Tom Rankin
Well-known member
What a long strange journey it's been! I'm not sure who said that first, but it applies to our travels. I'll go first and let Laurie finish.
My first Winter hike anywhere was Algonquin! Some friends took me along with them. Maybe it was a test! While not very long, Algonquin is over 5,000' high, and well above tree line. The summit weather conditions that day were -10F with winds strong enough to cause you to lose your balance. But while it was cold beyond belief for someone who was not adequately prepared for winter hiking, the views were just amazing! I could see forever in every direction. I guess is was exhilarating enough to make me want to continue. I met Mike Becker that day at the Algonquin/Wright junction, as he was finishing his W46. It starts, it ends. A lot of contrasts would be seen as we hiked.
I started out quickly, but slowly, that Winter of 2002/2003, doing 3 peaks the first weekend, but none after that. The other 2 were Wright, a short hop from Algonquin, and Esther, straight up a little stream that hits the toll road about a half mile above the gate. Both of these 2 seemed pretty easy. Hey, how hard can this W46 be?
The next year, 2003/2004, there were 5 peaks: Tabletop/Phelps, then Sawteeth, and just before the end of the year, Dix and Hough. The first 3 were relatively easy, since we only went hiking when the conditions were favorable. Dix and Hough was on a nice day too, but it was a very tough hike for me, not really being used to this kind of mileage and elevation gain. I made it, but I was limping slightly when I came out. Another W46 finish took place on Hough that day. The butt slide down Dix was unbelievably fast! The finisher got caught upside down in a tree by one of his snowshoes! I couldn't figure out how it happened, and he was just hanging there laughing! I helped him get unstuck, and off we went!
Winter of 2004 saw some changes. My wife left me. My favorite hiking partner was gone. But life goes on. 2004 had been a year of much hiking, finishing the NE 115 with at least 40 peaks. The peakbagging virus had struck! I decided to try to organize another 'easy' hike to Cascade and Porter. The weather that day was so bad no one joined me, but I went anyway. The winds on Cascade buffeted me as I ascended the short section above tree line. I could not stand up, and I had to crawl. It was harrowing, but I made it back safely. Porter was easy by comparison, aside from a blowdown almost hitting me!
I joined HarryK, Miss Margaret and other for the Wolf Jaws, Armstrong and Gothics. Gothics was another tough climb, but mostly because I was tired and a little sick. But slow and steady got me to the top, with some of the best views I ever had as a reward. Laurie and I did Colden for our first date. It was a memorable day for several other reasons. It was my first time in Avalanche Pass, and my first time on Colden with views! After that I finished off the season at Grace Camp with some old friends.
Winter of 2005 Laurie and I called the season of synchronization. We both had a lot of peaks, but we also agreed to re-do the peaks that the other needed that we already had. We re-did the Wolf Jaws, Armstrong, Gothics, Sawteeth, Nippletop, Dial, Giant, and Rocky. This left us with only Panther, Dix and Hough to synch up. I managed to add a few new peaks to the tally, bagging 3 Dixes with the mighty Rejean.
The last Winter, 2006/2007 saw a huge effort to "git 'er done"! For or better or worse, we had saved almost all the hard, long, trailless, etc. peaks for last. We still had Seymour, Seward, Donaldson, Emmons, Santanoni, Panther, Couch, Cliff, Redfield, Marcy, Gray, Skylight, Iroquois, Marshall, Dix, Hough, and Allen. Many of these mountains loomed as superlatives in my mind: Allen, the longest., Marcy the highest, Iroquois the longest above tree line. Which was really the hardest was still to be seen. In many ways, we were pretty lucky this Winter, but we still had our share of difficulties. We got into the summer PA for the Sewards and knocked them out in 2 long days, thanks to Neil and another lone, anonymous hiker. We had several days above tree line when the wind was absolutely still. But we also tried to do Redfield after the Valentine's day blizzard. It wasn't pretty! We went to Cliff twice before we got to the top.
Eventually, we whittled the list down to just 2, Couch and Allen. I had told Laurie that we were NOT going to finish on Allen! Well, Couch was next, on a nice day when a large group had broken the trail the day before.
So, there it was. Allen! The longest slog of the W46, the object of dread for many a peakbagger. I had been to Allen many years ago, and remembered only a few details. It was long! But at the same time, I knew that Allen was not impossible. If nothing else, all the long hikes this Winter had prepared us for Allen. We had averaged over 15 miles per trip, and over 3000' of climbing, so this was a good time to go. A trip was planned, and many people expressed interest. But, another storm was brewing. In the end, only Kerry joined us. We started just after 6:00 and were at the summit by 11:30. It was a day that sort of summed up the whole experience. Snow, wind, ice, questionable stream crossings, and eventually, warming up with sunshine and gentle breezes. Others had broken the trail the day before, and we made good time. But we had certainly paid our trailbreaking dues the last few Winters! The summit saw a few "46'R Pale Ales" opened and consumed, a few pictures, and some enduring memories. We had made it! The butt-slide down was one of the better we had this winter (Dix and Algonquin were the best). The long walk back to the car was easy, knowing that we had finished the Winter 46!
