Friday, December 30, 2022
Start/End: The Garden TH
Miles: 7.32
Elevation gain/loss: 3402’/3402′
Peaks: Big Slide; First, Second, and Third Brother
I was up before 5am to get to the trailhead early so I could hike before work. It was 38 degrees at the trailhead when I started long before sunrise. I strapped on my snowshoes and started hiking, knowing that I’d be postholing quickly if I barebooted the trail. Within the first mile, I passed by two people who were barebooting up the trail without snowshoes in their small packs. I charitably hoped that they were just hiking to the lookout point to watch the sun rise and not continuing further. Overall, the trail was in good shape; it was completely broken out though it was very icy on the short steep climb up Big Slide. On my way back, I ran into those two hikers again, and they were postholing up to their knees and thighs with every single step. They’d ruined the packed trail with their decisions. As I was passing them, they commented to me that I was “really fast;” I responded that it’s easy to be fast if one isn’t postholing. As I headed back, I saw another 8 hikers, all out wearing snowshoes. The day was very warm, already in the mid-40s and everything was melting and slippery. Less than a mile from the trailhead, I ran into two rangers hiking out to check on everyone. I chatted with them for a few minutes, and let them know that there were two people postholing the entire way to Big Slide. They assured me that they’d speak with them; I found out later that they ticketed the people. In the Adirondacks, the NY State Rangers are part of the state police and can ticket people up to $250 for postholing or not carrying snowshoes. In this case, it felt like quite a satisfying case of schadenfreude.
