i have been up mount hunger, but never by the waterbury trail, which is uh, steep. i was not at all sure i could actually succeed in getting to the summit, but no knowledge about that is gained by sitting at home, so i packed up my gear and marched up it figuring that i would either succeed or i would know it is not possible for me to do in winter conditions.
i'm a level 16. i don't need AP. nothing is lost by trying.
anyway, it was about 30 degrees at the trailhead, which means colder farther up the mountain, but the trail mostly goes up in a crease between two mountains and is out of the wind. most of the way up i went bare-booted. i would have preferred spikes for traction, but the snow was soft and clumpy underfoot and that was more trouble than it was worth.
snowshoes may have been a good option, but unless i really need them i do without because the wider stance required is hard on my hips and back.
about two thirds of the way up i changed over to ten point crampons, which was awesome because all the way so far i'd had to kick in a lot of my steps and that really wears on your feet and knees.
near the top it becomes VERY steep, and although it's steeper on average than the firetower trail on mount elmore, it's less frightening because the stakes for a missed step are lower.
i don't know if either of you does a lot of winter hiking, but if the trail is wide and the footing is good you can just creep up things surprisingly close to vertical and as long as there's a periodic soft landing you can aim for if you miss, it feels pretty safe.
sometimes you might only have a little ledge to get over, but you're painfully aware that if you miss that one step, it will be a long way down before you stop falling.
so. up the trail. i passed out of mixed forest and into boreal forest, and then up to the treeline. the worcester range has pretty spectacular views, but up near the summit in a twenty mile an hour wind you don't really stop to admire it.in fact, i could reach the portal from just below the summit, so i found a place in range where i was sheltered from the full wind, but it was still frostbite zone. not so bad with my back to the wind, but i did turn into the wind for a few seconds to take a picture of the view. you will excuse me i hope for not taking the time to frame a really good shot.
here's a picture of the trail on the way down. the image does not do justice to the steepness of it, but you do get to see the pretty mountain ash berries in their snowy hats.
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Something that struck me when I was on Mansfield this Fall was the number of mountain ash trees. I remember one in the yard of my childhood home that was perpetually pecked by woodpeckers and was pretty sickly. Seeing them covered in orange berries up and down the slope of the mountain made me realize that they truely are "mountain" ash and thrive in that environment so much better than a yard.
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