Out and Back - The other way to Ice Gulch

Today was a beautiful sunny day on the Appalachian Trail.  Temps were cold in the teens when I left home and headed north to Sheffield, MA and had risen into the low 20's when I reached the trail head.  I hiked to Tom Leonard shelter again, only this time I came in from the other direction.  It is about 4 miles from Home Rd. to the shelter, hiking north.  From the road the trail climbs through hardwood forest with exposed granite spread around.  There are some nice views looking south and west over the Housatonic River valley and the Teconics.  Mount Everett is the prominent peak from these lookouts.

 Once at the top, the trail meanders along the edge of the mountains.  It is fairly flat going with some small ups and downs.  There were some Turkey Vultures soaring around, both above and below me as I looked out over the valley.

The snow was hard with just a dusting of fresh snow from yesterday.  I was able to bare boot today though I did use my microspikes for most of the morning.  I was pretty lucky that I was able to stay on top of the snow, as it is still about 18" deep in most places.  I did post hole a few times on the way out, which gets pretty tiring.  It was the way back that it got worse.  The snow was getting pretty soft, and some sections I was sinking in every other step.  Not fun!  

I reached the shelter in just under 2 hours and sat and ate a quick lunch.  I didn't sit long as I knew the snow would be getting soft and I wanted to get back before it got too bad.  The hike back was uneventful other then the post holing.  I met two couples out hiking today, one heading the same direction as me, and their friends meeting them at Tom Leonard from the north.  

View from the picnic table, snow pile is almost as tall as the table

 I stopped for a water break at the lookout before descending down to the road and took a few minutes to enjoy the view.  I couldn't have asked for a nicer spring day to hike.  I was back to the car soon after, having done 8 miles in 4 hours.  

Easy Backpacking meal

I always enjoy tweaking my backpacking stuff.  Whether it is gear, technique, or food I find it fun to play around with how I do something.  This weekend I tried a new meal for the trail.  I know that using Knorr sides is not new, and I have tried one before, but never really took to carrying it with me on trips.  But as I was shopping the other day for an upcoming camping trip with the Boy Scouts I passed them in the store and thought I might give it another try.  I also knew I needed to add something more to it, so I picked up a can of chicken.  My plan was to make a one pot meal that tasted good, had a good amount of calories, and would not be a pain to cook.

I bought the Knorr Creamy Chicken flavor Rice and Pasta Blend and Great Value Chunk Chicken breast at the local Walmart.  I wanted to try this at home just in case it didn’t work out so I set up my camp stove, for this time I used a Primus backpacking stove and my GSI soloist cookset.  The recipe calls for 2 cups water and optional 1Tbsp. butter.  Bring contents to a boil and then simmer for 7 min.  I drained and added the chicken when it started simmering.  After about 5 min. I turned off the stove and let the contents simmer for another 3-4 min. covered. 

It made a good amount, about 4 cups worth and depending how hungry you are may be enough for 2 people.  The rice and pasta had cooked well and had thickened up nicely, it was not soupy at all.

Now it was time for the taste test.  

It was very good.  I liked the flavor of the sauce.  The rice and pasta were cooked through and had a good texture.  The chicken was hot and tender.  It was a good meal.  I enjoyed it for lunch as did my son, who helped in the taste testing.  We both agree that it would be a nice meal on the trail.  Calories for the entire package, which had 2.5 servings is 600 and with the 12.5oz can of chicken adds 270 calories for a total of 870 calories.  Cost for the meal was about $3.  The only down side I can see is you have to wash your pot.  I’ll have to work on cooking this in a freezer bag for a wash free meal.

I plan to use this meal on my next overnight trip, it is cheap and easy and tastes good.

Backyard Exploring!

I didn't have a lot of time today but needed to get out to the woods so I stayed in town and did some exploring.  I had my eye on this rocky outcrop I drive by often and decided today was the day I would check it out.  It is a little bit of a climb from the parking area but I anticipated the views to be good.  I was able to look South over the Barkhamsted Reservoir.  I started on an abandoned road that is now used for logging operations.

The road climbs from the river valley at a steady pace.  The snow was hard enough to walk on without snowshoes.  This was a nice change from last weeks hike.  It felt good to walk bare booted again.  There were even some bare spots along the way.  Before long I came upon the CT/MA state line boundary.

The road forks shortly after this and I continued to climb the hill.  Soon I could see the ridge line that I was aiming for but I was interested in seeing where the road would take me.  I have hiked all around this area but never on this road.  Stonewalls started to appear and the land started to flatten out.  I began looking for the remains of the farmstead and soon saw the tell tale signs of large Sugar Maple trees lined up along the road.  This is a New England feature that is slowly disappearing as these old trees die off.  The foundation hole was just beyond the Maples.

Remains of house foundation

I looked around a little more and I think I found the foundation of the barn.  I would like to come back when the snow is gone to really get a feel for what the farm must have been like.  These old house sites always make me think about what it must have been like living here 100 or so years ago.  

I turned around at the farm and made my way back along the road a ways before going off into the wood and bushwhacking my way along the ridge.  It was thick with new growth, having been logged within the last 3-5 years.  Eventually I found the rocky outcropping and was rewarded with nice views.  The wind was gusting and the temps were in the mid-twenties but the sun was bright and the sky was a beautiful blue.  

After sitting out of the wind and having a snack and some water I made my way down.  There were some interesting rock cliffs and outcrops.  It was a quick descent down to the road with only one unintentional butt slide.  

It was a short trip, but I enjoyed checking out this area.  I will be back once the snow is gone to explore again.  

Ice Gulch hike

I hiked south on the AT today to Ice Gulch and Tom Leonard Shelter to see how deep the snow was and to get a feel for a future camp out with the Boy Scouts.  The temps were in the low 30's with snow squalls on the ride up.  The hiker parking area was not plowed, which I had suspected would be the case.  The snow is still fairly deep in the forest, about 2 feet.  The trail was broken sometime in the past and the snow was packed but narrow and my snowshoes would sink into the soft snow on the edges often.  It made it difficult to get a rhythm going.

The hike in was slow going but I eventually arrived at the shelter for a much needed breather.  I sat and had some water and relaxed.  It was very peaceful with the sounds of the forest all around.  The family of ravens that was there last spring returned and flew around above the gulch.  Their vocalizations are pretty cool to listen to.  I wonder what they are saying?

Looking down into Ice Gulch

View from Tom Leonard Shelter

The area around the shelter is buried in snow as well.  Anywhere that is unbroken snow is soft and deep.  It will be awhile before anyone sees the ground there or the streams near the shelter.  Plenty of snow to melt for water though.  

After taking in the view, I hiked back to the car.  The sun made an appearance on the way out and the hiking was a little easier.  This is one of my favorite spots to camp on the AT.  The view is wonderful and the shelter is in good shape.  The whole area around the shelter and Ice Gulch is beautiful.  I need to make a point to go in warm weather and see everything without snow.

Sunshine on the way out