Early morning stroll to Cascade and Porter

 

With a deluge that would get Noah's attention forecast for Sunday, Saturday was the day for another spring hike. I opted for the ever popular Cascade and Porter hike and got an early start to get the best of the trail conditions and weather. Near the trailhead the melting is well underway but the monorail is dependable once you gain some elevation. While sunny, there was a stiff breeze when above treeline near the summits. I certainly hope the many hikers I saw later on in sneakers, shorts and t-shirts didn't catch a chill up there! :-) I had a half hour to myself on each of the summits to see if I could find a few good photos out of the many that I took. Always a pleasure to do this hike and I can report that the view is only getting better with age!

Taking good advice

 

On a recent sunny day I parked at P13 with an eye to hiking the Wolf Trail. As I got out of my car a guy on skis appeared in the lot having skied down from somewhere off-trail. He indicated he was heading across Meech lake to complete a loop. Since I happened to have my skis and boots in the car I asked myself, how often can you short cut across Meech Lake? Decision made! After crossing the lake, I ran into a couple of local photo-bloggers on their way out from sunning themselves at Healey cabin. Another great idea. Nothing quite like sunning one's self in the spring sun. On the ski out the crust on the lake was softer but thankfully the ice held and I made it safe and sound back to my car. A great day to be out!

Springing up Ampersand Peak

 

Ampersand is a great little mountain located just east of Tupper Lake. It has everything the larger high peaks have but in a smaller package. It fit the bill on Sunday as I could get up reasonably early, drive down, hike and be home before dark. I was suprised to be the only car in the lot at a civilized starting time of 9:45. The trail is flat for a mile and then straight up. Conditions were perfect for spikes. The main attraction of the view from the open summit is Seymour and the Seward range with the Santanonis peaking over Seymour's shoulder. You can see the MacIntyres off in the distance to the east, especially when they are coated in white. I found a spot out of the wind and enjoyed a sunny spring day. On the way down I tweaked my back by holding onto a branch too long as I slid down a particularly steep spot. The snow was balling up on the front of my spikes which made for sort of reverse-televators! Plenty of people and dogs were heading up to enjoy a great day.