Fumbling Around In The Woods: April 2018

Distance: 4.89 mi.
Elevation: 1,661 ft (overall) 1,921 ft (total)
Time: 2:31 (Summit) 4:08 (Total)
Trails: Dublin Trail

Having not gotten out to hike much yet this winter, a day that was predicted to be sunny, but cold and windy seemed like a great day to go hike Mt. Monadnock. I took it as a chance to test out some of my gear that I bought for cold days like this where I would be exposed for some time about treeline. I had an insulated jacket and pants that I hadn't had a chance to really try yet. Mt. Monadnock seemed like a great place for a test hike since the summit is exposed, but it the clothing didn't work well I wouldn't be exposed too long and it would be a sort hike back to the truck.

The snow depth wasn't very high today, but with warm temperatures and rain earlier this winter I knew the real challenge would be ice. I could see that 2 or 3 other hikers had already been out on the trail.
Even though I had someone else's tracks to help show me where the underlying ice was, I decided it was smart to put on my microspikes early. You never know when you will find that patch under the snow no one ice has found yet.
As the trail kept climbing, more ice started showing up under the snow. One section of trail that is wet for much of year was completely covered in a thick layer of ice under the snow.
Higher up, some of the normal rock scrambles were covered in a thin layer of snow that make they look very nice. Others though were covered in snow and ice which make them even trickier than normal. By the end of the day, other hikers routes could be seen taking multiple ways around them.
Higher up also meant the start of some views from the trail. At first small limited views before turning into bigger more expansive ones.
As the trail started to come out of the trees, the ice was on almost all of the rocks under the snow. The normally grippy rocks were slick and there weren't many ways to avoid the ice and a chance at slipping.
Once above treeline I put on my goggles since it was getting a bit windy. There was lots of exposed rocks, but still enough snow and ice to keep on the microspikes.
A number of people showed up at the summit while I was there, but most didn't stay long since it was only 10 degrees and the windchill made it feel like -10.
With my cold weather gear though, I was plenty warm and enjoyed the sun and the view for quite a while.
The hike down saw more traffic on the trail, but not bad since the road leading to the parking lot isn't plowed all the way in the winter and the parking lot itself was pretty rough.
Some of the spots higher up were a bit tricky with all the ice underneath making for some cautious moves while coming down some sections. You could tell other hikers had just decided it was easier to slide where possible.
Back down towards the base, the ice had gone back away and I was able to pick the pace back up some. All in all the test of my cold weather gear went well, but I did determine that it ended up being a bit too warm for my pants with the additional layer underneath them.