LenDawg
New member
I took a day off and did a morning hike on Welch-Dickey last Monday morning, 10/30. The weather was very nice, though the conditions were wet following the heavy rainstorms on Saturday into Sunday. I got to the trailhead at about 0830 and headed up the Welch-Dickey Loop Trail going counter-clockwise. Most of the trail was very wet with some running water diverging to cross the trail heading toward the stream. The water crossing was easy, despite all the water.
I headed up at a fairly aggressive pace appreciating the clearing trees and typical autumn conditions. I made it to the first bare rock ledge and was awed with the beautiful views to the south and east. It was seasonally comfortable, but I was wearing gloves and a tee-shirt (hope the fashion police weren't out there
).
I continued up from one bare rock ledge to another. Then, I remembered what happens this time of year. The rain from the day before lead to some thin ice on the bare rocks. This was a challenge. There were a few spots that I paused for a good ten minutes looking for my best way to proceed. However, the sun was quickly melting this new, thin ice, so I decided to continue.
I got to the top of Welch and let out a loud LenDawg howl. It had been a while since I did a weekday solo hike and it felt fantastic to be there. I cut through the wooded path then over to other rocky spots then up to Dickey. Once there, I bundled up with the thicker gloves and the wool cap (yet another Patriot's cap).
The early stages down were on slippery, icy rocky surfaces. I decided to but slide down one section , but I accidently knocked over a cairn . I grabbed all the rocks and rebuilt it for the next hiker .
I did a little more but sliding until I found myself on wet, not icy rocks. The sun melted away the thin layer of ice. I kept heading down from one rocky section to another. The views were incredible. I had always heard that these mountains were great for the "bang for the buck". It was a great hike.
I headed down through the lower woody section and out to the parking lot. The trail was well blaized. It was a great solo weekday hike. I really needed it!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=67t3qkc.2wuia41g&Uy=-sdske3&Ux=0
I headed up at a fairly aggressive pace appreciating the clearing trees and typical autumn conditions. I made it to the first bare rock ledge and was awed with the beautiful views to the south and east. It was seasonally comfortable, but I was wearing gloves and a tee-shirt (hope the fashion police weren't out there
). I continued up from one bare rock ledge to another. Then, I remembered what happens this time of year. The rain from the day before lead to some thin ice on the bare rocks. This was a challenge. There were a few spots that I paused for a good ten minutes looking for my best way to proceed. However, the sun was quickly melting this new, thin ice, so I decided to continue.
I got to the top of Welch and let out a loud LenDawg howl. It had been a while since I did a weekday solo hike and it felt fantastic to be there. I cut through the wooded path then over to other rocky spots then up to Dickey. Once there, I bundled up with the thicker gloves and the wool cap (yet another Patriot's cap).
The early stages down were on slippery, icy rocky surfaces. I decided to but slide down one section
, but I accidently knocked over a cairn . I grabbed all the rocks and rebuilt it for the next hiker . I did a little more but sliding until I found myself on wet, not icy rocks. The sun melted away the thin layer of ice. I kept heading down from one rocky section to another. The views were incredible. I had always heard that these mountains were great for the "bang for the buck". It was a great hike.
I headed down through the lower woody section and out to the parking lot. The trail was well blaized. It was a great solo weekday hike. I really needed it!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=67t3qkc.2wuia41g&Uy=-sdske3&Ux=0
