Winter Ascent

We dropped our tools and decided to go for a hike the next day.

We hit the summit of Camels Hump in the Green Mountains of Vermont this week and were fortunate enough to receive fresh tracks in the snow during our hike. It makes the going a bit tougher but being first to break trail sparked an interesting feeling of adventure. we trudged through the snow in what appeared to be untouched wilderness. The summit was windy and freezing but I managed to snap a few pictures before my hand completely froze. after my 2 weeks of sickness, it was nice to finally get outside. For some reason I overlooked the option of venturing out of doors, forgetting the healing power of natural exposure.

I love hiking in the winter for many reasons:

The views: Although most of the time the summit is clouded in a snow squall yielding no view, just harsh winds and low temperatures, those days when you do end up having a clear summit the snow dusted landscape to behold is like no other.

Temperature control: When hiking in sub freezing temperatures you will find that if you have sufficient layers, the simple shedding and addition of them can keep you quite comfortable. When hiking in the summer you have to deal with both the insects and temperatures beyond your control.

Hiking down: This is often the best part as long as your knees, hips and back are in good shape. With the trails covered in snow and being quite slick you can often slide down the mountain in many ways: on snowshoes, rain pants, sleds, or skis. These are all great ways to make the descent more enjoyable.

I'm not a fan of the self oriented head shot but I don't think anyone else was about to risk their fingers in that cold.