Many trails in the Whites are now solid ice, so I took crampons with me. OTOH, with highs predicted around 50 I brought snowshoes in case the snow was very soft on the way down.
There were icy spots on the fields before the trail gets into the woods, and in the woods there were several stretches that I found uncomfortable with bare boots, so I put the crampons on. The conditions were perfect for someone wearing crampons: hard packed snow into which the crampons bit well, and no solid ice.
I am unfit; I was carrying lots of weight; the final few hundred vertical feet of the Glencliff Trail are very steep; and I pushed myself to get to the junction in book time (actually beat it by about 10 minutes). The result was that I was really tired. Took my pack off at the junction, ate the remaining half of my gigantic Dunkin Donuts oatmeal raisin cookie, and considered my options.
Option #1 was simply to declare victory and go down. I have bagged the Moose often enough not to care about one more ascent.
Option #2 was to go to the South Peak, which has good views. Very tempting since I had my GPSr with me, and have not yet recorded that track.
Option #3, of course, was to attempt to get to the summit.
It is amazing what ten minutes with your pack off can do, and how a really good snack can improve your outlook
. On with option #3!!
The snow was pretty soft along the section of the Carriage Road that is in the trees, snowshoes might have been an option, but given the short distance I decided not to change footwear. By the time I reached the top of the bump between the South Peak and the main summit I was way above the trees, and the windswept snow was pretty hard. There was also quite a bit of wind.
Finally I got beyond the last of the scrub, and now the trail was a river of ice. I had sharpened my crampons the night before, so obviously I was quite safe. But I dislike hard ice, the wind was blowing, and I was tired. Since I hike for my pleasure, and not to proven anything to anyone, I decided to call it a day and turn around.
Once in the trees I met three backcountry skiers who had come up the Carriage Road. Brief chat, and back to the junction. I had a long rest, eating one of my two sandwiches.
I wore crampons for half the descent. When I stopped to eat my second sandwich I took off my crampons, mainly to decrease the weight on my feet. The snow was soft enough to allow that, though there were a few places were care was needed.
The views to the west were good, but not spectacular. There was haze, that increased with time. Temperatures were comfortable, and below treeline (i.e. most of the time) the wind was minimal.
All in all a very pleasant day.
There were icy spots on the fields before the trail gets into the woods, and in the woods there were several stretches that I found uncomfortable with bare boots, so I put the crampons on. The conditions were perfect for someone wearing crampons: hard packed snow into which the crampons bit well, and no solid ice.
I am unfit; I was carrying lots of weight; the final few hundred vertical feet of the Glencliff Trail are very steep; and I pushed myself to get to the junction in book time (actually beat it by about 10 minutes). The result was that I was really tired. Took my pack off at the junction, ate the remaining half of my gigantic Dunkin Donuts oatmeal raisin cookie, and considered my options.
Option #1 was simply to declare victory and go down. I have bagged the Moose often enough not to care about one more ascent.
Option #2 was to go to the South Peak, which has good views. Very tempting since I had my GPSr with me, and have not yet recorded that track.
Option #3, of course, was to attempt to get to the summit.
It is amazing what ten minutes with your pack off can do, and how a really good snack can improve your outlook
. On with option #3!!The snow was pretty soft along the section of the Carriage Road that is in the trees, snowshoes might have been an option, but given the short distance I decided not to change footwear. By the time I reached the top of the bump between the South Peak and the main summit I was way above the trees, and the windswept snow was pretty hard. There was also quite a bit of wind.
Finally I got beyond the last of the scrub, and now the trail was a river of ice. I had sharpened my crampons the night before, so obviously I was quite safe. But I dislike hard ice, the wind was blowing, and I was tired. Since I hike for my pleasure, and not to proven anything to anyone, I decided to call it a day and turn around.
Once in the trees I met three backcountry skiers who had come up the Carriage Road. Brief chat, and back to the junction. I had a long rest, eating one of my two sandwiches.
I wore crampons for half the descent. When I stopped to eat my second sandwich I took off my crampons, mainly to decrease the weight on my feet. The snow was soft enough to allow that, though there were a few places were care was needed.
The views to the west were good, but not spectacular. There was haze, that increased with time. Temperatures were comfortable, and below treeline (i.e. most of the time) the wind was minimal.
All in all a very pleasant day.
