Blue Mountain 10/15/10

[Gerard01]

Woke up at 4:30AM and looked outside my room at the Flip Inn. It was dark, but no rain was falling and the wind was light. I got dressed and drove into town for breakfast. I filled up on pancakes and bacon. Good carbs for the hike ahead. Another glance outside the resteraunt showed some blue sky intermixed with some heavy clouds. With a 30% chance of rain at Blue Mountain, I was not too worried.
That was to change....

The drive along Route 30 was nice and relaxing. The fall colors of oranges, yellows and reds lit up the road, enhancing the drive. I felt relaxed amd comfortable. As I drove north, a light rain began to fall and gradually got heavier as time passed. By the time I was between Speculator and Blue Mountain, the sky was a dark mass of rain clouds and pouring rain.

I reached the parking lot of Blue Mountain only to find 2 cars parked there. A quick check of the log showed only one person on the trail. The parking lot was a wind tunnel and the rain was coming down in sheets. I checked up the trail a bit and got a bad feeling. My version of Spider senses.
I decided that this hike was not going to happen. I may be a chicken here, but me being the only person hiking a rain and wind swept mountain did not sound like the smartest idea. Still, I walked around the parking lot, mulling it over. A huge gust of wind and the snapping of a branch somewhere in the woods made up my mind. I better back off for a bit.

So, I decided to retreat to the ADK Museum, where I am typing this report right now. Figured, while I am here, I'd renew my membership and pick up a few books and music cd's. It's 10:25AM and the rain is still coming down, although it's light, but the wind is blowing hard. I'll wait a bit longer. I may scoot up this afternoon, but with darkness coming early, I don't know if that will be a good idea. I'll play it by ear. Either way, I did not drive up all this way to head back to Northville right away. I'll enjoy the museum, have some lunch and take it from there. Friggan weather.
That is two times now, I have been thwarted. One by car and one by weather...

[PA Ridgerunner]

Enjoy the museum, Gerard. Blue is best saved for a nice day, with good views anyway. Don't miss the boat exhibit...check out the Sarry Gamp.

[Gerard01]

Originally Posted by PA Ridgerunner

Enjoy the museum, Gerard. Blue is best saved for a nice day, with good views anyway. Don't miss the boat exhibit...check out the Sarry Gamp.

I hear ya, Steve. I'm still here. I have been up here several times and its always a nice visit. I'm still feeling bad about not climbing Blue, but yes, unless the summit is clear, it seems a waste to just peakbag the thing.
Right now, the summit is socked in by a thick wall of fog. The rain let up a bit, but it's still windy with drizzle. Some bits of sun poked out. I had a breif thought of going for it.
I'll walk around some and then head back to my motel.

[Gerard01]

Sorry, folks. The date at the top should say 10/16/10, not the 15th. You would think it was the 15th, the way the weather was up there this morning.
I hung around the museum for a couple of hours. Around 12:40PM, I drove back to the trail head to see what was up. There were a few more cars there.
I saw a man and a young lady talking to each other. Walking over, I asked if they just came down or going up. The young lady was taking a survey of the hikers going up for the DEC. The man was the guy who was the first to sign in. He just came down and was putting his stuff away. He went up with his dog, Bill. A rather fiesty pooch. He looked like he was ready for another hike.

You can call this part 2 to a failed hike.
The gentleman told me that it was snowing heavily on the summit. He showed me some pics he took, and wow was it coming down. Had to be a good 3-4 inches up there. The firetower, he said was covered in ice. The winds he guessed were 60MPH. I'll take it he was mistaken. But, from the way he described it, the wind must have been howling up there.
The snow was heavy in the trees. Rather dangerous conditions, since he was wearing denim pants and seemed surprised when I mentioned it was a no no to wear cotton on a hike. He was in all cotton. But, he had a winter jacket on, which made my flimsy sweat jacket seem pale in comparison.

I was definetely not dressed for this hike. From the pics he showed me, I would have had to turn back or stay at the summit for a few minutes at best.
The weather reports did not say there was snow for sure on the mountain. I just took it the wind and rain were trouble enough. The man said the snow started about a quarter of the way up, so you can imagine what a hike it would have been.

The rain and wind at the trail head was still a pain. I chatted with the girl and man for a few minutes more before we all said our goodbyes. I got back in my car and headed south for Northville. On the way back, I ran into an accident just outside Indian Lake Hamlet. The driver had lost control and smacked into the guard rail. They took him away on a stretcher. Another example that speed and wet roads do not mix.

Speaking of wet.

The rain kept falling as if to mock me all the way down to Wells, where it finally let up. The sun is out now as I write this. The clouds are still swirling, but there are many breaks.

I'm pissed that I missed this one. Maybe it was best. I forgot my gaiters and left my long johns at home. I doubt the pants I had on would have kept the cold out long. From the snow and wind it had to be around the mid 20's. Not a warm prospect.

[Altbark]

Smart move, Gerard. No need to be sorry. The standard for a successful trip is that you leave home whole and arrive back the same way. Having fun in the middle is always nice!

