Anatomy of A Hike: Part 2

Jack awoke at the usual time, 4:00 am. The motel room was dark and quiet. There was not a need to rush. Sunrise was still almost three hours away. He had made a good plan, but many questions remained. The answers would come soon.

After the morning rituals of showering and dressing, he stepped out into the predawn darkness and loaded his boots and overnight bag into the rental. The temperature hovered around 25F/-3C. Jack knew that it was forecast to be a fine day for hiking, with the mercury pushing into the high 30’s. He loaded the directions into his phone before leaving the motel should he lose cell service.

Jack stopped at the nearest gas station to fuel up. He filled the car, and purchased water, sandwiches and coffee for the hour long drive to the trailhead. “Gas station food” his daughter would call it. It was edible, but not much more than that. Jack didn’t care. He would eat it for the calories, a necessity for the day’s trip to the summit of Balsam Mountain.

Jack ate one of the sandwiches as he drove, and drank the coffee. The outline of the surrounding mountains became clearer as the day began. The forecast called for overcast skies. He did not expect to see any sunshine. Clean roads took him almost to the trailhead. The last quarter mile of Rider Hollow Road was exactly as he had expected. Reviews of the road proved that it was quite narrow. Two vehicles would have been unable to pass one another and it was packed with snow. The tires held enough traction, and he arrived in the parking area without incident. The trailhead was empty of vehicles, he was the first to arrive.

Jack was outfitted as expected for a winter hike. Thermal base layers, heavy winter boots, a fleece insulating layer and a puffer jacket. He wore his old fleece hat but was without a balaclava- it was already 30F/-1C. Jack wore his liner gloves and a pair of leather mittens. His metal trekking poles were cold to the touch, the mittens a necessity.

He turned on his transponder and launched his navigation app. He’d want time and distance to measure performance and exact location position for the summit.

Jack strapped on his snow shoes immediately. The snow was deep in the Catskills, and flotation would provide the most efficient means of travel on foot.

A bulletin board displayed information at the start of the trail, and Jack signed into the visitor’s logbook there. It would help rescuers if a hiker was unaccounted for, and its information allowed the Department of Conservation to measure trail use for distribution of funds for their care.

The trail was well traveled here. He began slowly, crossing a wood bridge and began slowly gaining elevation. At less than a half mile, he reached a junction. Should he go left, the trail would be slightly longer to the summit. Going right would be shorter, but with more water crossings. If he was unable to ford them, he would have to turn back.

The water levels in the river looked low. He decided to roll the dice and turn right. Jack continued on his way, crossing a rickety looking metal bridge. It was just wide enough to accommodate his proportions without removing his snowshoes.

Jack would cross the streams a few more times, but they were without issue.

Jack soon arrived at a camping lean-to. The shelter had fallen into disrepair and was prohibited from being used. He continued on his way.

Jack would hike to a trail junction at the top of a mountain ridge line. From there, he would turn left, and hike to the summit of his target, Balsam Mountain. The distance was roughly 2.5 miles, one way.

The trail was climbing considerably after the one mile mark, and Jack stowed his puffer jacket and slowed his pace to regulate his body temperature.

Every twenty minutes, he would stop for a sip of water. It’s quite easy to become dehydrated in winter. A great deal of moisture is lost not by sweating, but by breathing, and winter air is very dry. The human body burns massive calories from physical exertion and simply keeping warm in the cold temperatures. Becoming dehydrated or failing to continue to provide calories can cause a person to become more susceptible to the cold.

Jack could feel the day warming, and his progress was good. The trail before him had been broken in by previous hikers. A well defined snowshoe trench lay ahead of him leading to the ridge line.

The sun was rising over the ridge in front of him, the overcast burned away. The frost from the moisture in the air had caused icy needles to form on every branch and limb. The spiky needles glistened in the backlit glow of the rising sun, and Jack stopped for a moment to study the scene. He’d not often witnessed this and it was breathtaking view. He smiled at his good fortune. Winter hiking didn’t get any better than this!

At the ridge, Jack reached the junction he sought. Signage on a tall tree told him which direction he’d need to travel to reach the top of Balsam. He felt good, and weather was better than expected.

The hiking to Balsam was now easy. The ridge walk offered relatively level terrain and a well defined trench. The sun had broken through the clouds. As the air warmed, the branches shed their icy needles. Looking down, Jack could see them carpeting the snow at his feet, millions of tiny ice shards on the trail.

Jack approached a wood sign posted by the state’s department of conservation. It indicated he had reached an elevation over 3500’. He guessed the summit was not far way.

The trail leveled off, and Jack began looking for sings of the summit. He expected a cairn or posted sign, but could not recall if there was an official marker. He checked his GPS, which indicated he was at the top of the mountain. Looking around, he noticed a spur trail to his right. The trail led him to a tall stone.

The dragon’s tooth stood alone in the woods. Jack had reached the summit, and this was his sole reward. The mountain here was viewless. Perhaps there was a side trail somewhere here that might lead to a view? Rather than wander aimlessly in the woods, Jack shrugged his shoulders and decided to move on. He’d come to reach the top, and the snowy scenes he’d encountered at sunrise were ample reward for the hike to Balsam’s peak.

After a few minutes to rest and enjoy the winter’s day, he began his hike to the junction and return.