There are so many adventures happening it’s often hard to keep up. With the completion of the degree and soon-to-be EMT Test, I’m looking for some much due time off before pursuing the next big adventure hopefully this January.
As much as I enjoy summer and the warm temperatures(not) I’m anxiously awaiting the drop in temperatures, the thrill of snow and the winter, and all of the wonderful things that accompany it. I’m well aware that many dislike winter but, as I’m typing this I actually have winter-themed music with imagery playing off of some random youtube channel.
Anyways let’s talk about some trails and adventures.
The latest Adirondack trip was nothing special, nothing crazy. Met up with some old friends at the Loj. The plan was to go through the lake Colden and avalanche pass ending up at uphill lean-to for the night. Nothing too eventful or note-worthy happened during this stretch. Lots of mud and water but that’s always expected. When I had gotten to the lean-to I had run into 2 groups who were coming down from Redfield. They didn’t have enough gas, so I let them use my stove for a bit. After they left I set up camp in the lean-to, ate food, and passed out pretty quickly around 7pm. It is important to note that I was on maybe 2 hours of sleep. I woke up to something moving around 12am but quickly went back to sleep.
To get up for the sunrise hike I woke up close to 4am and was on the trail by 4:30am to catch the sunrise at Mount skylight. There is something so magical about hearing the wilderness and nature wake up and the relatable sounds.
When I had arrived at the junction to skylight and Marcy, I had flashbacks of previous winter treks and outings from the past. As I approached treeline at skylight I was extremely appreciative of the drop in temperature as mount Marcy came into view. With my luck as I approached the summit, I saw a huge cloud wall swallow everything up. The solution for this was to spend a half-hour above treeline and hope that the cloud cover broke. I’m glad that I waited because when it cleared up it was absolutely beautiful. After enjoying my time on the summit I started to make it towards Marcy for some more spectacular views.
Ascending Mount Marcy was nothing new. It was weird to do it when there was no snow. One of the view times I had been to Mount Marcy in non-winter conditions. I had the summit to myself. On the way down I passed roughly 20 hikers. There isn’t much else to say about this hike. A great sunrise hike with great weather. Any day outside is a great day.
The next most recent adventure took place in NH. I was between exploring unmaintained forgotten trails or above treeline with decent windchill. I opted for the windchill. I aimed to go up the boot spur in Pinkham notch and traverse down the lion’s head. Hearing that the wind chills would be in the 30 degree range was too tempting to miss out on. Fall foliage was also setting in.
When I reached treeline I was caked in the clouds which is the best feeling as it adds a sense of mysticsm. I was able to see a view that if the clouds were not present, it would not have been the same.
After spending some time playing in the wind and rain I decided to head back down and grab some hotcider before the drive home..
On a completely different side note, if I get the news that I am hoping for within the next 3 weeks 2022 should be full of brand new adventures.