To celebrate the winter solstice this year my father and I went camping in the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks are mountains in Northern New York State averaging in elevations between 3000 to 5200 feet high. The idea was to spend the longest night of the year experiencing the darkness that was to begin the transition into light, and we did. We hiked in darkness on December 21st, our destination being the Middle Settlement Lake Lean-to, and out again in darkness as well.
In early December my father tells me that he will have a week off around christmas and that we should go camping. I agree and contrive a plan for out solstice celebration. I thought perhaps a short excursion on the Finger Lakes Trail that is near Cortland would be appropriate for a beginner like my father. We talked about it a bit and he decided that the Adirondacks would be more adventurous and interesting. So, I planned a trip to the Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness Area near Old Forge.
On the evening of the 20th I packed up all of my gear and laid out my father's for him. The next morning we packed up his car, picked up snowshoes from a good friend of mine, Dale Anderson, and finally departed for the mountains. Now if you know me at all, then you understand that I travel all over the place but my heart is divided and kept with my girlfriend and up in the mountains. So, I was pleased to be going up for a visit to one of the two places where I feel completely whole in mind, body, and spirit.
We arrive at the Scusa Access Point trail head sometime after dark in the early evening. I remember speaking with Dale about how most trips this time of year all begin in the dark and on this particular outting that was exactly how I wanted it. Ever since I was young my father taught me about the importance of getting out at night and hiking around in the woods. It brings you a little closer to the forest in ways that cannot be described easily. On this particular night it was very dark due to the new moon and overcast skies. There was not much more than small patches where starlight could peak through and highlight the snow fallen on the earth. The beginning of the trail started with an ascent up a steep hillside. The terrain was tricky here and we had to use our lights, but once on top of the slope we killed our artificial lights and followed the trail using our natural senses.
It is amazing the amount you can see once your eyes get used to the darkness. Especially in the snow covered winter wonderland that we were traveling in. The conifers, evergreens, were conical snow covered delights, and the deciduous, broad leaf, trees had snow piled high on their braches. The snow was a bit deeper around the deciduous trees because of the lack of leaves to hold up the snow, but luckily for us it apeared that someone had come out recently on the same trail and left us their snow packed tracks to follow in. It was great hiking at night. I felt the trail as much as I could see it. As time passed I looked less and less for the trail. I could just feel myself upon it and knew that my feet would not lead me astray.
Now, to some this may seem ridiculous or reckless even, but it hardly was. I had hiked on this trail before in daylight a year past and insisted upon using my headlamp to confirm well known landmarks and through dangerous terrain. Any that have been on a trip with me recently would know that I stress two things above all in the wilderness: health and safety. If these two aspects are taken care of primarily all other things may fall into place during the process of the journey, although sometimes with a little guidance needed.
We arrived safely at the lean-to after an enjoyable three and a half mile hike that took us about three hours. Once our hiking was complete I knew that we would lose heat quickly with our bodies not working to replace it as it is lost to the cold Adirondack sky. I efficiently added all my layers and started up my stove to boil some water for hot soup. My father was a few paces behind me and I instructed him to change immediately and bundle up. Since he was new to winter camping I had a watchful eye on him, constantly monitoring his actions, although I only prodded him along when I deemed necessary. He did well enough for a beginner. Learned most lessons the hard way, but those are the ones less easily forgotten. That night he had a series of leg cramps that left him powerless. So I had to help him in his bag and pull his backpack over his legs to keep him warm through the night.
The following day we slept in, staying in our warm sleeping bags until driven out by our call to nature. At which point I cooked up some breakfast before we headed back out. We retraced our steps through the twilight into the darkness of night. After some paces and many sights seen we packed into our car and returned home again.
