tommyFL I have been to Sabino. I went hiking in Madera canyon today. Can’t comment on NM mountains but from your pics you certainly haven’t seen the best southern AZ has to offer.
Hmm. I liked Sabino canyon as much as the peaks you posted; maybe canyon scenery feels more special to me than mountains since we don't get canyons at all here?
Funny how tufts of grass manage to not get frost because the sides of the strands get hit by radiation from other strands, as well as the ground, but more flattened grass gets a ton of frost.
Creek not frozen under the bridge which basically means it hasn't been cold enough to freeze the creek with cold air alone.
Bubbles in the creek ice.
I went out on the frozen lake. The lake is shallower than I thought. This image is just 10 meters out, but even 50-100m out, I could still see the bottom through the crystal clear ice if I shone my phone lights through.
long post coming up, but really loved this hike. Elevation gain 2200 feet, total distance about 8 miles. Catching the 8:45 am out of Grand Central up the Hudson. typical old Midtown buildings on the walk from the subway to train station
got a window seat this time. Some train window photos. Clouds to the north
fun scramble, don't think this was the "correct" route
looking back at a fun scramble section. wet rocks from the rain overnight made the scramble tricky. The mist & drizzle from earlier in the morning was helping dry things out.
sky clearing! so it'll be a sunny day!
dog did mostly fine on the rocks, owner said dog needed help in a few of the steepest sections
almost done with the ridge
some views at the time of the ridge looking at the park inland
but then was mostly in the woods, dull section with some snow patches
steep south beacon looming ahead
before the up, a stream crossing made trickier by the wider volume from recent heavy rain
has a fire tower, taller than any fire tower in western MA I've visited, scared me a bit. Wind picked up while I was at the top and it felt rather cold, made descending more awkward.
Fire tower views. West
north
south
another view south with good light. someone made a compass on the rock. hope it's correct… that'd be a funny troll
annoying muddy descent. ruins of the top of an incline railway
looking down at Beacon
final descent had a staircase into Beacon. Walked a 1.75 miles from the trailhead through Beacon to the train station. Looking back at Mt. Beacon
Unlike the Hudson Line, I doubt these tracks carry any trains.
Main Street was a random mix of cheap shops, trendy-seeming cafes and artsy stores
[Cross-posted from CD] Thanks to the holidays I finally have some time to upload photos of my Thanksgiving Vermont trip/hike of Mt. Ascutney.
Near the base of Mt. Ascutney: approx 5" snowpack and -14 C.
I remember the cold start to Thanksgiving
nice. I first climbed Mt. Ascutney when it was 5°C at the base and some snow; I've only hiked it in winter/early spring. A lot melted during the day that I could see the difference on the return. What trail did you take up? Did you go up the summit firetower? How windy was it? 2°C base to summit temperature difference sounds small, was -14°C a morning base temperature and -16°C an afternoon temperature? I remember a big snowcover difference between base and summit as well.
Dartmouth College, most obscure of the Ivies:
lol. Quechee Gorge is nice but think the ones in upstate NY [mostly in/near the Finger Lakes] are more impressive
nice. I first climbed Mt. Ascutney when it was 5°C at the base and some snow; I've only hiked it in winter/early spring. A lot melted during the day that I could see the difference on the return. What trail did you take up? Did you go up the summit firetower? How windy was it? 2°C base to summit temperature difference sounds small, was -14°C a morning base temperature and -16°C an afternoon temperature? I remember a big snowcover difference between base and summit as well.
-14C was at 8am near the base, and -16C at 11am near the summit.
I parked on VT 44 where the paved road to the summit begins. I walked up the paved road (which was closed to traffic) for the first two miles (this was easy), then I took the Futures Trail where it intersects that road for the next two miles (this was hard). I got pretty close to the summit (within 0.2 miles according to the map) but anticlimactically I couldn't actually find it. The reason was that the blue marks on the trees marking the trail disappeared after the part labeled "Futures Link," and the snow became so damn deep that it became ridiculously tedious and exhausting to wander around looking for it. Also, I was alone and not wearing crampons which was pretty stupid in retrospect, but oh well. Live and learn, as they say. It was actually one of my first "serious" hikes ever; clearly I need some more experience.
There was no wind near the summit at all. Completely still and silent that day, almost to an eerie degree.
nice. I first climbed Mt. Ascutney when it was 5°C at the base and some snow; I've only hiked it in winter/early spring. A lot melted during the day that I could see the difference on the return. What trail did you take up? Did you go up the summit firetower? How windy was it? 2°C base to summit temperature difference sounds small, was -14°C a morning base temperature and -16°C an afternoon temperature? I remember a big snowcover difference between base and summit as well.
-14C was at 8am near the base, and -16C at 11am near the summit.
I parked on VT 44 where the paved road to the summit begins. I walked up the paved road (which was closed to traffic) for the first two miles (this was easy), then I took the Futures Trail where it intersects that road for the next two miles (this was hard). I got pretty close to the summit (within 0.2 miles according to the map) but anticlimactically I couldn't actually find it. The reason was that the blue marks on the trees marking the trail disappeared after the part labeled "Futures Link," and the snow became so damn deep that it became ridiculously tedious and exhausting to wander around looking for it. Also, I was alone and not wearing crampons which was pretty stupid in retrospect, but oh well. Live and learn, as they say. It was actually one of my first "serious" hikes ever; clearly I need some more experience.
There was no wind near the summit at all. Completely still and silent that day, almost to an eerie degree.
haven't done the Futures trail; have done the Weathersfield Trail, Brownsville and Windsor Trails. Tried to do the Weathersfield two winters ago and the final stretch of dirt road to the trailhead was steep and snow covered and didn't trust my car to get up it; need 4 wheel drive. Would have been fine with parking off the side of the road and hiking the remaining short road but there wasn't much space on the side of the road and there were no parking signs so I drove around to another trailhead. Here's the photos I took on that hike, looks like there was 2+ feet of snow and it was early April
Crampons look unnecessary judging by your photos, no ice but plenty of deep snow; crampons is for grip on icy sections, maybe from really packed snow, they don't help on loose snow that you can sink it. That's what snowshoes are for. I did Mt. Washington entirely in snowshoes last winter, it had snowed a few days earlier; no ice, and there was some loose snow though if you stayed on trail you wouldn't sink too deep since other hikers had packed down the snow. Usually above treeline, the wind blows snow either off the mountain or hardens into an icy crust and crampons is helpful. Some photos from trip to illustrate
Crampons look unnecessary judging by your photos, no ice but plenty of deep snow; crampons is for grip on icy sections, maybe from really packed snow, they don't help on loose snow that you can sink it. That's what snowshoes are for. I did Mt. Washington entirely in snowshoes last winter, it had snowed a few days earlier; no ice, and there was some loose snow though if you stayed on trail you wouldn't sink too deep since other hikers had packed down the snow. Usually above treeline, the wind blows snow either off the mountain or hardens into an icy crust and crampons is helpful. Some photos from trip to illustrate
Crampons would have probably helped in this case. Sure the snow was deep, but underneath it (in certain sections) there was serious ice and I slipped while climbing at least a couple of dozen times. Luckily the snow cushions the fall, but I remember one particularly steep section where I had to try at least 7 times before my feet caught the correct grip.
Those Mt. Washington pics look great. I also want to hike it some time.
Lived:
Residence:
