Couchsachraga 1/26/08

The climb from the parking area to the start of the standard herd path was well packed snow with occasional deep holes. The treadways left from the day before by Inga, Lucky Laura and the inimitable Pin Pin, Jr. were nowhere to be found, thanks to the snow and howling winds of the night before. Danielle and I broke trail until somewhere above Bradley Pond, where a couple from Satatoga caught up with us and shared the effort the rest of the way to Couch. Most of our route, through heavy powder, conformed to the standard route. From Times Square to Couch the going was tough, with thick powder falling from the trees and dense brush forcing frequent crawls. Still, our new-found companions' GPS kept us heading in the right direction. The entire route was completed in snowshoes. Unfortunately, we noted upon our return to Times Square on 1/27/08 (see report to follow) that our treadway of the day before was already on its way to oblivion under the frequent showers of fresh powder snow....