On January 12, twelve GO members took advantage of the great weather and headed up to Waterville Valley, NH to hike up Mt. Tecumseh (4003').

We used the Mt. Tecumseh Trail and headed off at the fashionable hour of 10:30am.

We placed some sort of traction device (stabilicers, crampons, snowshoes) from the outset due to the icy conditions. After getting into our hiking pace we started to shed layers for the rest of the climb.

We took a peek at the Waterville Valley Ski area slopes at the lookout and the ice shimmered under the sunlight. Off in the distance we heard skiers scraping against the ice as they skied down. Skiing conditions looked awful.

We continued upward where the actual workout really begins. We took short breaks on the ascent; some guys stopping to grab something to eat to maintain their energy levels.

On the ridge we were greeted by sunlight and wind. It was time to put on more warm layers.

We enjoyed good views from the summit though the Presidentials were in the clouds. We took our lunch break and looked for spots where the sun was shining to keep us warm. The wind chilled us quickly so we didn't stay idle for very long.

We descended using the Waterville Valley Ski slopes. We took a break at their Schwendi Hut enjoying a beer on their deck.

Refreshed we starting to descend --sometimes going into a butt slide. The two guys who carried their skis up enjoyed the fruits of their labor and skied down.

The trails were so icy that three guys who were hiking hit a patch of ice and ended up going down this 'luge of death.' Two guys barely missed hitting a chairlift pylon and/or trees. One guy did land in the trees scraping up his face and bruising his forehead. Thankfully nobody got injured. Jon got bruises on his ass but I won't tell you how I found out...LOL.

Three more training hikes left until Mt. Washington! Thank you everyone for a great time and stopping by my house afterward huddling around the fireplace drinking beer and sharing pizza.  

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