| For those who weren’t paying attention last year, a “46r” is the term for the 46 Adirondacks originally surveyed at 4000' or above, as well as for those who’ve climbed all of them. Last year I summited five, which doesn’t sound too impressive unless you know that all of them were snowshod. There is even a special rank for those who climb all 46 peaks betwixt the Solstice and th’Equinox, and four out of my previöus five were in during Winter. With that experiënce, I did, of course, want to proceed this winter, even if I didn’t think I’d get exactly 41 more. |
| It was only natural that Mt. Porter be my first peak of the season, synce its twin Mt. Cascade was my first last year. Joining me on this voyage were the Snowy Owls, the finest group from a small Connecticut private school whose good name I shan’t tarnish here. We’d already bonded thruöut many activities, and climbed Porter so quickly that I began my second 46r round by climbing Cascade again! Alas, this peak was a few weeks priör to the Solstice, so it’s not an official Winter 46r. |
| Winter had officially begun during the week after Chirstmas when a group of summer campers invades the Center every year. While most of them are certified ski bums, a few adventurers pursue the more manly Winter Mountaineering program, and Dave and I were to lead them ice-climbing. Alas, the winter had been quite mild, and we’d to substitute a hike, and didn’t even wear our snowshoes. |
| Adding insult t’injury, the peak selected was Big Slide, which I’d already climbed the previöus year. Still, having neglected to take photos last time, I was delighted to be able to capture the splendid view and the namesake big slide. |
| Similar to my having climbed Cascade but not Porter in ’06, Dave and I had led a group over only half of the Lower Range, so we made it a high priörity to finish it this winter. Altho Dave is a 46r two times over, he only had a handful of winter peaks, so he was just as interested in a thorough winter hiking program as was I. Our trek up Mt. Armstrong and Mt. Gothics, the first of our hikes together, was the most miserable/rewarding, as the strong winds had deposited three feet of fluffy powder at the top, against which our snowshoes were worthless. Notably, it was so cold that it affected my camera’s ability to discern colors! |
| Inspyred by our successful trek, Dave and I headed out the very next weekend to bag Mt. Colvin and Mt. Blake, just across the road from the Lower Range. It was a slightly nicer day, tho the route did involve climbing Colvin twice! |
| Sick of condensation sticking to my moustache while hiking in sub-zero temperatures, I adjusted my facial hair for winter mountaineering. It was just in time for th’arrival three New Jerseyan Eagle Scouts who wanted to climb two mountains in which I myself was interested. Our first day involved hiking in to the campsite and setting up tents, so we climbed the just-over-4000' Phelps Mtn. on the first, absurdly beautiful day. |
| Our second day we faced the much harsher trail up Wright Mtn., climbing right up some fierce frozen waterfalls. Difficult as that was, it had nothing on th’actuäl summit, which featured arctic winds and a centimeter of ice: enough to make the rock slippery but not enough to really find purchase with crampons. Still, we made it! |
| Near th’end of winter, Dave and I headed out on our last mission to th’Ausable Club and to climb two last peaks. The famous Valentine’s Day Blizzard had fallen synce our last missions, but luckily, every inch of the trail was broken for us and we were able to make our way fairly easily to the top of Nippletop Mountain with its as-yet-ubeaten view of the high peaks. |
| It also apparently had as-yet-unbeaten cell phone reception, at least for the middle of the wilderness. |
| Nippletop has justly earned its name by the pointy summit that juts out of a long ridgeline. I thought it was an interminable hike even before we got to the overlook atop Diäl Mtn., but the descent afterwards seemed to take longer than climbing either mountain. Then again, we did want to be let down gently after our final two mountains of the season. |
| The season may’ve been up, but the snow held on until April 15th. Since we’d both already filed our taxes, my roommate Devin and I spent the day on Giänt Mountain (thus my pose). Three weeks into Spring or no, the harsh winds blew just as hard against our cheeks on the several bare patches. From the top, we renegotiäted and decided to skip Giänt's twin peak Rocky Peak Ridge. |
| That turned out to be a phenomenal idea, as the car was already covered in snow, and the drive back was the worst winter driving I’d ever done. Keep in mind that, within two weeks, Devin and I would both’ve swum quite comfortably in Long Pond. When Spring springs around here, it does so with gusto. This leaves my 46r total at 15, all with snow but only 12 in Winter calendar-wise. It would, alas, remain this way thruöut my tenure at the Center. |
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