Climbing in the mountains certainly is an education. As a flatlander, I find understanding how the weather works to be quite the adjustment. Conditions at the trailhead only indicate that the weather will probably be worse at the top at this time of the year.

Your report will help me understand and interpret the weather surrounding my next climb.

Al

[Gerard01]

Originally Posted by Altbark

Smart move, Gerard. No need to be sorry. The standard for a successful trip is that you leave home whole and arrive back the same way. Having fun in the middle is always nice!

Climbing in the mountains certainly is an education. As a flatlander, I find understanding how the weather works to be quite the adjustment. Conditions at the trailhead only indicate that the weather will probably be worse at the top at this time of the year.

Your report will help me understand and interpret the weather surrounding my next climb.

Al

I feel better knowing a failed hike can help anyone's next hike be successful or fend off a hike that should not be done.
Lucky, I had my horse racing to fall back on when I was stuck inside and when I got back today.

[daLunartik]

Doesn't sound like a "failed" hike at all. Sure, you didn't get to do the hike you wanted or planned on. But. One of the hardest lesson for us to learn is when not to hike or when to turn back, particularly in winter conditions when the margin of error/safety is greatly reduced.

[GrayMarshall]

Yes, it's frustrating, but wise, to turn around even after you've gone in a fair ways and realize that the conditions are beyond your planning and preparation, even though you thought you were very prepared. There will be weather, and it certainly doesn't always match up with our hopes or the forecast, so check it off to another nice visit to the museum and first-hand evidence of the first snowfall, which many of us celebrate.

enjoy,
Marshall

[Mark Schaefer]

A trip to the Adirondack Museum sounds like a very good use of a bad weather day, Gerard. Some days are just not made for enjoyable hiking.

Whenever I make a week long trip to the Adirondacks I always plan to visit one of the museums or the Olympic venues on bad weather days. Such days are always worthwhile.

[Gerard01]

Originally Posted by Mark Schaefer

A trip to the Adirondack Museum sounds like a very good use of a bad weather day, Gerard. Some days are just not made for enjoyable hiking.

Whenever I make a week long trip to the Adirondacks I always plan to visit one of the museums or the Olympic venues on bad weather days. Such days are always worthwhile.

Yes, it turned out to be a nice trip. I renewed my membership with the museum. Bought a book and the Cerntal Region guide book, plus a couple of cd's. The exhibits were pretty much the same, but you never get tired of looking at them. I tool some pics of the oil paintings. I'll post them on my site later.

[Naturlvr73]

Hey Gerard, glad the back up plan worked out. Over the years these are some of the strategies we've employed to keep from being disappointed:

Pick a range of possible peak days and go up to the 'Dacks for longer than just a weekend. This way you can pick the best weather day to be your peak day and do other fun things on the non peak days. Since weather forecasting is not foolproof this is not a foolproof plan, but its worked for us.


We pretty much started planning next summer's peaks while we were still camping in the Sanatononis...the planning is almost as much fun as the hiking! We try to pick drier areas for our early summer peaks (dry of course being a relative term in the 'dacks) and save the known wet areas like the Sewards and the Sants for late summer to give the trails a chance to dry out.

We don't usually count on getting a fall high peak later than late September...that's why were were so excited that Santanoni worked out this year. Any time from late September on you can hit snow.

Enjoy making your summer plans!!

[procook131]

As I am sitting here packing for a hike, something just occurred to me that I have never really seen suggested to you. Hiking checklist!!!!

I used one the first few times I ever hiked, but as I was hiking more and more it almost became irrelevant. But I started using one again last year as I got into winter hiking as to not forget things that one might need to survive, not just to have a comfortable hike. That and my Thule box is almost always packed with more than enough extras, so I can always make do with what I got.

I know there have been threads covering this topic within the past year, and if you take some time to dig deeper than me I am sure you can find plenty of good info. Then you can make three different checklists; summer, shoulder seasons and winter. It will certainly keep you from forgetting your long johns, and if you make a routine of it in time you will find you always pack what you need, and even some things you want. Keep up the good work, as I am cheering for you! (if it matters )

These are just generic, but you could make a new Word, Open Office, etc. document, cut and paste one of these in, and add or subtract things you like to carry.
http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/checklist.htm
http://www.valleyoutdoors.com/Lists/day_hike.aspx

[Gerard01]

Keep up the good work, as I am cheering for you! (if it matters )It does matter, Pro. I always appreciate well wishes.
I look at Saturday as another learning experience. Blue Mountain was the alternate mountain, but it was my intention to hike with getting a great view. When I saw the pics the lone hiker took, I realized that any hike up was out of the question. I was on a sight seeing mission, not a peak bagging one.
I also realized that the clothing I was wearing was not sufficient for the wild weather I would have faced if I had made the attempt. I had the same outfit you have seen in the pics of my previous climbs save for the inclusion of a polyester sweat jacket and my regular weather proof jacket. I would have froze my butt off up there.

I learned that when this time next year comes around again, I better have better clothing and footwear if I want to tackle any peak. So, the hike was not a success, but the education was more than useful.