Lawn Sale
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- Jun 14, 2005
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Well, I promised to get out more often, and yesterday Ian, Marcy, and I tagged Lafayette and Lincoln.
It started out as a nice day with lots of clouds at the higher elevations, and we didn't know if we'd have a view. Ian had not been on Lafayette and Lincoln before, and Marcy only hiked Tom and Field a month ago for her first.
We arrived at the parking lot at 10AM, after a harrowing ride over the Kanc (ever take the hairpin at 50mph?) that got our blood moving better than a cup of Starbucks. There were a couple of parking spaces left when we arrived, and we were on the trail in about 10 minutes. I went up it last Jan 20, 2006 and found it very rocky by comparison. Then again, with a 10 pound pack and light boots, it was easy to fly along and make good time, while still taking in the views, talking to people, and a lot of pics.
I was amazed at how many people were on the trail. I have hiked solo and seen no one all day in the winter, and I have hiked with as many as 20 people. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people on the trail, and they never subsided. We arrived at the hut around 11:30 to find it full of people, one couple with a newborn. I had never been to a hut in summer and found it a buzz of activity, a far cry from winter. We struck out 20 minutes later after a short rest, a Clivus break, and putting on more clothes. It was 49° at the hut with a dew point of 49° and winds around 20 mph. We arrived at the summit at 12:30 and were treated to breathtaking expansive views. Ian noted how hazy it was compared to winter hiking, but also remarked at how much easier it was with a light pack and shoes.
The wind had picked up to around 45 mph (my estimate), but it was still nice and warm. We passed over a hundred people and dozens of dogs on the ridge, I was amazed at how many. We arrived at the Falling Water's trail around 2PM and I tried to convince them to push on and grab Liberty and Flume, but they wouldn't hear of it. The trail down was a little steeper but not as bad as I'd envisioned and we arrived at the trailhead around 4PM. The parking lot at this time was packed, with people parking on the grass, in medians, and anywhere they could stuff a vehicle.
It was a great time and I am planning to head back every 2 weeks to pre-run the rest of the winter peaks I have. The pictures are here. It was a great time and I can see why so many people head there.
It started out as a nice day with lots of clouds at the higher elevations, and we didn't know if we'd have a view. Ian had not been on Lafayette and Lincoln before, and Marcy only hiked Tom and Field a month ago for her first.
We arrived at the parking lot at 10AM, after a harrowing ride over the Kanc (ever take the hairpin at 50mph?) that got our blood moving better than a cup of Starbucks. There were a couple of parking spaces left when we arrived, and we were on the trail in about 10 minutes. I went up it last Jan 20, 2006 and found it very rocky by comparison. Then again, with a 10 pound pack and light boots, it was easy to fly along and make good time, while still taking in the views, talking to people, and a lot of pics.
I was amazed at how many people were on the trail. I have hiked solo and seen no one all day in the winter, and I have hiked with as many as 20 people. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people on the trail, and they never subsided. We arrived at the hut around 11:30 to find it full of people, one couple with a newborn. I had never been to a hut in summer and found it a buzz of activity, a far cry from winter. We struck out 20 minutes later after a short rest, a Clivus break, and putting on more clothes. It was 49° at the hut with a dew point of 49° and winds around 20 mph. We arrived at the summit at 12:30 and were treated to breathtaking expansive views. Ian noted how hazy it was compared to winter hiking, but also remarked at how much easier it was with a light pack and shoes.
The wind had picked up to around 45 mph (my estimate), but it was still nice and warm. We passed over a hundred people and dozens of dogs on the ridge, I was amazed at how many. We arrived at the Falling Water's trail around 2PM and I tried to convince them to push on and grab Liberty and Flume, but they wouldn't hear of it. The trail down was a little steeper but not as bad as I'd envisioned and we arrived at the trailhead around 4PM. The parking lot at this time was packed, with people parking on the grass, in medians, and anywhere they could stuff a vehicle.
It was a great time and I am planning to head back every 2 weeks to pre-run the rest of the winter peaks I have. The pictures are here. It was a great time and I can see why so many people head there.