Switching gears now, I will wax philosophical:
The path to becoming a Winter 46'er is often long and difficult. In addition to the obvious challenges of long trek and huge elevation gains to surmount during short winter days, there are many other obstacles that may need to be overcome:
Deep snow covering the trail
No trail at all
Fierce winds above tree line
Ice of various sorts
Frigid temperatures
Warm temperatures
Rain
Soft snow
Unplowed roads
Heavier packs
Lack of companionship
Lack of energy
Lack of preparation
Floods
Avalanches
Equipment failure
Frozen water bottles
Falling into freezing water
Frostbite
Blisters, cuts, and scrapes
Serious injuries
Even - Death!
I was going to link each of these obstacles to a particular event, but if you are a regular reader of this board, you know that they have all happened in the Adirondacks in the last year alone! Some of you are personally acquainted with many of these obstacles.
Many of these obstacles do not confront the 3 season hiker, and this in part explains why there are almost 6,000 all-season finishers and fewer than 400 Winter finishers to date. Some of these obstacles are easier to overcome than others. Not being prepared is your own fault, but many a hiker has confessed on this board to not bringing the proper equipment, myself included, and paying the price, one way or the other.
On the positive side, there are many unique things that Winter hiking gives us:
Rime ice
Great views
Frozen streams - Ice bridges
Frozen water falls
Walking across a frozen lake
Butt sliding
No mud
No bugs
Some of these are beautiful, some are conveniences, but all are a pleasure.
So, what's next? I only need 3 peaks for a complete 2nd 46R round. Laurie and I have been chipping away at The Catskill Hundred highest. Laurie wants to eventually be a 115'er, so I'll go back and re-do a lot of those. I'm up to 81 of the New England Hundred Highest, so I'll get around to that eventually as well. We might do the ADK 100 Highest, but I'm not sure at this point. There's also Vermont Views and Brews now!
But of all the lists that I've done and am working on, the W46 was the toughest so far! Will I ever do it again? I really don't know.
I'll end my rambling now and let Laurie have her turn, with excerpts from a post she put on ADKHP a few weeks ago. The contrasts continue...
My first Winter hike anywhere was Algonquin! Some friends took me along with them. Maybe it was a test! While not very long, Algonquin is over 5,000' high, and well above tree line. The summit weather conditions that day were -10F with winds strong enough to cause you to lose your balance. But while it was cold beyond belief for someone who was not adequately prepared for winter hiking, the views were just amazing! I could see forever in every direction. I guess is was exhilarating enough to make me want to continue. I met Mike Becker that day at the Algonquin/Wright junction, as he was finishing his W46. It starts, it ends. A lot of contrasts would be seen as we hiked.
I started out quickly, but slowly, that Winter of 2002/2003, doing 3 peaks the first weekend, but none after that. The other 2 were Wright, a short hop from Algonquin, and Esther, straight up a little stream that hits the toll road about a half mile above the gate. Both of these 2 seemed pretty easy. Hey, how hard can this W46 be?
The next year, 2003/2004, there were 5 peaks: Tabletop/Phelps, then Sawteeth, and just before the end of the year, Dix and Hough. The first 3 were relatively easy, since we only went hiking when the conditions were favorable. Dix and Hough was on a nice day too, but it was a very tough hike for me, not really being used to this kind of mileage and elevation gain. I made it, but I was limping slightly when I came out. Another W46 finish took place on Hough that day. The butt slide down Dix was unbelievably fast! The finisher got caught upside down in a tree by one of his snowshoes! I couldn't figure out how it happened, and he was just hanging there laughing! I helped him get unstuck, and off we went!
Winter of 2004 saw some changes. My wife left me. My favorite hiking partner was gone. But life goes on. 2004 had been a year of much hiking, finishing the NE 115 with at least 40 peaks. The peakbagging virus had struck! I decided to try to organize another 'easy' hike to Cascade and Porter. The weather that day was so bad no one joined me, but I went anyway. The winds on Cascade buffeted me as I ascended the short section above tree line. I could not stand up, and I had to crawl. It was harrowing, but I made it back safely. Porter was easy by comparison, aside from a blowdown almost hitting me!
I joined HarryK, Miss Margaret and other for the Wolf Jaws, Armstrong and Gothics. Gothics was another tough climb, but mostly because I was tired and a little sick. But slow and steady got me to the top, with some of the best views I ever had as a reward. Laurie and I did Colden for our first date. It was a memorable day for several other reasons. It was my first time in Avalanche Pass, and my first time on Colden with views! After that I finished off the season at Grace Camp with some old friends.
