Sunny was very patient waiting for the hike to start and was more than happy to take a selfie with me. We took two vehicles and, fortunately, one of them was a Jeep. We parked my RAV-4 at the bottom of the hill and carpooled through the snowbank and up to Crow Clearing.
The expectation throughout the High Peaks region was that folks bring snowshoes, so we did. I thought it might be sloppy up the valley, but deep snow as we gained elevation. I figured it might be a good time to try out the new day pack I bought for backpacking trips. It was unseasonably warm, so I left my fleece and put on my puffy. I forgot my bladder's hose down at the other car, but I'd packed a thermos of hot water in Sunny's pack, so we carried on.
Gulf Brook Trail, about 1.1 miles from the clearing to the first junction, was snowy, but only a few inches deep along the trail. Even the less popular Northern approach of the mountain had been broken out, so it was fairly easy going. Most of us shed a layer shortly after starting. I kenw I'd miss my duff which I seem to have misplaced; my Stewies cap stayed on my head maybe 30% of the time.
The first junction takes you North up the Soda Range Trail or South towards Hurricane. North takes you past some lean-tos and camping areas, then around to the East Side of Big Crow and back to the parking area. On the way back, the fellas took a quick scouting hike up to the Lean-to. Jay is thinking the spot would be nice for some winter camping; there's a clean nearby water source, the lean-to is in good condition, there are decent spots for hammocks, campfires are actually allowed, and there was plenty of harvestable wood around.
The elevation gain begins in earnest shortly after the intersection. Most of this trail lies in the shadow of Hurricane and its shoulders and I think that would make it a very good approach in the Summer.
The fellas eventually removed their snowshoes in lieu of microspikes. The trail was well-packed and the streambed was actually exposed to the rock in some places. Since I was using my lightweight backpacking day pack, I didn't really have a way to transition to spikes without leaving the shoes behind to pick up later. I decided to just leave them on. This wasn't a huge problem, but there were some spots which would have been easier without them.
The Hurricane North trail intersects with the South trail immediately prior to the ultimate ascent of the mountain. There's a little traverse through some evergreens, then we came to the mountain's big scrambles. I really should have switched to spikes at this point due to all the exposed ice on this final climb, but laziness won out. At this point we were meeting up with lots of other hikers and folks helped each other scale the ledges safely.
There are a few quality views to the SouthWest from a little ledge as you make the final climb.
The summit of hurricane has had most of the snow blasted or melted off, especially on the rockfaces. I took off my snowshoes and just boot-walked the few hundred feet to the summit. Oddly, there was zero wind again, just as there had been back in April. I'm starting to think I'm being punked by people saying Hurricane is windy!
Jay checked out the view from the top of the fire tower. Korra waited patiently for Jay to come back down. As the morning progressed, folks going up the tower knocked a bunch of ice and snow free. It may be best to keep clear of the tower in the winter to avoid getting hurt. If I'd climbed the tower, Sunny would have lost his mind, so I decided to just chill on the rocks and eat my lunch.
Dan says sitting on rocks is for the birds. I was jealous. There were quite a few folks enjoying the day on Hurricane. Many of them arrived streaked with sweat and smiling. We had some polite conversation about this and that. More importantly, soaking in the view and basking in the sun was the order of the day.
It was a beautiful, clear day on top of Hurricane. I said it last time, and my opinion hasn't changed; I can see myself hiking this mountain again and again.
Sunny agrees.
Sunny agrees.
The hike back down the mountain was actually quite easy in the snowshoes. I had fun sliding down many of the more dangerous spots on my butt. I was happy to have my snowpants on for these sections. The hike across the second mile of the trail back to the junction was a bit of a trudge. While the guys went to check out the lean-to, Sunny and I took a rest.
The last mile back was absolutely a trudge for me; my lower back was aching by the end. Also, although my boots were warm and comfortable, the skin along my achilles was rubbing raw. Jay suggested sock liners for my feet, so I'll pick some up and try them out. After some discussion, we figured that my back ache might have been a combination of the snowshoes, Sunny pulling me hard at points, and using a pack that doesn't have support in the back.
Sunny was ready to start his 24 hours of napping right away. We were done fairly early, so decided to head over to Big Slide for dinner and a beer.
This was a great trip. It was a gorgeous day; the exercise in the fresh air and sun was welcome as always.
I need to remember to stop and really think about the things I may have forgotten before hiking. I often have lots of stuff to do at the trailhead and I worry about holding people up. Because of this, this time I forgot my water hose and my sunglasses back at the car, both of which would have made the day easier. I will also be keeping the lightweight day pack for short hikes and as a backpacking day pack, for which it was originally intended, I really missed the various features of my Osprey today.
Whenever (if) we get any snow in the Southern Saratoga region, I'll start practicing more with the snowshoes. For now, I'll keep rucking 5 or 6 days a week to stay in shape. I'm looking forward to the next hike, hopefully sooner rather than later.
