I made sure to finally seal my boots prior to this hike.
I was very glad to be joined by Gene and Dan. Dan completed his Winter 12ster with me on Southern Tongue Range a few weeks ago. This was Gene's first proper snowshoe hike.
We got a leisurely start at 7:50. A channel had already been formed by hikers breaking last week's snow, but we were forging through the fresh 4–8 inches from the weekend.
Sunny was having a blast. Despite the deep snow, he covered twice as many miles as we did.
The first half mile of the hike is an easy flattish stroll through the woods. The fresh snow was magical.
The trail winds through several marked and unmarked junctions. Several junctions lead to Inman Pond, and a few ice fishermen were parked at the trailhead today. The map also shows a "Blue trail", a trail to "Stewart's Vista", and one bearing right to Pilot Knob Mountain itself, all of which I may check out another time. An old blog post says the Pilot Knob trail is marked with ribbons and spraypaint, but has a nice view. I wonder what the trail is like today.
The elevation gain is fairly gradual for the next half mile or so with a managable 5% to 12% grade. It was work to break trail, but nothing too crazy. Gene did great on his first snowshoe hike.
After passing the main Inman Pond junction, we hit steeper sections, gaining elevation at a 12%–23% grade, according to AllTrails.
So much fun!
Sunny stopped to cool off a few times.
You get some obstructed views in the winter that you clearly would not in other months.
Here you can see the depth of the snow fairly easily. I broke trail the first mile or so, then Dan, then Gene.
The trail runs alongside private property owned by Crosset Pond LLC. After some research, I learned that the old Boy Scout camp was purchased by an out-of-state developer with a penchant for building luxury retreats. Interestingly, the high-resolution layer on Google Maps is "mysteriously" absent in that location.
Sunny was still zooming through the snow.
There are a few spots where the trail levels off and bends towards the next gain. These are a welcome respite.
We were excited to tackle the final ascent, which ranged from a 13% to 30% grade. I ended up butt-sliding for some of it on the way back. As I said before, almost all of the ice was buried under snow.
Sunny was doing a good job keeping everyone company throughout the hike.
Come on, Dad!
I didn't know Buck Mt. had a Southern view. I feel dumb.
I also never really paid attention to the junction at the summit the many times I've been here. I assumed the Pilot Knob trail went down the drainage but I was clearly wrong. Buck has two short nubs for peaks with a little col in between. The Pilot Knob trail crosses over the Southern peak and down into the col, then back to the true summit on the North Side.
We arrived at the summit just before 10:30am.
No view of the High Peaks from the Northern overlook today, but it was cool to look at the Tongue Range after having hiked it this winter. It was a bit windy and cold at the summit, so we repaired to the col.
It was time for some lunch. We warmed our bellies and our hands in the little col. I appreciated the guys giving me a few minutes in my chair with my beer (Lake George IPA) to enjoy the moment.
Sunny gnawed on snowballs before I cleared the rest off and re-applied the Musher's Secret. I think that product is working a lot better than the other one we were using.
We made good time going down the mountain. We started hiking down around 11:15am and made it to the trail register at 12:48. It would have been faster, but my feet were aching by the time that last mile and a half of flattish started.
This was a great hike. The day was gorgeous, the exercise was invigorating, and the company was very welcome. I was glad to find I could snowshoe 7ish miles without too much trouble.
Next, the plan is to attempt a couple of High Peaks (Phelps, Giant, RPR. I'd also very much like to return to Jay Mt. which I hiked with the guys a few years ago in Autumn. During ADK shoulder season, my plan is to head South and bag the Catskill fire towers.
I would really love to fit in Saddleback, but we'll see.
Afternoon hike at Buck Mountain Trail.gpx (228.82 KB)