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I had been planning this hike for a few weeks and was fortunate to be joined by ashtoncavette and fvwld. We met at the trailhead at about 8 AM and got under way very soon afterward. I had sent fvwld (Val) my projected GPS waypoints and she set up an advance party to break some of the trail the day before. So yesterday (2/13), she and several others (redhawk, Val, kwc and ashtoncavette) set out and broke the trail for about 2.5 miles (out of 3.4 miles). Bravo. Additionally, some skiers obviously read that Sucker Brook would be broken out that day and they followed that group by several hours. Needless-to-say, the first portion was well “brokeâ€.
Once we started out, we headed directly down the newly broken trail. We had chosen a direct line that mostly followed the Sucker Brook trail, but was more direct. We made the 2.5 miles (1000’) climb in just less than 1.75 hours. Once we reached the end of the tracks, we forged out on our own in the unbroken snow. Navigation up to this point had been primarily by GPS waypoints, preprogrammed by me. If we had been flying a plane, I'd say that to that point, we had been operating under Instrument Flight Rules (GPS). But because the woods were so open, we switched to Visual Flight Rules (dead reckoning) and decieded to head directty up, as opposed to the route we had initially planned.
Since we could see everything around us, we determined that a more direct line towards the summit was in order. Sure, It was steeper but it was more direct, and we could see there were no cliffs that would block our path (it looks much harder on a topo map then it is). With Ashton (the young guy) primarily in the lead (we all took turns), we steadily made our way up the gut of this peak. We generally followed above and to the right of a natural draw between the two ridges. The final .8 Miles climbed about 1200’ feet so you can bet it sure was steep. It took us about 1.75 hours to reach the summit from the "end of the tracks". Some nice views were had on the way up, but the wind was blowing at about 30-35 MPH, which made for some serious wind chills.
At the top, the grade began to level out and next thing you know, we had run out of mountain and found ourselves in a (very) small clearing embraced by conifer trees that protected us from the biting wind. A small break for food was all that we could stand, before we headed back out. We made great time on the gravity assisted descent. And made it back to the trailhead in about 2.5 hrs.
The snow conditions were perfect. Recent freeze/thaw cycles, coupled with a recent 12" of snow, created enough ice underneath with fresh powder to allow for good floatation and very few spruce traps. Snow depth on top was about 28-32 inches, We did get a few views on the way up and way down, but none at the summit. The temps were in the low 20's most of the day. The overall description of the buchwhack was that of very open woods and other than a few steep (breathless) portions, not to bad at all.
Below is a view south from the side of Lewey (below the summit). The peak in the picture is Cellar Mountain.
Once we started out, we headed directly down the newly broken trail. We had chosen a direct line that mostly followed the Sucker Brook trail, but was more direct. We made the 2.5 miles (1000’) climb in just less than 1.75 hours. Once we reached the end of the tracks, we forged out on our own in the unbroken snow. Navigation up to this point had been primarily by GPS waypoints, preprogrammed by me. If we had been flying a plane, I'd say that to that point, we had been operating under Instrument Flight Rules (GPS). But because the woods were so open, we switched to Visual Flight Rules (dead reckoning) and decieded to head directty up, as opposed to the route we had initially planned.
Since we could see everything around us, we determined that a more direct line towards the summit was in order. Sure, It was steeper but it was more direct, and we could see there were no cliffs that would block our path (it looks much harder on a topo map then it is). With Ashton (the young guy) primarily in the lead (we all took turns), we steadily made our way up the gut of this peak. We generally followed above and to the right of a natural draw between the two ridges. The final .8 Miles climbed about 1200’ feet so you can bet it sure was steep. It took us about 1.75 hours to reach the summit from the "end of the tracks". Some nice views were had on the way up, but the wind was blowing at about 30-35 MPH, which made for some serious wind chills.
At the top, the grade began to level out and next thing you know, we had run out of mountain and found ourselves in a (very) small clearing embraced by conifer trees that protected us from the biting wind. A small break for food was all that we could stand, before we headed back out. We made great time on the gravity assisted descent. And made it back to the trailhead in about 2.5 hrs.
The snow conditions were perfect. Recent freeze/thaw cycles, coupled with a recent 12" of snow, created enough ice underneath with fresh powder to allow for good floatation and very few spruce traps. Snow depth on top was about 28-32 inches, We did get a few views on the way up and way down, but none at the summit. The temps were in the low 20's most of the day. The overall description of the buchwhack was that of very open woods and other than a few steep (breathless) portions, not to bad at all.
Below is a view south from the side of Lewey (below the summit). The peak in the picture is Cellar Mountain.
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