Very Good Friday

 

The Good Friday forecast called for sun and with mid day temperatures of 10 degrees celsius. I was surprised to arrive at the Cascade/Porter trailhead at 10am to find only two vehicles. OK, one of those vehicles must have been a clown car as the sign in book indicated a group of 13 post-hole-ing teenagers (C'mon people, winter hiking is done on snowshoes). The melt hadn't quite started yet so there were only a few icy sections on the trail. A single layer of fleece was all that was required for the entire hike. It really doesn't get much better than this. A windbreaker was required above treeline on Cascade due to healthy wind gusts. I had a nice chat with a retiree from Montreal and then spent the usual half hour taking photos and enjoying the blue skies. Likewise on Porter.

A very good day indeed!

Springbreaking, ADK style

I "had to" use up some vacation days at work so a couple of long weekends in March hiking the ADKs seemed like a great plan. A long cold winter and steady snowfall since mid-January made for great snow conditions. I managed to get out on some cold but bluebird sunny days as well as  a couple of somewhat cloudy days for some great hikes and views. The quick trip up Mt Jo found the clearest views I have yet had up there. The hike up Round mountain was highlighted by the animal tracks evident in the thin layer of fresh snow. The most enjoyed of the hikes was to Mt Colden via the trail from Lake Arnold which brought my number of winter 46ers (all done in March) to 10. Although a mostly cloudy day, the winter views from Mt. Colden, of Mt. Marcy in one direction and the McIntyre range in the other, are spectacular!

Pics:

• Random St Huberts peak
• Round Mountain
• Mt Jo
• Mt Colden