Accomplished my third winter High Peak hike this year today! Snow conditions required snowshoes, which are much tougher to use than microspikes and require different muscle/balance use. I had a BLAST and am very proud of myself. About a 7 mile roundtrip hike this time (we wanted to have an "easier" day, though it is never truly easy to climb a High Peak - they are serious mountains).
I almost didn't summit - conditions were a little rough and the summit, well, you'll see in the photos. It's a bit scary. But I did summit :)
Pictures from Wright Peak:
 |
| In my super cozy down jacket - love it! |
 |
| Me and my friend, Tara, mid-way up |
 |
| Climbing up the OPEN, rocky, exposed, SUPER COLD, windy summit!!! |
 |
| Huge person-size cairns so they can be easily seen, no matter the weather - Algonquin Mountain in the background (2nd tallest in NY) |
 |
| Dramatic views caused by cold! |
 |
| Algonquin seen from Wright |
 |
| Colden seen from Wright |
 |
| Descent just as tough as ascent (mentally, especially!) |
 |
| Chris and I at the trailhead :) |
Gorgeous, though cold, day! Feeling pretty awesome (and tired) after all is done. We started the hike at 7 AM (2.5 hour ride each way) and I am home by 4 PM! We hiked like rockstars, very proud of all of us :)
My brain is calm, my body is exercised, my spirit is lifted.
Hiking is good for the soul - moving around this world, connecting with nature, realizing how big and how small we all are, in the end.
Namaste!!
Gorgeous photos but oh my goodness, that looks really, really tough!! Amazing. I'll stick to my summer hikes for now :)
ReplyDeleteI like winter hikes. There's something satisfying about them, and it is so quiet with just snow and wind. Snowshoeing is a really good workout too.
ReplyDeleteJust did about a 7 mile snowshoe hike in Glacier Park today. Pretty cold but nice!
ReplyDeleteFabulous pictures!
ReplyDeleteWhat a rock star you ARE!!! Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, Love the snow and hiking pics. Good for you. Getting outside has been a corner stone of my weight maintenance plan. So good for the body, mind and soul. :)
ReplyDelete"My brain is calm, my body is exercised, my spirit is lifted."
ReplyDeleteJeanette - well done - great pictures. What a lovely day, tiring though it was.
All the best Jan
Great job! I've never climbed something like that but on my small, wimpy hikes, I was always more nervous coming down…seemed easier to fall. I can't imagine doing it on snow!
ReplyDelete