Copy/Repost Hike

Well, I was really glad the arctic air eased up in time for this trip! The forecast was showing some clouds and spots of sunshine, which would be great for our short winter hike up to Ethan Pond, which I’ve wandered around a few times before.

Some members on this trip would not have even considered hiking anywhere in the winter a couple years ago, so there were a bit of newbies when it comes to hiking this time of year. Getting the whole layer system to work right is sometimes a bit of a challenge – newbies find themselves overdressing at the start and not layering down quickly enough before starting to sweat. Definitely something to refine as they get more adventurous and move to higher summits and less favorable weather.

There is a whole lot to love about winter hiking. No bugs – that is the biggest benefit. No crowds, either. The leaves are mostly gone, so the views through the bare trees offer more vistas that are unseen during the summer. The rocks, covered with ice and snow, actually offer more traction and less effort than they do in the summer with the proper footwear. No slippery moss, logs, or roots to worry about. And, if the dark sneaks up on you, it is easy to follow your trail out of the woods through the snow.

The cons to winter hiking are, of course, the cold, and increasing risk of exposure. Sheets of ice. The complete absence of color except for mostly white and brown. Electronic equipment does not work well and battery life on cameras run out quickly. The extremely short days to hike with. The unpredictable snow depth and other conditions at higher altitudes.

Anyway, on this day, Jon and I left the house about 9:45 and headed toward Crawford Notch. The clouds had cleared up quite a bit and as we approached the Presidentials over Beech Hill they were visible! It’s always tempting to stop next to the Mount Washington Hotel to take the obligatory tourist photo but we didn’t.

As we were getting close to the AMC center we saw Mt. Eisenhower in the clear. We thought about last weekend’s trip up the Edmands Path to Eisenhower.

Got to the meetup location and greeted everyone as they arrived. There were eleven of us in all. We first had to hike up the road to reach the trailhead. Since it was icy all of us put on light traction and kept them on the entire trip. The trail was well packed with only an inch or two of snow. We crossed a railroad track at the end of a trestle bridge opposite the site of Willey House station where the old foundation still remains.

The trip up to Ethan Pond was a pleasant climb up through varying open forest and thick snow-covered spruce. The path was lightly broken and packed down. All the way up we could see the ice-covered Webster Cliffs through the trees. By the time we were halfway up the hill we were down to one layer. The temperature was 33 degrees…in winter up in the mountains!

We finished up the trip at Ethan Pond, where 2-foot drifts of snow covered the eastern shore. Jon had to break the trail to the shelter. Over the pond, the cliffs of Mt Willey, glazed with ice, provided a fine backdrop. To the west, the Twins could be seen. Everything was extremely quiet and serene.

At the shelter we stopped for lunch. The trip back was quick and fun. All in all, a fun, though short, excursion, and a good warm-up for the winter to come!

There was another incredible group of GOers on this trip, and we’re already hitting it off so much that guys are making plans to see one another again. Ask around and you’ll hear that every GayOutdoors trip is a total blast.

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