Sunday, January 8, 2023
Miles: 15.85
Start/End: Upper Works
Elevation gain/loss: 5614’/5505′
Peaks: Santanoni, Panther, Couchsachraga
After a full day on Saturday, I was still up early to pack up and head out by 5:15am for the hour drive over to the Upper Works area to meet Katie at the Santanoni trailhead for a 6:30am start. It was in the mid-teens when we started, but quickly warmed up into the 20s once the sun broke the horizon. We enjoyed chatting as we ascended in spikes and, despite a short bushwhack to bring us back to the herdpath after we avoided a large marshy section of unstable ice, we made great time to the summit of Santanoni. The one steep icy section wasn’t too bad. From the summit, Katie headed back to the parking lot and I pushed on over to Times Square and then over to Couch. I encountered at least a dozen people on my out-and-back from Times Square, but then didn’t see anyone else for the rest of my hike. I summited Panther and then headed down from there. The trail in and around the brook wasn’t bad and I was able to get back to my car by 3:30pm. I was so grateful for a weekend full of spikes, packed trails, and sunny skies. It felt like a mountain kindness, and I knew I probably wouldn’t get anything quite this nice the rest of the winter and so I cherished it all the more.
Transcending Mountains 