Katie's Adventures: December 2012

On 12/23/12, we set out for our first winter hike of the season! At only 4,003 feet, Mt. Tecumseh is the shortest of the 4,000 footers and at only 5 miles RT, its perfect for a late morning hike (I like to sleep).

I had been waiting a long time to finally hike in the snow. I love snow. People think I am crazy. I also have a small obsession with hiking gear, but I like to be prepared. My dad and Sean are the luckiest ones, they usually get to come shopping with me :) I am pretty sure that I solely keep EMS and REI in business.

The trail head is in the Waterville Valley parking lot on the right hand side of the road. This hike would be the first hike with my new Vasque hiking boots. I know, another pair? Turns out the Keen's I got this summer are just a "fad", at least that's what the sales associate at REI said. I knew they were not going to last because I never had to break them in and I could bend them in half. They felt like a sneaker. These new boots are their polar opposite. They are so stiff I can't bend them at all. Once I break these boots in, I hope they are able to do what I expect of them.

We started hiking around 11am, and only saw a handful of other hikers. We met a tiny Shiba Inu puppy who was out for her first 4000 footer hike! That made my day, I love little dogs. The dogs owners told us that the trail was mostly packed down but we would still need some sort of traction. So of course, I didn't use my brand new Kahtoola microspikes on this hike... I used my trusty old Kahtoola crampons. Honestly, I probably don't need both, but I like to have options.

The humming sound of the chairlifts was a different sound to hear while hiking. We saw one couple who were hiking up with their ski's and planned to ski down. Genious. And much less stressful than skiing Tuckerman's.

It had to have only been in the single digits at the summit with the wind chill. It was freezing! I think it would be a great idea to carry a little thermometer on your backpack to see the temperature. I took a risk too by using my hydration bladder because the tubing really wanted to freeze. It tried really hard but I just wouldn't let it. I kept drinking and moving the tubing around to keep the water from freezing. Sean didn't do so well and his froze. Next hike we will use nalgenes.

This would have been a great hike to butt sled down the trail on since it wasn't too steep. I had gotten Sean butt sleds for Christmas and didn't even think to give them to him a couple days early. Next time we will be able to use them!

Overall, this was a great short hike, perfect for the start of winter :)