All that stuff I wrote in the last post about bright winter mornings – make it “ditto” times ten for the Adirondack mountains.
On Wednesday, a clear cold day following heavy snowfall, I headed north with my snowshoes. The temperature there was well below zero but climbed into the teens over the course of the day. I hiked up Goodnow Mountain near Newcomb. This is one of my favorite peaks. It stands less than 3,000 feet in elevation, but a climb up the fire tower provides one of the best views in the whole park. Twenty-three of the high peaks are visible to the north, with Rich Lake spreading out in the foreground. On a clear day in winter, when all those open peaks are covered in snow, the view is too magnificent for words. The walk itself is pretty wonderful as well, especially when passing between the tall, heavily flocked conifer trees near the top.
The first snowshoe hike I ever made was up Goodnow with my oldest son Aaron. It’s an easy hike, ascending only 1,040 feet in 1.9 miles, so it was a good place to start. It’s been as good a place to go back to again and again.
After descending Goodnow, I drove to the Highway 30 bridge that crosses Long Lake. The view of the Seward Range to the Northeast is another of my favorites in winter.
Then, I made my way down to the trail leading to Rock Lake. The path passes through an impressive forest of tall pines down to the shore of the lake, where the horizon is dominated by (in my opinion) the best open view of Blue Mountain.
The cobalt blue sky, frosted hills, snowy peaks, and the crunch of snow beneath my snowshoes made me feel so alive, so grateful, and so full of praise for the wonder of creation.
©2014 by J. Mark Lawson
Comments