lowlander
03-08-2007, 07:38 PM
Started out at 830 on sr47. Nice and cold. As I was crossing the road, I looked back and got a toke a picture of the Jeep with Big Indian and Eagle in the background. Great pic, man I love that Jeep. Anyway back to what I was talking about. I signed in at the register and headed up the trail. I wore my Denali's no floats. The trail was hard packed some sinking but not alot to talk about. Made it to the trail to Giant in about a half hour. The ridge before Giant the snow became more powdery and the wind a little harder. The tracks from previous hikers was pretty much gone. Here I started to sink alittle not very much only about a couple of inches. Toke my time going up GL, since it was so cold didn't want to get sweaty, and also I had all day to do the hike, Why hurry. The way up GL the snow became hard again and same with the top. Once in the col between GL and Panther the snow became soft and deep again. Once again once the trail headed up the snow firmed up. On top of Panther the Visibility dropped to about a mile. The trees up high are coated in ice and sound like wind chimes. I didn't get any good pics the camera just couldn't do justice, so I just will have to leave it up to memory.
I sat on the summit, or stood rather and had a sandwich. Didn't stay up there too long, the cold started to bite alittle. The way down Panther went quick until I hit the Col. about half way across the wind started to gust to over 20 miles an hour, and was burning my face with lose powder. Needless to say I made good time getting to the top of GL, and out of the wind. On the way back to the Trailhead, I passed a couple of guys going the other way. They both looked cold and were barebooting, and didn't look like they wanted to talk. I gave them a nod and continued on my way. I got to thinking about it and kindof hoped they weren't going to Panther I didn't know if they would make it, and started to wish I had stopped and told them about the conditions up top. At the register I saw they were only going to GL and felt a little better. In snowshoes I was only sinking a little in bareboots they were going up to about 8". So if you bareboot this root bring gaiters or fresh socks. On the way done a lot of my tracks fromt the way up were gone, the wind just filled them in so expect some trail breaking. nothing major though
There was nothing out of the ordinary to report. The drifting was in the usual spots, you know where they are if you've done these 2 before. The trip was almost the exact same a last year. Well with a lot more wind. These feel like the coldest peaks in the Cats to me. The wind just rakes these 2. I would bring snowshoes, poles and a camera.
Tomorrows Blackhead, Acra pt, Burnt Knob and Windham (I hope), as always theres an open invitation, I plan on starting at aroud 630 at the Batavia Kill parking. If you're interested just email me and let me know. Hopefully I'll have another sucessful report tomorrow
Heres the pics, http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558070336GEZLZt
I sat on the summit, or stood rather and had a sandwich. Didn't stay up there too long, the cold started to bite alittle. The way down Panther went quick until I hit the Col. about half way across the wind started to gust to over 20 miles an hour, and was burning my face with lose powder. Needless to say I made good time getting to the top of GL, and out of the wind. On the way back to the Trailhead, I passed a couple of guys going the other way. They both looked cold and were barebooting, and didn't look like they wanted to talk. I gave them a nod and continued on my way. I got to thinking about it and kindof hoped they weren't going to Panther I didn't know if they would make it, and started to wish I had stopped and told them about the conditions up top. At the register I saw they were only going to GL and felt a little better. In snowshoes I was only sinking a little in bareboots they were going up to about 8". So if you bareboot this root bring gaiters or fresh socks. On the way done a lot of my tracks fromt the way up were gone, the wind just filled them in so expect some trail breaking. nothing major though
There was nothing out of the ordinary to report. The drifting was in the usual spots, you know where they are if you've done these 2 before. The trip was almost the exact same a last year. Well with a lot more wind. These feel like the coldest peaks in the Cats to me. The wind just rakes these 2. I would bring snowshoes, poles and a camera.
Tomorrows Blackhead, Acra pt, Burnt Knob and Windham (I hope), as always theres an open invitation, I plan on starting at aroud 630 at the Batavia Kill parking. If you're interested just email me and let me know. Hopefully I'll have another sucessful report tomorrow
Heres the pics, http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558070336GEZLZt