Trip Review: New Year's in the Adirondacks

Note: I wrote this post in January of 2010 and never actually published it.  Looking back, I'm missing our crazy half-planned, half-spontaneous outings in the Northeast.  This was far and away the best New Year's I ever had.  



I'm a bit late in sharing, but rest assured that we had a fantastic New Year's weekend in the Adirondacks.

Adirondack Winter Trip Review

On the summit of Armstrong Peak, New Year's Day 2010

Background: Jeff and I realized that we hadn't gone backpacking since Vermont, in July.  We've been on many hikes since then, but nothing overnight.  Having always had kind of crappy New Year's celebrations (I'm usually either designated driver or holed up in my parents' guest room keeping my dog sane with all of the fireworks), and having just whet our appetites for outdoor adventure with our Colorado Christmas, we decided that the long New Year weekend would be a perfect time to go backpacking again.  Our dear friend Matt, possibly the only person who would agree to a winter backpacking trip on New Year's four days prior to departure, of course signed on.

There's a saying that the activity you are doing when the new year rolls in is what you will do all  year.  Starting off this year--and this decade--backpacking is, I think, a terrific sign.

Transportation:  Matt and I picked up his car, then came back into the city for Jeff.  We drove up I-87 to Keene Valley, the base of operations for the Eastern High Peaks region of the Adirondack Park.

Trail Conditions:  We had winter conditions.  There was packed snow on the ground when we arrived on the night of Thursday, December 31st.  It was pristine and beautiful on Friday the 1st.  There was no wind to speak of and clear skies all around.  Saturday the 2nd, it was substantially colder, maybe 15 degrees F in the lower valleys and 0 degrees without windchill on the higher peaks.  Up on Mount Marcy, the winds picked up, gusting to 45 mph.  That is not fun in any weather, but certainly not in sub-freezing temperatures. We made camp in a lean-to farther down the valley just before a major blizzard rolled in. Thankfully, the next morning the trailside warming hut was staffed and the ladies working that weekend hailed us over as we shivered and trudged toward the trailhead and fed us hot chocolate and banana bread.  They said the temperature got down around -4 Fahrenheit in the night.

I often felt like how this tree looked

Food: I got to use my dehydrator for new and exciting projects!

For dinners, I made African Chicken Groundnut Stew and Mashed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes from A Fork in the Trail.  We rehydrated them by pouring boiling water into the ziplocs and putting them in a little cozy I sewed out of an old sweatshirt.  I used the pocket-front section of the sweatshirt so there was a bonus spot to warm my frozen hands.

Breakfast: oatmeal, GORP

Lunch/Snacks: Pizza GORP (cheez-its, sliced pepperoni sticks, nuts, other goodies), potato chips, peanut butter, chocolate pretzels, a can of SPAM (questionable choice), oreos

Another fine post-blizzard morning in a lean-to

Other concerns:  Hiking in winter conditions might as well have a completely different name as it bears very little resemblance to summertime hiking.  The elements are less forgiving, so you need to bring your A-game.  Car camping tents, flimsy sleeping bags, cotton clothing--none of these have a place in a responsible winter hiker's gear.

In addition to our regular hiking gear, we had several indispensable pieces of equipment:

• extra layers, more than you think is prudent
• socks, socks and even more socks
• gaiters
• snowshoes
• crampons
• ice axes (1 each)
• trekking poles
• extra stove fuel

Even well-equipped, we all got a bit of mild frostbite.  Keep yourself warm and keep skin covered when on an exposed mountain face. Matt and Jeff got little spots of frostbite on their noses and cheeks in their ill-advised afternoon summit bid of Mount Marcy. My big toe had some from stepping through thin ice and a bit of water getting into the front of my boot.

Sleeping through a blizzard in a lean-to is not a pleasant experience.  We didn't think to put up our tents inside the lean-to for extra insulation and wind protection.  We woke in the morning to find snow drifts alongside us and inside our boots.  Lesson learned.

Especially when it is freezing cold, it's hard to make yourself eat or drink water since your hands are already cold, you don't feel thirsty, and stopping to find your food in your pack will drop your body heat.  This is silly.  Pack food that's easy to eat on the go and make yourself eat it to avoid bad low-blood sugar decisions and hypothermia. As for water intake, not only do you want to avoid dehydration, you also need water to maintain and regulate your body temperature.  Fill a thermos with boiling water before you leave on your trip, and again after you finish making dinner each night and you will have hot water at the ready without needing to get out your stove.

This article provides an excellent overview of what to expect and plan for when winter hiking or winter camping.