WINTER SANTANONI ASCENT!

The second day of hiking during the winter hiking trip was a bit of a last minute decision. Most of the guys made the decision to get back home as soon as possible but two others and myself decided to keep the adventure going. Originally we planned to hike Mt. Marshall but after much discussion we decided it was too long of a trip and opted to go for Santanoni. The weather looked favorable and we decided to head out despite the fact that we didn't quite know the location of the parking lot before Upper Works. 

We left the house at 4 am and made it to Upper Works by 5:15 but the only problem was we completely missed the left turn because it was blocked with snow. We took that photo on the way out. 

We spent about 15 minutes looking for the right turn and after pulling in we saw a couple vehicles already there. After a quick gear check we hit the trail at 5:37 am.

It was a crispy morning. This was my first time hiking in while pitch black. We were hiking at a good pace on a very open road-like trail. There was a ski trail that ran alongside. I had a lot of questions regarding the trail and there was only so much research you can do the night before. But the sense of the unknown also made for a great adventure.  

The first turn on the trail was simply indicated with an arrow on the tree. The trail was marked with a blue trail marker until the left turn that marked the trailhead. Santanoni is an unmarked trail hike. From here the trail was narrower, surrounded by a dense forest, and the terrain gently increased in elevation.  

As we increased in daylight, it was nice to appreciate the beautiful and wild surroundings. At the intersection we took a left, with a blank wooden sign on the right. The trail going to the right would take you to the Panther trailhead and the Duck Hole. 

On the way back we calculated it to be about 3.7 miles from the parking lot to the bifurcation. About a 5 minute walk from the intersection there was a bridge crossing. It had an impressive 18 inches of hard packed snow on it. The trail was almost flat at different points. And it dipped down into a swampy area with dead trees. After the swamp crossing the trail entered some really dense underbrush. Immediately after that it was a very steep ascent. The mountain has a eastern ridge line and the trail follows that line on the northern side of it. There was several feet of snow that side of the mountain and I could only appreciate one set of snowshoes ahead of me. I was grateful the entire hike that we didn't have to break trail. I had no difficulty make hiking up the steep slope with the Lightening Ascent MSR snowshoes.  

As we continued up the mountain I was impressed at the amount of snow, and it seemed to increase. There was one section that was super steep and it took about 20 minutes to go 50 feet. The crazy thing was if one person fell then they would take out the other two and back to square one. Thankfully we all made it to the top. On the way back this area was even hairy sliding on your butt. There is nothing to stop you at the bottom except for rough pine trees. 

There came a point on the trail that we were on the ridge itself and it flattened out a bit at some parts. 

The last portion of the ascent was nice and mild in elevation. We were completely covered in clouds and it was snowing steadily. Just before the summit we put on our hardshell coats. A group of 4 hikers passed us and we later chatted with them at the summit. They were hiking all 3 that day (Santanoni, Panther, and Couchsachraga).  

We reach the summit at 10:30 am. Spent about 20 minutes at the top, drinking some warm tea and eating a nice lunch.  

On the way back, we were so excited about the descent we completely missed the slightly right turn in the trail. One of the guys had a gut feeling we should check our maps/GPS and sure enough we were about 1/2 mile down the trail to Panther. So we had to back track and it turned out to be a longer ordeal as the trail wasn't as packed down and it was difficult going. 

Once back on the trail we made good time on the descent because we used out butt sleds almost the entire way to the swamp area. If I was to guesstimate it was probably a 30 minute butt sled experience. I had a couple hip and shoulder collisions with trees and roots that only gave me nice bruises. 

By far the most painful part of the trip was hiking  the 3.7 miles along a pretty boring trail. But we maintained a good conversation for the duration of the long miles. It is definitely more enjoyable to hike with companions. 

We made it back to the truck at 2:30pm about 30 minutes behind schedule. However, we had a great trip back to Syracuse and we made it home at 6 pm. 

TRIP STATS:

2/22/2020

Start: 0537

Summit: 1030

Left summit: 1050

Finished: 1430

Trip Duration: a little less than 9 hours with stops

Trip Miles: 11.2 miles

Elevation Gain: ~2,850 ft

HIKING BIG SLIDE IN THE WINTER!

This year marked the second year that I hiked with a great group of guys. We have hung out and did other activities throughout last year that I felt like we have been doing this for years. It was a little different this year as we had to delay the hike later into February and in retrospect it was a good thing that we did because this past winter had many warm spells. We stayed in Keene Valley, NY as opposed to closer to the central High Peaks. Our group had some new faces and they were are great addition to the hiking crew. And we also started the trip a little earlier in the week, Thursday, to allow for more R&R before the work week. 

