I ended up leaving them on all the way to Colvin's summit with my microspikes for traction.
I stopped for a rest at a waterfall at the trail junction with the Gill Brook Trail...
My shoes and socks were soaked from the wet snow and ice on the way up, but I brought extra socks & boots to change into. I met a couple other hikers along the trail and we reached the summit, ate snacks and chatted for while enjoying the views of The Great Range and Lower Ausable Lake...
The other hikers headed down and I prepared to head over to Blake Mtn. I started down the trail and came to a southern overlook of Upper Ausable Lake and Blake Mtn...
The next leg of the trip is one of the toughest hiking experiences I've had in my years of hiking, I underestimated the poor snow conditions and temperatures and it made for a very exhausting trip through the deep col to Blake and back. I had snowshoes but the snow was so soft it was no use to put them on, the terrain was very steep and the temps had me sweating and out of water. It was a true "gut check" getting back to Colvin where I had left 1/2 an iced tea on the summit. There were some nice views along the way which helped distract me from my physical predicament...
The ladder down to the col...
Near Blake Mtn Summit...
Blake Mtn Views...
Some steep icy/snowy terrain...
A view of Colvin Mtn...
A view of Nippletop/Dix Mtns...
The Col between Blake/Colvin...
When I reached this rock along the trail it seemed to signify the journey I had taken between the two mountains...
I reached the summit of Colvin again and had some tea and headed back down towards Lake Rd. I heard a couple rumbles of thunder and even saw a small rainbow in the distance...
When I reached the Lake Rd, I was extremely tired but felt better that I had a road to walk on for the last few miles to the car, I stopped at Artist Falls along the way...
Further down the road the mist was rising off Gill Brook...
I made it back to the Lake Rd gate, totally exhausted and sore but glad to have been outdoors all day in the mountains!
I learned a valuable lesson about how much fluid to bring on early spring hikes in case of hot temps, also I will always bring my water filter on all longer hikes from now on. Even with the "gut check" it was still a great day to be out and the views were splendid!
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