Greylock via Thunderbolt Trail, Jan 1, 2009

A clear but chilly day (single-digits) on Greylock. Had heard the ice storm brought a considerable number of trees down on the mountain, but by New Year's day the locals had completely cleared the Thunderbolt - thanks! We ran into some snowshoers who told us that the Bellows Pipe trail still had a fair amount of blowdown, so we opted to stay on the 'bolt the whole way up. It was basically 6-10" of new snow over a thin to non-existent base, so the skiing down was, well, tentative and cautious at best. Even the snowshoeing coming down off the big drops was a little tricky too, at least my partner found it so. Several snowshoers and a couple of other skiers were there as well, and while some snowmobilers had already started a fire at the Thunderbolt shelter, unfortunately it hadn't been going long enough to be very warm by the time we got there - but a great way to start the new year none the less.

Craig,

Happy New Year. Wanna have another shot at the lunch with the guys that fell apart in December?

Alan