This afternoon I went up Baker Mountain, a small peak outside Saranac Lake, to test a pair of crampons (Black Diamond’s Sabretooths, pictured here). I thought the crampons would be overkill on the trail, but it turned out I needed them.
Thanks to all the rain on Monday, followed by subfreezing temperatures, parts of the trail were sheer ice. I encountered a couple of snowshoers and a guy wearing Kahtoola MicroSpikes, and all were having a much harder time than I was. (I like MicroSpikes, but they were overmatched by today’s ice.)
Monday’s storm also brought strong winds. I saw the evidence on my hike: several trees and countless branches had fallen on the trail.
When I got back to the office, I called David Winchell at the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ask about trails elsewhere in the Adirondacks. After checking with folks in the field, he reported back: “Expect blowdown and icy conditions under whatever fresh snow we’ve got. That’s pretty much the case across the Adirondacks.”
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Winchell said the blowdown is not so bad that DEC needs to send in crews to clear trails.
Just a quick followup: I went up Baker again this afternoon to try out the crampons with different boots. I was with Sue Bibeau, our designer, who was wearing MicroSpikes. She had no trouble with the ice.