Gothics & Armstrong

March 4, 2012

Before learning of my acceptance into Hardrock for the summer I had thought about setting some short-term winter goals, one of which was to start chipping away at the winter 46er peaks in the Adirondacks.  But once I was into the run, my training focus steered me away from this idea.

Nevertheless, as the winter weekends roll by I have gotten into a weekend routine consisting of one day reserved for a 20+ mile long run and one day in the mountains.  This weekend I headed back to the Adirondacks to climb a couple peaks I hadn't visited before in winter.  I set my sights on Gothics and Armstrong, two peaks within the Great Range.

Elliott just below Gothics summit

I started at about 9:30 from St. Huberts and headed up the Lake Road, a mostly level grade which was a good warmup.  With a relatively thin snow base I was able to bare-boot up the road pretty easily.  It was a day in the upper 20s with light snow falling that intensified at higher elevation with some intermittent wind.

Reaching the Beaver Meadow trail, I peeled off to the west, gaining the height of land where the trail crosses a wooden bridge over the Ausable River.  From here the frozen falls are dramatic and the surrounding cliffs are equally imposing, but in the middle is the ladder that lifts the trail above these obstacles and into the forest above.  The wooden rungs were just visible under the snow and I awkwardly climbed up in snowshoes.

After some steeper pitches the trail climbs more gently toward the range and I followed the tracks of other climbers.  I read that a group had been this way more than a week prior but fresh tracks showed that there were folks out ahead of me today.

Once the trail approaches the eastern shoulder of Gothics it begins to climb in a succession of steep pitches with only some occasional level benches.  Portions of the trail are steep enough to require kicked steps with the snowshoes.

By now the forest transitioned to coniferous trees and the snow was ever deeper.  The thing about winter hiking on snow-covered, narrow trails is that you're lifted up into the low branches of the trees and progress is impeded by these needled arms that reach out and grab at your arms, legs, and backpack.  The forest was conspiring to tear the hardware off of my backpack, wrenching my shovel and ax at every opportunity.  And even my hat, glasses, and hardshell were no match for the trees.  At one point a tree captured my head and put me in a hold that I couldn't release until I backed-up, crouched down and moved slowly forward.  I generally tend to bull my way through the woods, but that's not really possible at all times of the year.

Gothics summit beyond

I came upon a couple of gentlemen stopping for a break and after exchanging pleasantries I went on ahead breaking trail as I went.  I had been the beneficiary of their hard work to break the trail, but now it was my job to set the course.  Up here the recent snow and wind completely obscured the trail and it was a matter of judging the gaps between trees, the lay of the terrain, and the occasional marker visible on a tree at shin level.

Before reaching the Gothics - Armstrong col on the Range Trail, the BMT crosses over the top of the ridge it has been ascending and makes an ascending traverse below a knob on the ridge adjacent to Armstrong and above the steep slides that rake the east face of Gothics.  Here I worked to break trail on a cross-slope, kicking my snowshoes into the side hill as the trail wanders perilously close to a 50-foot cliff that empties onto a slide that funnels more than 1000 feet to the bottom of the valley.  I swapped out one of my poles for my axe and continued on the traverse - plunging my axe into the snow to protect against a fall.

Reaching the col the climbing was easier for a few minutes toward Gothics until I lost the trail and became mired in the deep snow.  I tried for another route only to again end up wallowing in deep snow.  I descended back to where I last saw evidence of the trail to regroup and plan a new attack.  By now the two gentlemen I passed, Tom and Elliot, caught up to me and we joined forces to continue forward.

from Armstrong with Gothics, Saddleback, Basin, Haystack & Marcy

Trying a new way straight ahead I stepped into a spruce trap and started a slow descent into the snow until I was in up to my armpits.  In the hole I briefly considered this predicament as a metaphor for getting forced into buying a place to live.  I threw my pack on the uphill side of the hole and climbed out with my axe to freedom.  Should've put on the snowshoe tails this morning for more flotation.

I recognized a ramp up ahead and we continued on a steep grade where we passed a couple of climbers coming from the other direction.  From here it was not far to the false summit where the remaining climb to the summit was in view.  Across a snow cornice I continued with Tom and Elliott to the summit where we exchanged high-fives and took obligatory photos.  Elliott has completed 30+ winter 46ers and he informed me that the route-finding and difficulty on this peak was the most difficult he had yet faced.

Back at the col I decided to tag Armstrong as the trail was already broken out while Tom and Elliott began the descent on the BMT.  Over on Armstrong the clouds lifted long enough to expose the snow-encrusted summits of Haystack and Marcy at the head of the range.  Gothics' summit was sunlit while the wind blew a plume of snow to the east.

The decent went smoothly and I caught back up to Tom and Elliott and we hiked out to the Lake Road together where they put on skis for the descent to St. Huberts.  This was a great day.  I found challenge and camaraderie in the mountains.  An eight hour outing, this was no gimme.