So it seems like we had winter early, then a warm up, then lots and lots of ice and now, finally, a good dumping of that white, fluffy stuff. As the snow kept coming and coming, I felt like singing let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Finally, conditions are perfect to get out those skis and snowshoes and have some fun in the snow.
Anxious to climb a mountain, I did some investigating as to what trails were broken out after the last storm. Looking for something kind of close to home, I came up empty handed. Well, that was not going to stop my friends and me.
We decided on Baxter Mountain.
This small 2,440 foot mountain is a gem of the Adirondacks with an elevation gain of only 770 feet over 1.5 miles. In the morning, I woke up to a 1 degree Fahrenheit temperature, but at least the forecast was for some sunshine and it wasn’t windy.
Good friends Mary Murphy, Sue Coonrod, Wendy Patunoff and new friend Cate Michalik were all willing to give it a go, broke out or not. Upon arriving at the trailhead, there were no human tracks, but we could see where an ambitious deer had pushed its way through the deep snow on the path. Hey, we will take all the help we can get.
At the very beginning, it was discouraging as we all sunk up to our butts as we climbed over where the plow cleared the snow. Once on the trail, it was not too bad.
Sue took the lead as we hiked through the winter wonderland. Snow was hanging heavy on the branches. I warned Cate to be aware of Mary, as she is known for shaking a snow laden branch on unsuspecting hikers. As the weather report promised, the sky was an Adirondack blue with the glaring sun perched up high. The snow depth ranged from 6 inches to a foot in a couple of spots, but the light snow made it very manageable.
The trail is kind with several switchbacks. We shared the trail breaking, which is common in the Adirondacks. When the first in line gets tired, they pull to the side and wait for all to go by, taking the caboose spot. This continues, giving each hiker a turn at clearing the path. We walked and talked, and before we knew it, we reached the intersection where the Beede Trail comes in on the left. Low and behold, someone had come up that way in the last couple of days, which made trail breaking much easier with only a few inches of fresh snow.
There are a couple of steep ledges with ice under the snow, but with everyone being careful, they were easily navigated. Soon, we were standing at the lovely view from Baxter of high and low peaks in the distance and Keene Valley below. Continuing along the trail, we quickly reached the actual summit. This is where the Upham Trail comes up from the Beede Road in Keene Valley. By now, we were all pretty hungry and headed back to the first view to refuel and hydrate.
The bright sun felt warm and wonderful on our faces, but shortly, a slight wind picked up, bringing with it a chill in the air. It was time to head back.
The return hike was much easier on the packed trail. Back at our cars, we said our goodbyes with all agreeing it had been a fun morning and a good workout in the mountains. I have to say that most of us are in our 70s and proud to have broken out the trail — even though a small one — for others to take advantage of.
Happy Trails
Directions: Trailhead, on Route 9N, 2 miles from the intersection of Route 9N and Route 73 between Keene and Keene Valley.