Ampersand Mountain April 24, 2005
It was raining as I sat on the stoop at 8:30, waiting for everybody to show up. More specifically, it had been raining all night. And as I sat there, munching on breakfast, Jim, Kim and Adam rolled up. Josh and Mary followed soon after. Then it really started raining. I didn't think much about it, the weather report said it should end by 10, in Saranac Lake. However, when we got to Tupper Lake and it was still raining, I windered if the trip would be a waste.
We stopped in the parking a lot across from the trailhead. The rain was still pelting down. Jim and Adam jumped out of their car. Mary got out to smoke. Alone, Josh and I expressed our doubt. Our companions in the other car were wearing all cotton. No fun in the rain. Within minutes they would be chilled. Second I didn't want to walk in the rain. If it started raining while we were on the trail and committed, fine. But it seemed silly to start like this.
I suggested going for lunch and seeing if the weather report held true.
It had. After a shared pizza, the clouds parted and the sun burst forth. The air was so clean. Within minutes there was very little indication it had rained at all. I was relieved. We didn't travel 2 hours for nothing. We were all in high spirits. Half way up, a dark cloud moved over us. Then it began to hail. Pea sized frozen bits bounced everywhere. It was awesome. Everyone donned jackets. Except for Mary that is. She was having a hard go of it, but she weathered the pelting well. It really didn't matter, we were all wet anyway. Sloping through all the puddles from the morning rain had left my feet soaked. The accompanying sweat had done the rest. It would threaten the rest of the day, but not rain again. We stopped at the caves. Jim, Adam and Josh scampered around, bouldering.
From that point up, we gingerly dealt with left over winter ice. It got precarious as we neared the top. Much delicate and respectful climbing was needed. Crampons would have been nice.
The top was spectacular. And spectacularly windy. Mary was frightened by the height and by the forceful winds. I took a panoramic shot and sought shelter behind a rock with everyone else. Lunch was forced. The cold and the wind and all the puddles kept anyone from sitting. It had become an expedition, fraught with danger and equal reward.
Going down was worse because of the ice. Mary was limping after we got done with the worst of it and in a terrible mood. I can't blame her. The weather stayed gray, but it got warmed going down and easier going. Definitely not as rocky as last weekend's trip. We collected some Birch bark for Kendall's projects. An obligation had kept her again from hiking with us. She would have loved it. Dinner was at McDonald's. Yum. I was chilled, and without a fleece. The two cars parted ways after dinner and we drove home.
We stopped in the parking a lot across from the trailhead. The rain was still pelting down. Jim and Adam jumped out of their car. Mary got out to smoke. Alone, Josh and I expressed our doubt. Our companions in the other car were wearing all cotton. No fun in the rain. Within minutes they would be chilled. Second I didn't want to walk in the rain. If it started raining while we were on the trail and committed, fine. But it seemed silly to start like this.
I suggested going for lunch and seeing if the weather report held true.
It had. After a shared pizza, the clouds parted and the sun burst forth. The air was so clean. Within minutes there was very little indication it had rained at all. I was relieved. We didn't travel 2 hours for nothing. We were all in high spirits. Half way up, a dark cloud moved over us. Then it began to hail. Pea sized frozen bits bounced everywhere. It was awesome. Everyone donned jackets. Except for Mary that is. She was having a hard go of it, but she weathered the pelting well. It really didn't matter, we were all wet anyway. Sloping through all the puddles from the morning rain had left my feet soaked. The accompanying sweat had done the rest. It would threaten the rest of the day, but not rain again. We stopped at the caves. Jim, Adam and Josh scampered around, bouldering.
From that point up, we gingerly dealt with left over winter ice. It got precarious as we neared the top. Much delicate and respectful climbing was needed. Crampons would have been nice.
The top was spectacular. And spectacularly windy. Mary was frightened by the height and by the forceful winds. I took a panoramic shot and sought shelter behind a rock with everyone else. Lunch was forced. The cold and the wind and all the puddles kept anyone from sitting. It had become an expedition, fraught with danger and equal reward.
Going down was worse because of the ice. Mary was limping after we got done with the worst of it and in a terrible mood. I can't blame her. The weather stayed gray, but it got warmed going down and easier going. Definitely not as rocky as last weekend's trip. We collected some Birch bark for Kendall's projects. An obligation had kept her again from hiking with us. She would have loved it. Dinner was at McDonald's. Yum. I was chilled, and without a fleece. The two cars parted ways after dinner and we drove home.
posted by Dan-O-Mite | 10:18 AM
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