Winter of 2005 Laurie and I called the season of synchronization. We both had a lot of peaks, but we also agreed to re-do the peaks that the other needed that we already had. We re-did the Wolf Jaws, Armstrong, Gothics, Sawteeth, Nippletop, Dial, Giant, and Rocky. This left us with only Panther, Dix and Hough to synch up. I managed to add a few new peaks to the tally, bagging 3 Dixes with the mighty Rejean.
The last Winter, 2006/2007 saw a huge effort to "git 'er done"! For or better or worse, we had saved almost all the hard, long, trailless, etc. peaks for last. We still had Seymour, Seward, Donaldson, Emmons, Santanoni, Panther, Couch, Cliff, Redfield, Marcy, Gray, Skylight, Iroquois, Marshall, Dix, Hough, and Allen. Many of these mountains loomed as superlatives in my mind: Allen, the longest., Marcy the highest, Iroquois the longest above tree line. Which was really the hardest was still to be seen. In many ways, we were pretty lucky this Winter, but we still had our share of difficulties. We got into the summer PA for the Sewards and knocked them out in 2 long days, thanks to Neil and another lone, anonymous hiker. We had several days above tree line when the wind was absolutely still. But we also tried to do Redfield after the Valentine's day blizzard. It wasn't pretty! We went to Cliff twice before we got to the top.
Eventually, we whittled the list down to just 2, Couch and Allen. I had told Laurie that we were NOT going to finish on Allen! Well, Couch was next, on a nice day when a large group had broken the trail the day before.
So, there it was. Allen! The longest slog of the W46, the object of dread for many a peakbagger. I had been to Allen many years ago, and remembered only a few details. It was long! But at the same time, I knew that Allen was not impossible. If nothing else, all the long hikes this Winter had prepared us for Allen. We had averaged over 15 miles per trip, and over 3000' of climbing, so this was a good time to go. A trip was planned, and many people expressed interest. But, another storm was brewing. In the end, only Kerry joined us. We started just after 6:00 and were at the summit by 11:30. It was a day that sort of summed up the whole experience. Snow, wind, ice, questionable stream crossings, and eventually, warming up with sunshine and gentle breezes. Others had broken the trail the day before, and we made good time. But we had certainly paid our trailbreaking dues the last few Winters! The summit saw a few "46'R Pale Ales" opened and consumed, a few pictures, and some enduring memories. We had made it! The butt-slide down was one of the better we had this winter (Dix and Algonquin were the best). The long walk back to the car was easy, knowing that we had finished the Winter 46!
Switching gears now, I will wax philosophical:
The path to becoming a Winter 46'er is often long and difficult. In addition to the obvious challenges of long trek and huge elevation gains to surmount during short winter days, there are many other obstacles that may need to be overcome:
Deep snow covering the trail
No trail at all
Fierce winds above tree line
Ice of various sorts
Frigid temperatures
Warm temperatures
Rain
Soft snow
Unplowed roads
Heavier packs
Lack of companionship
Lack of energy
Lack of preparation
Floods
Avalanches
Equipment failure
Frozen water bottles
Falling into freezing water
Frostbite
Blisters, cuts, and scrapes
Serious injuries
Even - Death!
I was going to link each of these obstacles to a particular event, but if you are a regular reader of this board, you know that they have all happened in the Adirondacks in the last year alone! Some of you are personally acquainted with many of these obstacles.
Many of these obstacles do not confront the 3 season hiker, and this in part explains why there are almost 6,000 all-season finishers and fewer than 400 Winter finishers to date. Some of these obstacles are easier to overcome than others. Not being prepared is your own fault, but many a hiker has confessed on this board to not bringing the proper equipment, myself included, and paying the price, one way or the other.
On the positive side, there are many unique things that Winter hiking gives us:
Rime ice
Great views
Frozen streams - Ice bridges
Frozen water falls
Walking across a frozen lake
Butt sliding
No mud
No bugs
Some of these are beautiful, some are conveniences, but all are a pleasure.
So, what's next? I only need 3 peaks for a complete 2nd 46R round. Laurie and I have been chipping away at The Catskill Hundred highest. Laurie wants to eventually be a 115'er, so I'll go back and re-do a lot of those. I'm up to 81 of the New England Hundred Highest, so I'll get around to that eventually as well. We might do the ADK 100 Highest, but I'm not sure at this point. There's also Vermont Views and Brews now!
But of all the lists that I've done and am working on, the W46 was the toughest so far! Will I ever do it again? I really don't know.
I'll end my rambling now and let Laurie have her turn, with excerpts from a post she put on ADKHP a few weeks ago. The contrasts continue...
