Trip Report/Photos from Gandalf
Work was cancelled today due to the Northeast blizzard! I'm not complaining mind you. :-) I was in the mood to put on my snowshoes for the first time this winter and make fresh tracks. I wasn't in the mood to drive anywhere so I decided to walk...or should I say snowshoe...to the Welsh Mountain Ledges from my house.
I snowshoed up my driveway and took a right on the plowed Upper Mad River Road. I kept my snowshoes on the road even though it wasn't really needed. I walked by a cozy house and a Sugar Shack. It's about a 30 minute trek from my house to the Welsh-Dickey Trailhead.
There were not any cars in the lot. I began to break trail and make fresh tracks. The snow was fluffy powder. Lovin' this!
I decided to document the excursion by periodically setting up the camera, put it on time delay, and capture myself trekking in the snow. I think it helped capture the solitude and mood of the day.
The snow fell throughout the hike and the trees were so beautiful being draped in snow. I caught a picture of myself beneath this snow covered branch. The snow was so fluffy I found myself slipping a few times from the ice underneath.
I began the final descent to the ledge. When I got out in the open, there was not much wind and I enjoyed the snow pelting my face. Winter is BACK! I could barely make the summit of Welsh Mountain.
About 5 minutes after I made my way back I saw a woman bareboot toward the ledge and 15 minutes later three men also barebooting toward the ledge. The snowshoe tracks I laid out were gone; only to be replaced by these dents in the snow. Somehow the trail just did not seem as beautiful anymore.
When I returned home, I took some shots of my Christmas Tree on the deck and the surrounding view. Let's hope for more work cancellations due to blizzards. Great day!
