What a winter day on the Great Range!
Ice, ice baby. Scary ice.
Gear: Micro spikes, Snowshoes, gaiters, extra layers, 3 Liters of Tailwind, 3000 calories of food and emergency gear
Pack was pretty heavy for a Northeast Ultra Sky Runner challenge (Had to get under 14 hours to qualify for sky runner, awesome new challenge that pairs well with the FKT world, https://northeastultra8.com).
Carolyn and I set off just before 5 am and could feel the sky begin to lighten around 6.
Trail Conditions: Were tough, everything was packed, crunchy packed, unforgiving packed and icy. Roughest ice patches were: Lower Wolf Jaw, Armstrong Ladder, Gothics and Basin.
Coming out from JBL, trail got soft and mushy. Temps around freezing up high. Wind at times. Sun to clouds to snow showers.
Winter is such a different flavor on the range.
Feet got wet and are sore.