Squak Mt. The Long Way Route 1.18.12

  With the monumental dump of snow mixed with the generous lowland snow by options were very limited. I had expected more snow but there was still enough to provide challenging driving conditions around my house. I decided a nice walk from my house to Squak Mt South Access Road and on to the summit would be a fun trip.  The snow was waning as I started out. The roads were compact snow and ice. I made great time the 2.5 miles to the Access Road. There was very little traffic and the people I did see were driving at speeds suitable for the conditions. I was a bit unnerved around a steeper portion of my approach. Both coming and going I was very aware of what traffic was doing. I certainly didn't want to get in the way of car sliding out of control on the hill.

   Once I started on the road there were tracks from earlier in the day. I found it easier to find my own way in the shallow snow instead of trying to match stride lengths of the tracks. The weather changed to a light rain and I was wary of freezing rain. There were a few trees freshly down from the added weight of the snow. The snow progressively got deeper as I reached the end of the bootprints. I broke trail for the remainder of the way to the summit. There was about 16" of snow from the previous week's activity. I didn't linger long and I pushed the pace down the road. The snow was great for a speedy decent. The balance of the way home went very quickly. I did have to navigate more traffic on the way out then on the way in. I was pleased that my new La Sportiva Gore-Tex Boots kept my feet warm and more importantly dry. 10 miles in wet conditions was a good test.

Approx 10 miles 2100' of climb 3:45 car to  car