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.
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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
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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.
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The trail from Wildcat D to Wildcat A looked inviting but snowshoeing through the deep snow (26 overnight) was exhausting.
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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.
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The ski down was fun, but there was plenty of ice and exposed rock. Global warming sucks!
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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.
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The bunks at The Bunkhouse were comfy.
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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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The trail from Wildcat D to Wildcat A looked inviting but snowshoeing through the deep snow (26 overnight) was exhausting.
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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.
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The ski down was fun, but there was plenty of ice and exposed rock. Global warming sucks!
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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.
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The bunks at The Bunkhouse were comfy.
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The main room upstairs was a good place to hang out and play games, or just sit and read a book.
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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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