A Walk in the Woods

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Lured by the promise of deep snow and wintry conditions I had decided to go hiking at Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 1,339 m (4,393 ft) with a group from the McGill Outdoor Club (MOC). We left at the ungodly hour of 6.30am for the 2 hour drive to the Mountain. On the way we stopped at one of the girl's parent’s house for bagels and tea, which at that time was a godsend. Then it was on to the mountain.

We were met with unseasonable warmth, one of the group later described it as

freakishly warm.

Having been told that I had needed snow shoes and crampons it was a bit of a change of plan but I didn't mind too much as I could still feel my face😊 We set off up the mountain and I couldn't help but be glad that I had made the effort to get out of Montreal and into the woods, it was great.

Apparently the mountain had received 2 1/2 feet of snow the previous w/e but it had drizzled steadily since then so most of it had melted. This was a bit of a shame as I had psyched myself up for knee deep snow but there was none left. Or was there? Another shame was that the drizzle that had melted the snow was still firmly entrenched around the mountain so there was no chance of the picturesque views that I was assured existed if only those bloody grey clouds would sod off and let the warm autumn sun bathe the valley below. Alas it was not to be so I spent a lot of the day looking at grey clouds and hence no stunning scenery shots in this blog.

As we climbed higher up and into the mist there were remnants of the now fabled snowfall, little patches of dirty white snow covered with leaves, twigs and berries. There were some lovely exposed areas of rock where we stopped for drinks and snacks where we (maybe just me) stared a little forlornly at the clouds hiding the view. Mount Mansfield is one of two areas in Vermont with artic vegetation so when we climbed up into the artic zone we had to be quite careful to stay on the trail and not stray into the vegetation which can be easily damaged. We walked up over the ridge and the wind cut straight through us and we all had to don the jackets which had been shed on the warmer lower slopes.

I was here that we got a glimpse of some real snow, about knee deep and perhaps not surprisingly, white. This was what I had been looking forward to and I took great pleasure in tramping around in it. Every now and then you would walk over a bit of snow less compacted than the rest and then you would sink in up to your knees, postholing as it is called, quite fun really although I can see how snowshoes are vital if you plan to walk any distance in it. After a brief stop for lunch we walked down to see this cave which was pretty deep, dark and wet. There was a little bit where you could slide down on your bum and I took great fun in doing that and also creating a little yellow snow a bit later on😊 It was here where a vicious snow ball fight broke out, my first. Brilliant fun, I can’t wait for Montreal to get a bit snowy so I can attack unsuspecting friends! I experienced the sheer joy of hitting someone right in the head and the unpleasantness of snow dribbling down the inside of my jacket just after being hit.

After this we walked along the ridge and then up to the highest point of the mountain, “The Chin.” The mountain very slightly resembles a human face if viewed from the east; there is a Forehead, Nose, Lips, Chin and Adam’s apple. You can see a pic at this wikipedia article, you may have to squint a little and use your imagination😊 After a few pics at the top we started our descent through the forest back to the cars.

The walk down was amazing, the clouds had cleared up a little and it was just brilliant to be walking in the woods again, you forget how stunning nature is spending most of your time in the city. If you stood still and were quiet you could hear the silence in the forest, no insects, no birds, too cold for them I presume. All you could hear was the trickling, bubbling water of the streams and brooks as it slowly made its way down the mountain from the melted snow above, bliss.

And that’s it, a short drive home, a warm shower and a cup of tea. A great day.

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Photos

Artic Vegetation
One of the exposed areas where we stopped for a rest.

Snow
Me and the snow!

Near the Cave
Site of the snowball fight. You can see how misty it was.

The Chin
Looking up towards the chin.

The Ridge
Once the clouds cleared up a bit you could see a bit more and how good the view was.

Step Ladder
A snazzy ladder in the middle of the forest on the descent.

Comments

[ness]

snow
i never knew u were a nature man mr daniel.. nice to know! well i realli liked ur pic of "the ridge" soo dark... so beautiful.. SO NOT EMO!! hahaha naah its a good one!! i dont see how its fair.. all us back home are cramming for exams.. n ur off having snow fights!! n drinking TEA. better be earl grey! nah its fun reading the blogs.. makes u forget how sad n pathetic our lives at home are studying for stupid exams.. n u guyz r travelling the world "pretending to study" .. hv more fun! luv ya long time -NESS XO

[Joel]

Good on ya!
Glad to hear you made the sacrifice of a few hours sleep to make it up that mountain! I totally agree with you on the snowfighting aswell! Throwing snow at people was one of the main highlights of my recent trip to Finland and Estonia!

[sashi]

BLOODY SNOW
the ONE time it snowed here so far, i was in goddamn berlin. i cannot WAIT to nail someone in the head with a snowball.. DAMMIT take care falling in those snow hole thingys ;)