Dave, Tyger, and myself have a big announcement that I will reveal in approximately 1.5 weeks. Until then, know that we have been trying to hike a lot lately.
While we did not backpack the last two weekends, we did go out two days in a row both weekends. This past weekend I learned a valuable lesson about ice. It's a bitch, but you can make it your bitch if you just slip on a pair of microspikes. On Sunday, we drove over to Reeves Meadow for a hike. Dave put on a pair of poorly made ice cleats and ripped it up, swiftly moving in time with his trekking poles. Tyger seems to have natural microspikes, as he was running around without a care in the world. Admittedly, I once out there, I was being very grumpy and stubborn. I hadn't layered properly (no gloves or hat), nor did I bring my trekking poles. On top of that the trail was one giant sheet of ice. Even the friendly-looking snow was ice. My feet kept slipping out from underneath me. A man who strode past me gave me a pitying look. I watched an middle-age woman wipe out and her kids drag her down the sloped trail while she was on her back. She was laughing, luckily. In Dave's words, I looked like a 90 year old woman, the way I was gingerly shuffling around. I sort of got the hang of it towards the end of our hike when I realized I could hop from rock to rock to maintain my traction. Our short trip ended when we attempted to do a stream crossing to a side with much less snow and ice and we realized the stream was far too full and there wasn't a good crossing point. We made our way back to the car, determined to rip it up the next day.
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The next day we did rip it up. We took a trip to Campmor. To digress I must say, if you live in the Bergen County/Rockland County area and you're into hiking/backpacking/etc, you must know how incredible Campmor is. I believe I've waxed poetic about it before, but here I go again. While it looks rather dated on the inside, you walk around and you realize that you've walked into the holy land. There's extremely well-priced gear across a range of activities and a ton of knowledgeable staff. How do they stay in business with such good prices and so many employees? It's a mystery to me, but I love it. So much better than REI. Anyway, we walked away with a brand new pair of microspikes for me and some snacks. Sadly, they were out of Dave's size. He wanted to upgrade from the cheapo ice cleats. We almost also walked away with the demo model of the Big Agnes Coppur Spur UL2 for an outrageously good price and a silk sleeping bag liner. Unfortunately, after laying side by side inside the demo, we realized the 2 person backpacking tent is not the move for us. We have our eyes set on the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3. Also, I'm determined to sew my own sleeping bag liner, which will hopefully be cheaper than buying one.
After our shopping adventure, we drove back to Reeve's Meadow, where the ice had gotten the better of me the day before. This time I was properly geared & layered up. I had my hiking poles and the right attitude. We started a bit later in the day than intended, so we modified our 8 mile hike into a 6 mile hike. The ice had softened up a bit overnight, which meant that I did not need my new microspikes for most of the trip. My trail runners (Altra King Mts) have a ton of traction control as it is, so they sufficed for the most part. Because we're geeks, Dave happened to get the same shoes as me recently. I think I had raved about them so much, and he really likes their shoes in general. Anyway, we got to it.
Dave picked out the route for us, and it was really a great one*. Hiking in the winter is really special. While the ground is blanketed in snowy whiteness, and the trees stand bare, the patches of green that you do see stand out gorgeously. Regardless of the season, I'm always enamored by mosses. There's an especially incredible beauty to an old tree stump covered in moss when light is shining on it against a stark white backdrop. Or the fun shock of orange that you sometimes get from fungi growing on a felled tree. Murky streams that trickle by in summer, sparkle and flow with intense clarity in winter. Sometimes the raging streams kick up enough moisture to coat nearby rocks or overhanging branches in ice, making everything seem like it's made out of glass.
One truly special discovery was a cave. We approached it carefully, mindful of any critters that may be hanging out inside. It was clear and dry inside. A row of ferns surrounded by lichens and moss was growing above the entrance like a thoughtful touch of a decorator saying 'welcome.' We took a break inside, giving Tyger's paws a rest from the ice and snow. I considered in retrospect how lovely it would have been to bring our little backpacking camp stove to make some tea. Instead, we made do with devouring a bag of beef jerky and 2 clif bars. Tyger particularly loved the beef jerky. I daydreamed about how the cave would be a truly excellent shelter if we needed to survive outside in some age long ago. There was evidence someone thought the same, as stones were stacked into rough walls to block out the breeze. Once our snacking was done, we kept journeying up the mountain.
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| Looks cramped. Was actually cozy. The pup enjoyed the beef jerky. |
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| I've been playing too much Skyrim lately not to be reminded of it. |
We got our climb on, which I always love, and before long we were on the mountain top. The microspikes really ended up coming in clutch when we were going up and eventually down very slick and steep terrain. The scene that greeted us was like something out of Skyrim. Unfortunately, the wind was rather wild up there and rather than stop and enjoy it, I wanted to keep moving as quickly as possible. We missed our turn and had to turn back, but I was so absurdly happy we did because the scene before our eyes was unreal. The sun was shining towards us, back-lighting all these trees and shrubs we were passing before. Somehow I didn't realize that everything was covered in ice and was glowing. Mother nature is the greatest artist of all time. Pictures couldn't capture the wonder of the glittering, glistening landscape. It was truly beautiful. We continued on our way following that to close up the hike with another 3 miles.
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| Photos don't do the ice-encrusted landscape justice. |
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| Just after we climbed up some rocks |
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| Beast combo. |
The last three miles were fairly uneventful, except we did reach a point where the bridge was out and we needed to do a stream crossing. After a bit of frustration, we put Tyger in Dave's backpack and got our feet a bit wet. You gotta do what you gotta do. Soon our adventure drew to a close. I'm already looking forward to our next hike.
*The trails was as follows: red to white to orange (cross Cascade of Slid, cave is nearby) to white to blue to blue/orange to orange to yellow
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