Driving into the High Peaks Region regardless of where you are coming from, is always a spectacular moment. The windy roads and looming mountain peaks really does it for me. 

Big Slide mountain in the background

We stayed in the heart of Keene Valley, right on the main road in a lovely house that easily accommodated all 10 of us. Its the largest group I have ever hiked with. As with all big groups, we trickled into town throughout the day until 1 am Friday. This was different as we usually have a big potluck dinner where we all sit around and enjoy a meal together. It was a bit broken up this year but fun nevertheless. 

Majority of us got into town early enough to enjoy the area and that included stopping into The Mountaineer to look for some deals. Some of the crew had to rent some hiking equipment so it was nice to get that taken care of before dinner. 

And of course there is the trip into the bigger town, Lake Placid, to see what is going on at this time if the year. February, I learned, is the time when most of the winter competitions take place, primarily on the weekends. Even though it wasn't quite the weekend yet, the town was bustling with athletes, their families, and simple tourists like us. We did the usual, hit the souvenir shops, wonder around Easter Mountain Sports, and enjoy the scenery. 

Back at the house, we enjoyed our dinner, and we each took to our own spot in the house to lay out the gear, and have small talk about our gear and things to pack and not to pack. After look at the forecast as predicted by the Vermont Weather Service, we understood that it was going to be a cold start with potentially high winds. Another concern we discussed was how packed with the Garden Parking lot be at this time of the year? After all the gear was packed and we agreed on the final plans, we crawled into bed around 10:30pm. With 10 guys getting up at once in the morning, it was going to be quiet the show. The original goal was to get to the Garden by 5:30 am but we all made it out of the house after 6 am. Note to self, there is a lot to be done, including packing lunches, boiling water for drinking water, eating breakfast, bathroom time, and last minute packing. 

To our surprise, the Garden parking had 3 cars. Once out of the cars, there was plenty of adjustment and fine tuning going on as we strapped on the snow shoes and adjusted the head lamps. We were on the trail at 6:37 am. With 10 sets of snowshoes crunching on the crispy snow, it made a lot of noise and it times we sounded like soldiers marching down a trail. 

The trail was moderate and we made good time before we hit the first major hill. As the terrain grew steeper, the pack spread out during equipment adjustments and breaks. As we marched out, we became more comfortable with each others pace. 

We reached Brother 1 which yielded some nice views, but because it was till early, the clouds still hung low over the higher peaks in the distance. The clouds appeared to be breaking up enough to give us hope for good views at the summit. 

Each of the Brother Summits provided a short period of taking photos, snacking, and regrouping. The steeper sections definitely gave way to some nice views. 

We finally made it to the final stretch before the summit. At this point we had broken up into 3 groups. The last group slowed down quiet a bit because one of the guys was cramping up really bad. Despite the water, electrolyte pills, and stretches the cramping didn't give up. This eventually cost him the summit view but it prevented additional muscle harm and unforeseen injury. 

The final 0.3 miles was very steep but the short push was rewarded with amazing views. The sun was shining and I was surrounded by a great team of hikers, what more could one ask for. We summited at 11 am with plenty of daylight to spare. 

After many photos, some summit grub, and rest we headed back to join up with the group that waiting just beyond Brother 3. Some of us enjoyed a significant amount of butt sledding on plastic sleds that were designed for this very purpose. On this hike I didn't even bring one, not the biggest fan partly because my longer snowshoes prevent me from having a good long ride.  

On Brother 2 once agin, we soaked up some sun, chatted with a few passing hikers, and took many more photos. At this point, the rest of crew made it to the summit and radioed in that they were heading back. We were making good progress on the way down at a steady gait. 

We made it back to the truck at 3:30 pm. Since we carpooled, we packed 6 people in and head back to the house to clean up and rest before dinner.

Enjoyed a very nice dinner at The 46er restaurant in Keene, NY. I had some really delicious Duck Fat Bread Rolls and Ribeye Steak. The experience was great and I would recommend this place for dinner.  

TRIP STATS:

2/21/2020

Start: 0637

Summit: 1100

Left summit: 1130

Finished: 1530

Trip Duration: 9 hours with many stops

Trip Miles: 8.0 miles

Temperature: 8 F

Summit temp: 20's with wind chill