Winter Hiking: Mt Pierce, December 26, 2018

Eric and I had planned a huge late fall/early winter hiking. However, the weather in November was nothing short of unreasonable! We got over 30" of snow (thankfully, not in one fell swoop.) It was very cold and dreary, and really quite aggressive for November.

I, in particular, did not really have winter hiking gear and we certainly were dealing with winter conditions. Oddly enough, December was way more laid back in the weather department. I believe we actually had more snowfall in October! (however, it was winter. And I had no winter hiking boots, no micro spikes, no warm gloves, basically I had jack shit.) So fall hiking plans: CANCELLED

But I did what any reasonable person would do, and I asked for *everything* for Christmas.
(and confidently planned a day hike for the 26th, taking a bit of a risk that I'd get enough kit to tide me over!)

Well. Not ICE or SNOW or ANYTHING shall stop me!

Luckily, I hit the jackpot, the weather cooperated, and even Evan was able to make the trip for some winter adventuring!

Some of us (*ahem ahem* ME) might have had one too many Barley Wines on Christmas, and may have awakened feeling a little shitty. Luckily, I quickly bounced back. (I am too old....)

We headed off to climb Mt. Pierce. We had concluded that it was the ideal place to test out our new apparel, remain below treeline for as long as possible, and to be on a trail that we know pretty well. Safety first.

Getting ready

It was about as good of a weather day as we could have hoped for. It was about 15 at the base, and hovered around 10 degrees for the majority of the climb.

The trail was in perfect shape. They had a decent rainstorm the week before, which had us concerned about ice, but the trail was glorious firmly packed snow. (completely covering the infamous White Mountain rocks, and essentially creating a superhighway. It was amazing!)

WHERE ARE YOU ROCKS?????

Evan tested his new crampons, and Eric and I opted for micro spikes. All of us were very happy with our choices, and there were no wipeouts (miracle.)

It was definitely a day for a few un-layering (un-layering..? De-layering? Undressing..) breaks on the way up, as none of us really wanted to get sopping wet and freeze to death.

Removing layers. Eating frozen granola bars.

The weather below treeline was really pleasant (it strongly beat out hiking in the summer humidity!) It was fun to see the winter transformation of an area that we saw several times last summer.

Winter Magic

We really only had one little inconvenience. It was pretty amusing the way we were all fighting with our food. ALL of our snacks and sandwiches froze solid. I did my best to keep my camelback functioning but it was a lost cause (I drink and blow back to keep the line clear, but the mouthpiece repeatedly froze and the whole bag of water ended up being too frozen to be viable. Definitely considering a different method for next time...!)

Nearing the alpine zone, the weather began to get chilly so we tossed back on our layers. The hikers we met coming down appeared to be dressed for Death on Mt Everest, and we assumed there was a reason for this!

Almost there

And yes. There was. As soon as our heads peeped above the trees IT GOT COLD. And shockingly windy!

Love the snowy trees. And the cloud. 

One of the reasons we picked Pierce was the teeny amount of time that one spends above treeline. We really did not regret this choice, and we all learned something about additional clothing that we need if we plan to venture any higher this winter. (example: I need a coat with a hood. A warmer hat. And to remember my ski goggles.) (it should be noted that I basically grabbed my barn jacket and called it good, I could seriously stand to upgrade: suggestions are appreciated!)

We basically tagged the peak and fled! It was not a day to dawdle. Evan's nose looked like certain frostbite and I noticed that my hat had the weather stopping ability of a screen door.

Just imagine the rest of the Presidentials behind us

Oh, and notice what rolled in? The typical big cloud. EVERY TIME!!!

Once we were back in the cozy forest, I felt a pair of eyeballs on me.

Oh Hello

And I met a new friend!

I LOVE YOU!!!

We definitely stayed bundled up on the walk down (despite the fact that we charged so fast that we were down in just over an hour....) But really, it was a lovely day once we were off the summit.

I enjoyed the hike down, although I noticed my boots need a bit of breaking in. It was especially nice not to have any rocks to deal with- so very rare! I might end up being a huge winter hiking fan. The three of us had our typical ridiculous conversations (most of which revolve around either being hungry, needing $15 heli evacs, or some other topic of equal absurdity!)

We had to take the typical bridge picture. (it was a tricky day for photos, because of cold hands...)

Yep, another bridge

We decided not to take a dip today!

Ice bath, anyone??

And then, just like that, we were back. It was REALLY fun!!

Another adventure in the books

All of us really enjoyed this experience, and are eager to do more. We were very mindful of the dangers of weather, and trail conditions and had all the supplies we would need to survive if we became incapacitated. (with the notable exception of easily drinkable water. would have had to melt some snow...) I always think preparedness is the key to a good time, and we all realized what we did correctly, and where we can improve. Looking forward to next time!

Stats:
Time: 3 hours 20 minutes (legit 25 minutes of clothings changes and bird holding)
Mileage: 6.1
Elevation gain: 2,379
Challenge level: Easy/Moderate. Pierce is just a great mountain, and a wonderful one if you are taking a crack at your first 4K footer. Yes, there are a couple somewhat steep spots but nothing dicey, or technical and no major water crossings. A great hike anytime of year!