Saturday, November 11
Start/Finish: Falling Waters TH
Miles: 9.88
Elevation gain/loss: 3878′
After picking up a hot coffee on my way through Lincoln, I took off from the Falling Waters trailhead at 2:45pm. I did my best to make quick tracks while I still had daylight (though I did take advantage of the privy at the hut); I was well on my way to the first summit when I had to turn on my headlamp. The terrain was tricky, with 2-3″ snow covering a thick layer of slippery ice; I nearly fell a few times when I misstepped, wrenching my shoulder once when I fell back and caught myself to prevent a full fall. It wasn’t optimal conditions for speed, and so I just settled down into a steady, safe rhythm, instead of focusing on being quick.
The temperature up on the mountains was cold – with windchill in the single digits. On the descent, my hands became painfully cold. I ended up needing to wear my thick waterproof mitten shells on top of my mid-thickness wool gloves and light mitten shells. This whole day was a reminder of winter hiking conditions to come, and good practice for my upcoming Iceland trip.
I didn’t stop at the hut on my way back, but just kept moving towards the trailhead. I was back at my car by 7:30pm. I changed into dry clothes and headed out to drive the 3.5 hours home.
Transcending Mountains 