10:17 AM on Friday, December 30, 2016
Stood in line for an hour to buy an uphill ticket. Power went out, couldn't print tickets, lifts were stopped. So I just skinned up sans ticket. It was harder than I remembered, then I realized I didn't free my heels. Got easier after that was corrected.
At the top I put on snowshoes and summitted Wildcat D then headed over to Wildcat A. Didn't go far before I realized I wouldn't make it there and back before dark and exhaustion overtook me. So I floundered back to the ski resort and skied down. Turns were fun on blue, but pure ice and rocks on black. Gotta love New England skiing.
Skinning up was more tiring than I expected. And the storm was still howling: gale force winds and snow.
Stood in line for an hour to buy an uphill ticket. Power went out, couldn't print tickets, lifts were stopped. So I just skinned up sans ticket. It was harder than I remembered, then I realized I didn't free my heels. Got easier after that was corrected.
At the top I put on snowshoes and summitted Wildcat D then headed over to Wildcat A. Didn't go far before I realized I wouldn't make it there and back before dark and exhaustion overtook me. So I floundered back to the ski resort and skied down. Turns were fun on blue, but pure ice and rocks on black. Gotta love New England skiing.
Stats:
- Peaks: Wildcat D (turned around before reaching Mt Wildcat)
- Weather:
- Parked: Wildcat Ski Resort
- Trails: skinned up Polecat, Wildcat Ridge Tr (between D and C), ski down Wildcat/Bobcat
- Time: 3h2m, 10:17am-1:19pm
- Distance: 5.0mi
- Track: GaiaGps
Skinning up was more tiring than I expected. And the storm was still howling: gale force winds and snow.
The stairs to the observation deck were just a ramp of ice I couldn't get up in snowshoes. Not worth switching to crampons to enjoy no views.
The trail from Wildcat D to Wildcat A looked inviting but snowshoeing through the deep snow (26 overnight) was exhausting.
I didn't even get to Wildcat C before I decided to abort and head back. It was cold and exhausting, especially going up, where the ice-covered rocks were buried in 2 feet of snow. My snowshoes couldn't get a grip and I thrashed around in the snow, sliding back a couple feet for every 3 feet forward.
The ski down was fun, but there was plenty of ice and exposed rock. Global warming sucks!
Decided to cut my hike short instead of die in the storm. So had time to go to Tuckerman Brewing Co. Their Rockpile IPA with Citra and Simcoe is tasty.
The bunks at The Bunkhouse were comfy.
Thought you might appreciate this Jay-Z reference, though I prefer the Hugo version. The Bunkhouse is part of the Northeast Mountaineering guide service. They are hard core.
The trail from Wildcat D to Wildcat A looked inviting but snowshoeing through the deep snow (26 overnight) was exhausting.
I didn't even get to Wildcat C before I decided to abort and head back. It was cold and exhausting, especially going up, where the ice-covered rocks were buried in 2 feet of snow. My snowshoes couldn't get a grip and I thrashed around in the snow, sliding back a couple feet for every 3 feet forward.
The ski down was fun, but there was plenty of ice and exposed rock. Global warming sucks!
Decided to cut my hike short instead of die in the storm. So had time to go to Tuckerman Brewing Co. Their Rockpile IPA with Citra and Simcoe is tasty.
The bunks at The Bunkhouse were comfy.
The main room upstairs was a good place to hang out and play games, or just sit and read a book.
Thought you might appreciate this Jay-Z reference, though I prefer the Hugo version. The Bunkhouse is part of the Northeast Mountaineering guide service. They are hard core.
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