Day 112 on the IAT – Thursday, March 11 – was a decided upgrade over Day 111. OK, Day 111 was a low bar, but drier weather and the right equipment made a big difference in my hike.
On tap was the 9.6 mile Northern Blue Hills Segment(NBHS), plus the first mile of the Hemlock Creek Segment, which is immediately north of the NBHS. Adding this part of the Hemlock Creek Segment allowed me to securely park my car at the Murphy Flowage Recreation Area lot, which is right along the trail. It is much safer than parking my car along the shoulder of the highway at the intersection of South Bucks Lake Road and County F.
On Thursday, I was up early to eat breakfast, re-pack my dried out gear into my pack, and thoroughly stretch my sore muscles. To my surprise, I woke to a light coating of snow, which wasn’t in the forecast just days earlier. After yesterday’s grey, foggy conditions, this was a real treat. I arrived at the rendezvous point with Fred shortly after 8:00. In no time we were at my starting point, the southern terminus of the NBHS along County F. I thanked Fred for his help and said goodbye. At 8:20, I got moving. It was in the low 30s with light, fluffy snow.
I cannot adequately express how the weather lifted my spirits. Frankly, I’ve dreamed of hiking in wooded country on a snowy day like this. The trail ascended to a high ridge overlooking Devil’s Creek and followed it for nearly a half mile. The picture above gives you an idea of the vista. Then, it descended to the creek’s level, crossed it on a bridge, and started climbing the other side of the creek’s bank. Eventually, it veered away from the creek into deep woods.
After Wednesday’s hike, I decided to bring my snowshoes in case I encountered similar trail conditions. After about a mile, I decided it was time to strap them on. On the plus side, they probably saved me a lot of post holing. Where there was ice, their teeth bit into it to give me more controls on hills.
On the negative side, they were added weight, whether strapped to my feet or to my pack. Experienced hikers have told me to expect to work harder when wearing snow shoes, and that certainly was the case. As a result of working harder,my form got sloppy early and often. My tips would cross, and I’d lose my balance. I’d snag my show shoes on my poles or in undergrowth, and I’d lose my balance. Because of this, I fell flat on my face several times. The biggest frustrations for me were the equipment malfunctions that forced me to stop and make multiple adjustments. I guess I lost a good hour restrapping my snow shoes and addressing a toe that had been rubbed raw by snow shoe straps. Still, I was glad to have them available. I just need to work on my skills.
By mid-morning the snow ended, and the skies cleared. The rest of my hike would be under bright sunlight and brilliant blue skies. As I plugged along, I was reminded of one of winter hiking’s advantages – the tracks left by the many forest animals. One simply doesn’t appreciate how many creatures share the woods until it snows. Sometimes the tracks tell interesting stories, like the tracks below. What caused these little ones to scurry to their respective escape hatches?
A highlight of the afternoon was a short section of trail that ran along the banks of the South Fork of Hemlock Creek. One of my favorite things about hiking is walking along streams and rivers. In this section, I would walk along one side of the creek until I reached a rustic bridge. I would then cross to the other side, walk a little further until I reached another bridge to cross back. Each bridge was unique. Then I came to this:
Hmmm. Nothing was mentioned in the Guide about having to ford this creek. If it was in the warmer season, I’d simply take off my shoes and wade across, or I would look for an opportunity to “rock hop” my way across. No such luck here; what to do? Then, a short way upstream, I found my answer:
I threw my walking sticks and snow shoes to the other side of the creek. Then, I unceremoniously got on my hands and knees and crawled across this log. Mission accomplished.
My guide DID speak to ponding after periods of rain. Between yesterday’s rain and the snow melt, there was a bumper crop of ponds along the trail. One of the worst sections was just north of that last crossing of Hemlock Creek. The trail was fairly wide and straight at this point – I’m guessing it was an ATV trail at some time. On this day, it might as well have been a canal. At its deepest, the water was at least half a foot deep. Sometimes, I could see a pond coming and try to go around it. At other times, the day’s new snow hid the ponds, so I would be trudging along what I thought was solid snow when – surprise!! – I was standing in a small lake. For a while, I tried to guess where the ponds were in an effort to stay relatively dry. Ultimately, I decided it was useless – I was going to get wet no matter what. So I just forged ahead through the slop.
Late in the hike, I confess I began to be peeved. I was wet. Once again, I crossed my snow shoes in front of me like a klutz and took a spill. Oh yeah, my right snow shoe came off my foot, so I had to stop – again – to deal with that. Finally, I emerged from the woods onto South Bucks Lake Road. It FELT like the home stretch. But, the fact was I had nearly two more miles to go, nearly 45 minutes’ walk. I was tired of putting on and taking off my snow shoes, yet I didn’t want to lash them to my backpack because I knew I would need them again. So, I carried my walking sticks in one hand while cradling my snow shoes in the other arm. I must have looked ridiculous. After what seemed like forever I emerged from the last stand of trees into the parking lot at the Murphy Flowage Recreation Area.
Prime Rib was on the menu at the supper club. I ate my fill.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 