Winter Wonderland in the High Peaks – Hiking Phelps 12.8.18

Last week I got an invite from my friend Alicia to hike Phelps with her and our friend Francis. The weather was looking a bit cold, but I decided to join them since it had been a while since I’d hiked and was craving a long outdoor adventure. It had also been a while since I’d been on snowshoes (more like 2 years)! Alicia and I met at the exit 12 park and ride at 5:30am and drove up the Loj to meet Francis and his friend Mike. We arrived at the trailhead and the car’s thermometer read -14. Yikes! Thankfully we were all prepared with the appropriate cold weather gear.

We started the hike at about 8am. The trail was packed down nicely. There must have been over a foot of snow on the ground, much more up at the higher elevations. It was a beautiful hike into Marcy Dam.

Before I knew it, we were at the junction for Phelps.

We started climbing steeply. There is one tricky section on the climb up to the Phelps but thankfully it wasn’t too difficult given the amount of snow up there. We made it to the summit and to some amazing views.

The sun was shining and the skies were blue. Despite the chilling temperatures, we stayed on the summit and enjoyed some of Francis’ hot buttered rum while we chatted with some fellow hikers.

After about 30 minutes on the summit, Alicia and Francis hiked ahead and hurried down to hike Tabletop as well. Mike and I stayed back and continued back to the Loj. A 10-mile hike on snowshoes after not hiking for a while was just enough for me! My feet and legs were already feeling the effects of snowshoeing. It’s such a workout! Eventually, I was hiking ahead of Mike, so the rest of the hike back down Phelps to the car felt like a solo hike to me. It was so peaceful. I didn’t see another hiker until I got to Marcy Dam.

I arrived back at the Loj trailhead at about 3:15. I changed, hung out in the High Peaks Information Center where they had hot beverages for sale for $1. I enjoyed a coffee by the fireplace while I warmed up and waited for Alicia and Francis to return.

When they got back, we decided to head down to Exit 28 for a hot meal and some post-hike beverages. Sticks & Stones in Schroon Lake is going to be our new post-hike restaurant!

Does it get any better than this? I think not!

Phelps
Distance 9.75 mi RT
Elevation gain 2,308 ft
Total time 7 hrs, 9 min

Gear used  Airblaster ninja baselayer, EMS thermal half zip top, EMS hiking pants, wool socks & liners, Vasque Snowblime insulated hiking boots, Tubbs VRTFlex snowshoes, Outdoor Research Offchute jacket, Skida neckwarmer, EMS fleece-lined hat, Louis Garneau insulated gloves, Osprey Mira daypack, Kelty trekking poles