Sunny 46

I had a look around at the map and originally wondered if it made sense to try to use the SOA (Shore Owner's Association) trail on the return trip from McKenzie. This was supposedly how folks primarily summited Moose Mt. (3872').

Looking at Google maps was confusing. There are a lot of wealthy homeowners in the area and a bunch of signs warning about private property. After some discussion with people on Facebook who have used the trail before, there's a gated entry to that trail a bit down Blodgett Way. I'm not sure if this is it or if it's farther down. 

Jay and I just decided to stick to using Jackrabbit Trail, first hiking McKenzie, then Haystack.

We met at the Exit 9 Park & Ride at 6am, then hit Stewies as usual, and drove the two hours to the trailhead. After the usual chatting, we listened to a few chapters of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

We arrived at the trailhead after 8am and we were on the move by 8:45am. It was chilly, but over 30 fahrenheit, so I just popped on a jacket which I knew would be coming off eventually. The trail was snowy, but a couple of clear paths had been packed out by hikers and skiers. I donned my snowshoes. We didn't really need them yet, but I figured we would eventually so I thought I'd get some practice. 

It was snowing gently, ominous but pretty. Sunny and I kept to the track left by previous hikers and moved fairly quickly despite the snowshoes. 

There is some light elevation gain for the first mile or so. There are also a few private trails on the first mile or so of the Jackrabbit Trail.

We met a friendly school group at the Placid Lean-To, all set up in tents. The lean-to is in preparations of being repaired, filled with supplies and covered with a heavy tarp. The hike in is fairly easy and the water source is clean and fast, so I'm not surprised it sees good use. Jay and I figure this might be a nice spot for a future Winter backpacking trip.

We arrived at the 4-way junction by around 9:30am. We cleared some snow off a few logs and had a bit of a snack break. I stripped off a layer and we were off to McKenzie by 9:45am.

The initial quarter mile or so from the junction is rocky and warm springs were seeping from the ground, melting the snow. My snowshoes were largely useless here.

The first .8 mile of the climb up McKenzie is a very steep drainage ascent straight up the mountain. It was an exhausting, but fun climb. The snow was starting to collect on the branches of the trees.  Sunny was having a blast dashing ahead and back over and over again. 

As we climbed, the steepness increased and ice began to feature more prominently on the trail.

After a great deal of initial struggle, I was forced to take off my snowshoes. It took me a good fifteen minutes to get reconfigured for climbing the ice.

After this short flattish section, the mountain put more elevation in front of us in the form of a false summit. We hiked over it and were quite dismayed to see the steep downhill to the next col. I slid down it on my butt, which was fun and took some of the sting out of the situation. We did not relish the idea of climbing back up this on the way back.

We hiked past some walls and came to the place where we'd ascend them. The trail was completely iced over. It took us some time to get over this section. Even Sunny needed a few tries to leap up. I think his attempts packed the snow on the ice just enough for him to be able to gain purchase with pads and claws.

We found the summit sign (and some more filtered sun) a little after noon, two and a half hours after we'd started from the junction. It honestly felt like longer, but it was a very difficult climb in the conditions. Folks who have said this 3822-foot mountain climbs like a High Peak were absolutely right.

We'd been gaining elevation as the day brightened, so the temperature hadn't actually changed for us. It was about 30 fahrenheit here and there was no wind, so we sat and enjoyed some lunch. We did get chilly sitting there, partially because we were a bit wet from the hike. Before we left, I put on my windbreaker and mittens and Jay also changed up his wardrobe a bit.

After a 30 minute rest, we were parkouring down the mountain. I had a hell of a time sliding down the scary ice mound on the way down. I have such little legs!  Still, except for the few very steep ice climbs where caution was advised, it felt like we were flying down the mountain. Microspikes over snow allowed me to jump down more readily than without snow. It is sometimes nice to not have to deal with rocks. Having my windbreaker cinched tightly at the waist also helped keep the snow from riding up from the butt-sliding.

We made it back to the junction at 2pm, about an hour and 20 minutes on the descent.

The hike up to the herd path was a short .4 mile, but featured a moderate elevation gain. Daylight was fading, I think mainly because the clouds were getting thicker.

The way I read the map, it seemed like the slope would have been much steeper than it was. I guessed it'd take us an hour to get to the summit from back at the main junction. It was a workout. My thighs were cramping up. Still, the climb was very manageable, especially after the strain of McKenzie.

We reached the summit not in an hour, but 40 minutes. The views were still awful, but sometimes the beautiful views aren't from the summit nor across a lake, but just all us. Today was a day like that. We sat at the windless summit for a while enjoying more snacks and water. I drank my summit beer (always a good idea when cramping up) and enjoyed the snow. 

We stayed at the summit of Haystack until 3:15, then zoomed down the mountain, arriving at the main junction fifteen minutes later at 3:30. We didn't tarry here; deciding to make a bee-line for the trailhead. 

It was a gorgeous hike back to the trailhead. We were tired and ready for warm, but it was still a lovely walk in the woods. The trees, which had been bare on the way in, were all decorated with fluffy, fresh snow.

Sunny spent the next mile and a half racing back and forth through the woods. Jay pointed out there were fresh deer tracks in the trail and I suspected he was sniffing them out. I know Sunny has some incredible endurance, but I was still surprised how much gas he still had in the tank. I had to call his name four or five times to get him to return to me as we approached the trailhead.

We were back in the car by 4:30 as the sunlight was disappearing for good. We were eager to strip our gear and sit in the heat. Sunny, not being a Husky, spent the next 20 minutes chewing snowballs off his fur. My hobble into the Keene Stewart's was especially pronounced last night, that's for certain and Sunny spent the whole next day passed out in between potty breaks and meals.

I must reiterate that McKenzie was no joke. It's a heck of a workout and very step in parts. Still, it was another beautiful day in the woods which is better than a day at the desk. I am, as always, grateful to have been able to share it. Congrats to Jay for finishing his Saranac 6er. Sunny and I have 3 mountains to go for that patch and we'll probably try to wrap those up this winter as well as the Lake Placid 9er.