January Gear Check

 

My original intention this past weekend in Lake George was to hike out to Erebus and then back over Sleeping Beauty. I'd emailed the DEC about the status of Shelving Rock Road the day before and the helpful employee at Ray Brook was able to get a response from the ranger in charge of that area in a few short hours, which was awesome.

It was going to be pretty cold, but not the worst. The forecast high was 21 Farenheit with 5mph winds in that area. It was only going to be 5 Farenheit around dawn, so I didn't leave first thing. Instead, I made family breakfast and trimmed up Sunny's paws before leaving.

When we arrived at the Hogtown Trailhead, we were geared up by 9am and I was a bit concerned. The wind was much stronger than forecast, but I decided to have an honest go of it.

Besides, this guy was stoked.

By the time we got down the road about a quarter of a mile, the wind had died down to just about nothing. I think it's possible the wind coming up from the lake gets funneled up the valley and across the trailhead, because when we got back later, the wind picked up at about the same place. 

I'd layered up quite a bit at the car, including my heavy mittens. I removed those and  stashed them in my puffy's very generous inside pockets. Although this was convenient, it was probably not a great idea because it made me sweat which isn't great in the winter. Still, I was very happy with my gear. I definitely didn't need the synthetic fleece parka in my pack, but my Manzela gloves, base layer, snow pants, Eddie Bauer down puffy, and Marmot windbreaker did an awesome job of keeping me warm.

As we passed the bend with the ruins, I realized Sunny was pacing behind me. He usually only does that at the end of a hike when he's finally getting tired. I checked on him at Dacy Clearing and found his paws were full of ice balls. He was favoring the feet with the worst ice on them. Apparently, I'd done a very poor job of clearing his paw hair. I couldn't pull them off without hurting him, either, so I decided to cut the hike short. 

After we made it back to the car, I figured I'd make the best of it. I drove down to Shelving Rock Falls while Sunny gnawed on the ice in his paws. By the time we got to the trailhead, he was jumping around in back wanting to be let out. I checked his paws and he'd done a good job of cleaning them out, so I took him with me the short hike down to the falls.

Sunny had fun scampering around the rocks and ice.

The photos from the falls needed quite a bit of light adjustment. This time of year, I think you need to be there close to sunset in order to get any sun on that ice. It was very pretty in person, though, and we enjoyed the spot for a bit before heading back to the car.

After the hike, we got some advice on a razor to help keep the hair between his paws short. My buddy also recommended Musher's Secret which we'll give a shot next weekend. I think we'll ditch the Street & Nye plans and  just have another go at Erebus instead.