Post by GaliWalker on Jan 23, 2022 7:46:43 GMT -8
Dolly Sods, Lindy Point, Blackwater Falls
I knew it was going to be a cold start to the day, with a forecast of -4°F at dawn, warming up to 20°F. What I didn't expect was to face -22°F at the Red Creek Trail trailhead, which is where Forest Road 19 is gated. My plan was to hike 3.1mi up the road to the Rohrbaugh Plains Trailhead, and then take that to access the heart of Dolly Sods.
Temperature reading switching from -21°F to -22°F.
I got out of the car and the cold hit me immediately. I decided to leave the snowshoes in the trunk of the car, since the snow depth on FR19 was about 1in, and I didn't anticipate it to get that much deeper. I initially made quick work up the road, working my hands inside my heavy gloves to keep them warm. A bit further up the road I stopped for a minute or two for a nature's call, and thereafter my toes felt like blocks of ice. It took another mile before they finally warmed up! A slight breeze had also picked up by now, which had forced me to put on my balaclava. It was extremely pretty, but I didn't want to dig out the camera in the cold conditions.
A mile in and my decision to not bring the snowshoes was looking like a pretty bad one. The snow depth by now was about a foot and post-holing in the virgin snow was becoming tiresome. I knew at this stage that I wasn't going to make it to my intended destination but wanted to at least get a bit of exercise in, so I kept going until I'd gained the top of the Dolly Sods plateau, just past the South Prong Trailhead (2.7mi and 1300ft elevation gain). I managed to hurriedly snap off a photo here. Later on, I tried to take another shot but was unable to persuade my hands to dig out the camera from its case; they just refused to work.
FR19
I hurried back to the car. It had warmed up to 9°F, and I had other destinations lined up as a back-up plan. The first of these was to check out Lindy Point. Once again, accessing the trailhead required a 0.9mi road walk. This time however, the snow was packed down by numerous other hikers and skiers, so it was fast going. The short 0.8mi trail to the viewpoint was also nicely packed down, so that too was fast going. My favorite perch on the rocky outcrop requires a jump across a 2ft wide fissure. The landing area is comprised of down-sloping rock slabs in a small cliff face, so one needs to be committed. I was a little concerned with doing the jump in snow and microspikes, but thankfully had no problem making it in each direction.
Safely across
GaliWalker on Lindy Point (selfie)
With the quickie trip to Lindy Point under my belt, and the temperature at a pretty comfortable 15°F, I felt that I had enough time to check out nearby Blackwater Falls.
I knew it was going to be a cold start to the day, with a forecast of -4°F at dawn, warming up to 20°F. What I didn't expect was to face -22°F at the Red Creek Trail trailhead, which is where Forest Road 19 is gated. My plan was to hike 3.1mi up the road to the Rohrbaugh Plains Trailhead, and then take that to access the heart of Dolly Sods.
Temperature reading switching from -21°F to -22°F.
I got out of the car and the cold hit me immediately. I decided to leave the snowshoes in the trunk of the car, since the snow depth on FR19 was about 1in, and I didn't anticipate it to get that much deeper. I initially made quick work up the road, working my hands inside my heavy gloves to keep them warm. A bit further up the road I stopped for a minute or two for a nature's call, and thereafter my toes felt like blocks of ice. It took another mile before they finally warmed up! A slight breeze had also picked up by now, which had forced me to put on my balaclava. It was extremely pretty, but I didn't want to dig out the camera in the cold conditions.
A mile in and my decision to not bring the snowshoes was looking like a pretty bad one. The snow depth by now was about a foot and post-holing in the virgin snow was becoming tiresome. I knew at this stage that I wasn't going to make it to my intended destination but wanted to at least get a bit of exercise in, so I kept going until I'd gained the top of the Dolly Sods plateau, just past the South Prong Trailhead (2.7mi and 1300ft elevation gain). I managed to hurriedly snap off a photo here. Later on, I tried to take another shot but was unable to persuade my hands to dig out the camera from its case; they just refused to work.
FR19
I hurried back to the car. It had warmed up to 9°F, and I had other destinations lined up as a back-up plan. The first of these was to check out Lindy Point. Once again, accessing the trailhead required a 0.9mi road walk. This time however, the snow was packed down by numerous other hikers and skiers, so it was fast going. The short 0.8mi trail to the viewpoint was also nicely packed down, so that too was fast going. My favorite perch on the rocky outcrop requires a jump across a 2ft wide fissure. The landing area is comprised of down-sloping rock slabs in a small cliff face, so one needs to be committed. I was a little concerned with doing the jump in snow and microspikes, but thankfully had no problem making it in each direction.
Safely across
GaliWalker on Lindy Point (selfie)
With the quickie trip to Lindy Point under my belt, and the temperature at a pretty comfortable 15°F, I felt that I had enough time to check out nearby Blackwater Falls.