Winter Hike: Crane Mountain
On Wednesday Jordan and I went hiking again! We decided on Crane Mountain, outside of Warrensburg. This was the one that really got me into hiking in the Adirondacks, back in 2013. The trail to Crane is short, but steep! We used our snowshoes for the majority of the hike.
There were a few ladders, which weren’t too horrible.
The climb was tough! But we managed. The view from Crane is beautiful!
The ascent was a piece of cake compared to the descent. We opted to do the full loop, but I didn’t realize how steep it was going down the other side. Thankfully, we took our snowshoes off and used microspikes for the last portion of it, which made it easier. My crampons would have been a better choice, but I didn’t bring them! Lesson learned.
Crane Pond is so serene in winter.
//image from CNYhiking//
It was getting dark by the time we reached the farm trail (the last mile of the loop) but it was flat. I was very glad we were off the mountain before sundown. Next time, we leave earlier! We always carry head lamps when hiking. Jordan even brought his mountain bike lights which are super bright and were helpful for the last mile! I definitely would not recommend this hike in the winter without some previous winter hiking experience. It was pretty tough.
Crane Mountain
5.2 mi RT
Elevation 3254′
Ascent 1,492′
Gear used Tubbs Wilderness snowshoes, Kathoola microspikes, LL Bean merino base layer tights, EMS hiking pants, Lululemon base layer top, EMS Freescape 3-in-1 jacket, Kelty trekking poles, Osprey Sirrus day pack
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2 Comments
MomChelleMTB
Crane is one of our favorite hikes! I can’t believe you hiked the ladder in snowshoes! How was the transition at the top? As someone who suffers intermittent fear of heights, that transition feels like it has become trickier and trickier over the years.
I also have a question for you. We haven’t done much winter hiking, but will be doing more now that we are in the process of moving to the Adirondacks. Why did you feel that you needed crampons vs. microspikes? We have always just used microspikes, and they seemed to work well.
Jen
Hi! My apologies that I took so long to reply to your comment! Back when I was hiking a lot more in the winter, crampons we’re definitely needed (mainly in the high peaks). However now I find micropsikes are sufficient since I stick to the lower mountains in te winter. If you plan on doing any winter hiking in the high peaks you definitely need both!