Pharaoh Mt. Adirondacks, January 15 - 16, 2005

 
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                        So how was Jeff going to climb Pharaoh Mt. and haul out his gear with a broken boot?  Meet Sherpa Bob.


                         We decided he'd wear his snowshoes all day. They weren't necessary for the snow conditions, but they 
                         have a binding that provided the structural integrity his boot needed to stay together. We also ditched one 
                         of the packs for the climb up the mt. Without the extra load on his back, his boot had less stress to deal with. 
                         Because I was carrying a pack and ice sheets like the one below periodically challenged us, I also wore my
                         snow shoes for some traction and stability.  

                          Jeff doing his "Rocky" dance at the summit because he made it inspite of a busted boot.
                          GPS coordinates: N43*49.143 W73*39.471 2571ft.


                        In the distance you can barely make out the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. That's our destination 
                        for mid February of this year.
  


                         Jeff's composite picture of me on the summit looking northwest to the high peaks.

                         At the base of the mt. we decided to have some lunch.  You can see how the snowshoe binding wraps 
                         around his boot and helps hold it together. This was also the spot were we stashed the second pack.
                         GPS coordinates: N43*50.573 W73*39.594 1208ft.

                         In the distance, the peak right over my head is Pharaoh Mt. It was about three miles from this spot to the 
                         summit




 

 

 
Lessons Learned

                           So far all of the winter trips I've been on have been a learning experience. There's nothing mundane about
                           a winter camping trip. 

                         
Thermos Having hot water without having to work for it is simply amazing. In the case of an emergency, a lot of comfart can be established with a quick hot drink.
Duct Tape McGiver made everything from duct tape. While camping you can practically fix everything with it.
Handkerchief    You gotta blow your nose a lot when it's cold.
Time An overnighter is difficult to do in winter. Minimum trip length should be three days two nights. It took us nearly three hours to break down camp, melt ice and prepare water for the day. If planning to summit or some other adventure for the day, you'll run out of time with all you have to do in winter and what you want to do in winter.
Fuel Melting snow or ice takes a lot of fuel. If melting ice count on one 22oz. bottle of fuel
per night at minimum. Melting snow would require more. Another good idea is to bring
spare fuel from home to leave in the car. In the case of a storm and your car gets
snowed in, you'll have extra fuel waiting for you. With the fuel, you should also leave some extra food in the car.
 
 
&nbs;

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