reach Haystack’s summit more then once. We had to hike back down in the trees from the over-exposed trail towards the peak twice to change some of our gear & wear. Whilst cautiously treading our steps to the top, Art noticed my frost-bit nose & sheltered me behind a big boulder to put on a face-mask he so conveniently had in his backpack. Gail & I left our backpacks behind in the woods & hiked the peak light while Art thought it to be safer carrying his backpack in case of emergency needs. Our ice axes became our best allies for reaching the top boulder of Haystack. They gave us support, confidence, & courage, just like the great friendship I share with Gail & Art.
Our trek back was spiced up by a tempting message on snow at Slant Rock inviting hikers to stop by a warm little cabin alongside the trail just before JBL for a hot drink. When we reached the quaint cabin with snowshoes hanging by the door, it was late. We stopped, peaked inside from a distance in the cold, and believe it or not, continued our long walk back to the car. Along the trail between JBL & The Garden, we encountered beautiful snow art pieces, such as tree trunks with mushroom top hats, laughing smiles glued onto trees & even a lengthy snow snake. Like kids, we were making up new characters with nature, or, were we getting a bit delusive? Walking out under the leafless trees & frisky winds, the death march (the last 2 miles, or the last 2 hours depending who you talk to) was a silent one lost in the echo of our crunchy steady steps. Darkness came an hour before we came back to the car.
In the distance, we heard the familiar voice of Ken who was not only very happy to see us, but also getting worried about us. Thank’s Ken. It was a warm feeling after twelve hours, to end our long trek with the greeting of friendship!! To sum it up, this hike granted us with plenty of joy, challenges, & determination. Haystack: uniquely wow!; ice axes: love it; Gail & Art: the best of friends!
Pics of hike:http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/557896854ugmZXt
We wore snowshoes for most of the hike & changed to crampons just before Little Haystack. A gusty, icy wind was darting from Basin’s way & tested our determination to reach Haystack’s summit more then once. We had to hike back down in the trees from the over-exposed trail towards the peak twice to change some of our gear & wear. Whilst cautiously treading our steps to the top, Art noticed my frost-bit nose & sheltered me behind a big boulder to put on a face-mask he so conveniently had in his backpack. Gail & I left our backpacks behind in the woods & hiked the peak light while Art thought it to be safer carrying his backpack in case of emergency needs. Our ice axes became our best allies for reaching the top boulder of Haystack. They gave us support, confidence, & courage, just like the great friendship I share with Gail & Art.
Our trek back was spiced up by a tempting message on snow at Slant Rock inviting hikers to stop by a warm little cabin alongside the trail just before JBL for a hot drink. When we reached the quaint cabin with snowshoes hanging by the door, it was late. We stopped, peaked inside from a distance in the cold, and believe it or not, continued our long walk back to the car. Along the trail between JBL & The Garden, we encountered beautiful snow art pieces, such as tree trunks with mushroom top hats, laughing smiles glued onto trees & even a lengthy snow snake. Like kids, we were making up new characters with nature, or, were we getting a bit delusive? Walking out under the leafless trees & frisky winds, the death march (the last 2 miles, or the last 2 hours depending who you talk to) was a silent one lost in the echo of our crunchy steady steps. Darkness came an hour before we came back to the car.
In the distance, we heard the familiar voice of Ken who was not only very happy to see us, but also getting worried about us. Thank’s Ken. It was a warm feeling after twelve hours, to end our long trek with the greeting of friendship!! To sum it up, this hike granted us with plenty of joy, challenges, & determination. Haystack: uniquely wow!; ice axes: love it; Gail & Art: the best of friends!
Pics of hike:http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/557896854ugmZXt
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