I spent the past week battling an evil cold / flu thing. I was just starting to feel better Friday, so Saturday, Klinutus and I set out to hike the section of the AT from PA325 to Swatara Gap. The weather was supposed to be warm and pleasant.
The weatherman was somewhat misinformed. We found the trail covered in a sheet of ice. It took us all morning to slip and slide our way to the top of the mountain, and then it started to pour icy rain on us.
The snow started to melt into a steamy, icy fog, and ice-covered tree limbs were crashing to the ground all over the place.
After a bit of calculations, it became obvious that we were not going to make it to Swatara Gap without some night hiking, and I really hate night hiking, especially on ice-covered rocks.
We bagged the hike, and walked back down the mountain. It’s probably a good thing, because I’m sick as a dog again, and I probably would be worse off if I had spent the night under a tarp sleeping on the snow.
I, too, am battling some kind of evil cold. Sorry to hear you’re sick, but that photo is utterly badass.
I can’t tell from the photo — was there enough snow for snowshoes? I am amazed at what mine can grip.
The snow wasn’t very deep, but it had a hard icy crust on it. We were discussing crampon options on the way back down, and I think something like Yaktrax or stabilicers would have been ideal.
I’ve used yaktrax before, and they were kind of a pain in the ass, needing constant adjustment. I may try the stabilicers sometime.