Mt. Kearsage

I decided that I would hike a shorter mountain, not a 4000 footer.  I chose Kearsage because it's supposed to be nice, has an amazing view (it's on the 52 with a view list) and it's not too far to drive too. I was kind of psyched about the fact that I didn't need to get up at 5:20 am for this one, I left my alarm set for the usual time that I get up during the week, about 7:30. I left home around 8:00 and started hiking at 10:00 (with Game of Thrones on my iPad, drives seem so much shorter!) Because it's winter the access road to the parking lot is closed, so it adds about a mile in each direction, really uphill on the way there.

It was so cold out! Fortunately I got a new Marmot down puff jacket with a hood. I also wore my Athleta running pants with the extra lining up front to keep the fronts of your lets warm, another pair of pants, thick wool socks, winter boots, of course my ninja hoodie, and another fleece. Plus heavy gloves. I had fixed my hiking poles sort of, the one that was broken seems to be stuck, but it's at least stuck in the right spot for me to hike. So, I was able to use it! It was a huge pain on the way down because I had it in my backpack and it kept getting caught in trees. Sigh. I may need new ones which is sad since I really liked these poles.

There was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I forgot how hard that can make winter hiking! Between the extra weight with all the layers (I had another jacket, a hat, another set of gloves, and a turtle fur neck thing in my bag) and going through the snow, it was tough going. It took me about 2.5 hours to get to the top! It was a mile on the access road (which was just as uphill as the mountain) and then 1.7 miles on the mountain. I kept getting really hungry and stopping for a little nibble of my sandwich, which took forever because I had to take off my gloves and backpack, find the sandwich, eat, and then do the reverse. Then warm up my hands. When I finally reached the top it was soooo windy and cold! It was a little funny because there were two picnic tables that had obviously been brought up by helicopter, but I couldn't imagine being able to sit at them and eat. I huddled in the shelter of an old fire tower, next to this noisy generator, and ate what was left of my sandwich. I actually had the place to myself, though as I was leaving a couple other hikers came up. The view was nice. No pix, it was too cold!

The way down was a lot faster. I was so glad my new puff had a hood, I really needed it for the cold as the sun was going down. Puffs are the greatest invention ever!  As I was finishing, in sight of my car, there was a group of kids from one of the boarding schools, with music playing really loud on their iPad, just starting out. So glad that I missed them mostly!  I finished at about 2:30. My feet didn't hurt at all! Love short hikes :)