GPS took us well around Lake George and Queensbury, likely avoiding the traffic around the outlets. There were a couple of cars parked at Hogtown and one at the Buck Mt. trailhead. We got to the Shelving Rock Mt. trailhead at 1pm and there were no cars in the lot. The register didn't have any names in it since late November, however there were boot tracks far more recent on the trail.
Quinn was a little crabby at first because he really wanted to throw sticks and rocks into the stream and I had to urge him on due to our limited daylight. Also it was a school night.
Sunny was full of piss and vinegar.
I love seeing them on the trail together. We put on microspikes for this hike, though they really weren't necessary.
This trail used to be an old carriage road to the top of the mountain for old-timey rich people. Today we reap the benefits of having an easy mountain with honest-to-goodness switchbacks!
It's wild to have only a 10% grade the entire hike. What is this? Colorado?
With the foliage gone, we could see Buck Mt. Quinn calls it "Bug Mt." We reminisced about our hike to the top of that mountain earlier this year.
We had some actual accumulation around 800'. The spikes were more of a detriment now, but not terribly so. Quinn asked to take off his coat and I acquiesced. He was overheating and had two layers plus snowpants on as well. He was fine in this the rest of the hike.
Quinn and Sunny were both in great spirits at this point.
After the inital ascent, there's a bit of a jog through pretty evergreens to the ultimate ascent.
A couple more switchbacks later and we were at the summit.
We immediately made our way to the overlook. It took some doing to get everyone into a group photo.
Quinn had a blast throwing snowballs off the edge. He was a little annoyed we only had 15 minutes or so to enjoy the overlook, but I wanted to get back before dark. We were prepared for a night hike, but I really wanted to get back.
We left a sentinel at the overlook.
Quinn complained a bit about his feet on the way down. It turns out the laces were too loose.
Still, we made it down in very quick time. We actually did hike a few straight lines through the brush instead of making use of the switchbacks in a few places, particularly at the end where it's a simple hundred feet or so instead of .2 mile switchback. We'd started hiking at 1:20, reached the summit at 2:45, started back to the car at 3:15, and back at the car by 4:00.
I'm looking forward to doing some more winter hiking with Quinn, but I'll be keeping them simple and safe this year. I'm debating picking up a pair of snowshoes for him. I wonder if there are a pair of adjustable kids snowshoes that are actually quality and comfortable; I'd like to avoid buying him 10 pairs before he turns 18.
