January 1, 2022
Start/End: Sawyer River Rd
Miles: 12.48
Elevation gain: 2720′
The road and Signal Ridge were fully packed out, and it was fast moving. Even Carrigan Notch trail was frequented by XC skiers, making for a more packed trail. But the bushwhack was untouched. I threw on snowshoes to deal with the 6-12″ of wet unbroken snow, and slowly wove my way uphill. After crossing the talus slide, the terrain got rough. It was very steep and very wet; it was in the clouds and moisture clung to everything. The soaked snow was mostly slush, and on the steep hill, it went out from underneath me countless times. And nearer to the summit, there were snarls of blowdowns that I had to crawl under and climb over. I got caught in the trees and fell, bending my trekking pole. By the time I crawled, climbed, and fell my way to the summit, I was soaked to the skin and very cold. The climb back down was worse than going up. I stopped a few of my falls by intentionally running into trees, and I still think it was the right decision. I was delighted to get back to more packed trail, trade my snowshoes for spikes, and put on some speed to finish out my hike quickly.
