panatomicx
Trail Wise!
Less noise and more green
Posts: 496
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Post by panatomicx on Feb 23, 2021 13:16:22 GMT -8
Temps are in the single digits, and there's 3 feet of snow in the woods. Let's go camping! And while we're there, let's climb a mountain! Tim and I had a real nice weekend in the Adirondaks. We drove up Saturday and parked at the Loj, then snowshoed in past Marcy Dam to the tentsite off the blue trail, on the way to Phelps. Perfect conditions, the trail was smooth, packed down nicely, and we ran into a bunch of friendly folks on the way. The tentsite was pristine, we broke trail in, and stomped down two good spots. Dug out a kitchen, and we were set. Had a cozy night in the tent, and woke up to a cold, clear blue sky day. Deep packed snow on a trail makes the climb easier. There's still the vertical, but no rocks, roots, or slippery slabs. The summit was spectacular, clear with not a breath of wind. We did not want to leave.Easy trip down, cooked some lunch, and snowshoed back out. Marcy Dam Trigger Warning! Lightweight Backpackers do not look at this photo! That's Tim, beasting, with a circa 1957 325 litre McHale pack
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,926
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Phelps
Feb 23, 2021 13:27:02 GMT -8
Post by walkswithblackflies on Feb 23, 2021 13:27:02 GMT -8
Nice. You picked a good weather window. Phelps is a great bang-for-your-buck mountain, and it's soooo much easier in the winter!
There's a herd path that goes down the northeast flank of Phelps to the Klondike LT on the #12 trail (just off your 1st photo)... one of my favorite bushwhacks in the Adks.
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Phelps
Feb 23, 2021 18:31:54 GMT -8
Post by Coolkat on Feb 23, 2021 18:31:54 GMT -8
Very cool... thanks for sharing. Looks like fun! (says a man who has never been winter camping).
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Phelps
Feb 28, 2021 16:00:31 GMT -8
Post by absarokanaut on Feb 28, 2021 16:00:31 GMT -8
Awesome report. When I was a teenager I hiked Marcy from JBL and then Wright and Algonquin from Marcy Dam, but all in May. That's a really amazing part of the world and we all know the whole world is better for all the conservation conversation that went on in the Adirondacks.Thanks for sharing.
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