Green Lakes

Saturday afternoon Karen and I hiked 4 miles around the Lakes. Karen took the lead and we were done in an hour and 15. It was foggy when we started and snowing when we finished

Night Hiking

I prefer night hiking with my light off. Once your eyes adjust  you still have a panoramic view .  Compared to hiking with a light on, where you have a narrow beam of  light and  all you  see is what's illuminated by the beam. Walking on a snow-covered Trail makes it easier to see in the dark because the snow reflects the ambient light. When I'm walking in point position I keep my light on full bright so I don't miss a trail Blaze or a hidden switch back. If I don't feel like leading, I fall back and follow the other hikers tracks in the snow. In the dark we rely more heavily on verbal cues. If the point person doesn't see a trail blaze in a tenth of a mile they holler back I'm off ,does anyone see the blaze. Then you see headlamps behind you scanning the area. When someone hollers I have a blaze I'm on the trail, all the headlamps focus on that point and follow like ducklings. Mark's hiking group chooses Point position by default. If you know the group's destination, and you feel like taking a lead position we follow. If you're tired and step to the side, the next person in line becomes the leader. Our group totaled seven, hiking from shackham pond to tinker Falls.when I'm leading the group on a night hike and I turn around and see a line of headlamps behind me it gives me a warm feeling of being an essential part of a group

Shackham pond to tinker

Last night 32 degrees, too warm for me to wear long johns. Trails were muddy at lower elevations. I'm glad I wore my heavy Gators and hiking boots. 6 inches of fresh snow higher on the Hills. It was soft underfoot and very pleasant walking. The snow started coming down heavy after 8 o'clock. We were in the shadow of the wind till we broke the Ridgeline overlooking Labrador pond. At that point the wind became Relentless and blinding snow.

My tent

My tent is the EMS velocity. Weighs 2 pounds. Sets up quick. I purchased this one during my 2012 Appalachian Trail thru hike .I hope this one lasts the entire Pacific Crest Trail. But for under $300 I'll get a new one if I need to

Tuesday morning commute

3 miles hike to work

15 miles a day

Monday morning slept late. I was still able to walk more than 2 miles before work.
Mark picked me up at 5:30 we hiked 6 miles in Camillus forest.I try to walk an average of 15 miles each day. Keeping busy at work helps me reach my goal. 100 miles, 5200 per year

Keith and Spike spend the night

I first hiked with Keith in the  early nineties . We still meet for outings regularly .

Lunch at the lean-to

 I hiked 9 miles before 10 o'clock, didn't see a soul. The lean-to had many visitors starting with rosemary and Gracie. Followed by this group ,I think they were doing a 12 mile Loop. they ranged in age from mid 30's to mid 50's. They were all in great shape and well outfitted. They shared their lunch and great hiking stories. When they left ,I started collecting firewood. Tonight should be a warmer night

Kettlebail to Hemlock shelter

9 Trail miles from kettlebail Road trailhead to the shelter . The trails were very icy it took me 4 hours.

40 degrees in January

Friday after work I took the bus to Tully. I picked up some supplies and then Road walked more than 3 miles to heiberg Forest. Dark and raining I set up my tent Under The Pines. I was asleep in my bag before 8 p.m.

My backpack

Granite Gear makes well-designed backpacks. The " Crown 60 " is perfect for me considering my size and lightweight style of hiking. When my tent is set up and my sleeping bag is rolled out my backpack is empty. I lay my backpack under my legs as a sleeping pad. In cold weather I stick my legs inside my backpack.

 

Thursday Jan 12 warm night for mid-January 46 degrees. Hiking Rand tract bird sanctuary. Onondaga Hill's east facing slope. The Valley Cemetery parking area is within the Syracuse city limits at about 450 feet above sea level. Mark picks points along the ridge to climb to approaching 770 feet at the highest point. We Traverse this Ridge to accumulate maximum elevation gain. I always use quick dry T-shirt as a base layer. for this hike I used a 250 gram Merino SmartWool long sleeve sweater 3/4 zip. a gortex rain shell. Nylon quick dry trousers. SmartWool socks. Midway aggressive sole hiking shoe. Xtra flease in the pack for break time.The buff is the headgear I'm wearing in the picture above, it is a critical piece of my gear that I don't leave home without it.

Thursday night hike

Syracuse University South Campus Trails  were bare of snow in parts ,but the snow that hadn't melted was tightly packed and covered with ice. none of us chose to use snowshoes or crampons.But we should have .As the sun went down the snow came down hiding the black ice beneath our feet. The temperature was in the teens and the Earth was hard as granite.Mark fell on the ice and landed on his arm. We watched him march on like nothing happened. I remember just last season he had surgery on that arm after a skiing accident. Mark is a tough son-of-a-gun. When Keith hit the ice knee 1st the sound was deafening. I watched him limp when he first got up but he soon put that behind him. I fell more than once today . The worst was thankfully in sight of the cars . My pedometer said I was halfway through my 24th mile for the day .started hiking this morning before work and and continued immediately after work finishing up Around 9Pm. I plan on taking it easy a couple of days I hurt. 

Mark walks on water

I like to hike whenever I get the chance. Mark is the only one I know who spends more time Outdoors than I do. Thankfully he takes me along on his adventures. Here he is climbing Tinker Falls