Date of Hike: Monday, December 29th
Trail Conditions: Parking area nicely plowed. Lower half of trail has little snow. What is there is a collection of frozen footprints that was made in the slush from the previous day. That made for slow going over the uneven surface. There are several open streams with no snow bridges. Crossing them weren't a problem. More snow the higher up you go. No evidence of a snowshoe trough but very little post holing up high. One small blowdown; not really an issue. Above treeline on the Carriage Road there is a mixture of drifted snow, bare rock and some very impressive ice flows.
Special Equipment Required: Down low, we used stabilicers and Microspikes. I switched to snowshoes as the snow got deeper and the trail steeper. I switched back to stabilicers on the carriage road.
Comments: This was Brewster and I first winter hike of the 2008-2009 season. My legs are telling me we have to get out more. Summit temp was 16 degrees with a 20 to 30 MPH wind. The only views to be had was the rime ice collecting on our gear. We didn't hang around very long.
Your name: GlennS
Trail Conditions: Parking area nicely plowed. Lower half of trail has little snow. What is there is a collection of frozen footprints that was made in the slush from the previous day. That made for slow going over the uneven surface. There are several open streams with no snow bridges. Crossing them weren't a problem. More snow the higher up you go. No evidence of a snowshoe trough but very little post holing up high. One small blowdown; not really an issue. Above treeline on the Carriage Road there is a mixture of drifted snow, bare rock and some very impressive ice flows.
Special Equipment Required: Down low, we used stabilicers and Microspikes. I switched to snowshoes as the snow got deeper and the trail steeper. I switched back to stabilicers on the carriage road.
Comments: This was Brewster and I first winter hike of the 2008-2009 season. My legs are telling me we have to get out more. Summit temp was 16 degrees with a 20 to 30 MPH wind. The only views to be had was the rime ice collecting on our gear. We didn't hang around very long.
Your name: GlennS
