Trip Journal – Blackhead Range Backpack行程記錄 – Blackhead Range Backpack

There was no wind; it was sunny and warm. Saturday, had the perfect condition for hikers, but inevitably disappointed those who were looking for solitude. Our group bumped into two other groups, several local hikers, and a pretty dog. We had to alternate the camping plan because the lean-to we were supposed to stay in was packed by noon.

While you are so prepared to claim the trees, mountains, snow and ice as your sole property, nature extends it arms and smashes your hallucination. Well, haven’t we already learned the unexpectedness of nature and equipped ourselves with fitness, patience, and flexibility? After all, those qualities obtained from being outdoors are in fact our true property.

Before we hit the trail junction of Black Dome Range Trail (BD) and Blackhead Mountain Trail (BM), the trip proceeded as planned. In general, the path we traveled was covered by a few inches of snow. The trail was broken well so that it didn’t delay us until the last several hundred feet of the climb to Thomas Cole. We had to put our crampons on in case we slipped off the trail and fell off the cliff. Even so, coming down from the summit to the col between Thomas Cole and Black Dome was still tough: the solid ice presented a smooth surface and with the steep terrain, there just wasn’t enough area to lay our feet flat.

Near the summit of Black Dome, we had our lunch break with the view of all the peaks on the Devil’s Path. The sunlight pushed the thermometer to 60 degrees, and the luxurious thought of taking a nap crossed my mind so often. If the weight on my back hadn’t constantly reminded me of the truth, I would definitely say it was spring.

Stimulated by the gorgeous weather, Blackhead was included as part of the objective of the first day. We decided to climb up Blackhead following BM and turn around, which meant we chose a farther way to the lean-to. However, a farther way was not necessary a longer way given that the alternative route was steep and icy, and we had our heavy packs on without ice axes and ropes.

The climb to the Blackhead was tricky. Based on the contour lines, I didn’t see a false summit. However, there was always more uphill the next minute after I said “we are almost there.” After four or five times of “almost there,” we were eventually “there.” We had wide open views while we were climbing: not only could we see the Devils’ Path but also the southeast mountain range. As we were approaching the summit plateau, the views faded away because of the dense evergreens.

Since we couldn’t stay at the lean-to as planned, we hiked out, got to our cars, drove to the trailhead of Elm Ridge Trail (ER), and hiked another 0.85 miles to the lean-to at the junction of Elm Ridge Trail (ER) and Escarpment Trail (ES). We could have collected the 3 peaks without a heavy pack, but everybody treated it as a physical training. This demonstrated that our group members have an open mind and I believe this attitude is commonly shared by outdoor enthusiasts.

The night was warm and long; everybody slept for more than 10 hours. We got up around 7, but the sun didn’t wake up with us. It was windy and overcast, and our group was lonely. Only when we were ready to hike out, did we run into another lady and her dog.

The trail to the Windham Mountain was super easy, considering we had a tough first day. Although we still had a view toward Albany, we didn’t have the mood to stay at the vista for too long because the wind was blowing. Weather changed dramatically; it was spring the first day, and winter returned following the footsteps of nightfall.

We were out by noon, and we were lucky. It started to rain a half hour after I was on the road. In winter time, rain is worse than snow. Although my extra dry clothes and rain gear were never touched, I felt fine they remained that way.


星期六，無風、晴朗、大太陽。恐怕是冬季登山，能夠要求到的最好條件了。只是，這樣的條件，可不適合那些到山林裡，品嚐孤獨滋味的野客們。拿我們一行人那天的經驗來說吧，一路上，就又遇到了另兩個大團體，好幾個獨行俠，加上一隻漂亮的狗。本來打算過夜的山屋，也早在中午前就被他人佔領了，逼得只好改變計畫。

世事就是這樣難以逆料。正想著可以到山野中，獨佔冰雪、山巔個兩三天，大自然偏偏就要把你從幻想中打醒。呀，從事戶外活動也有好一陣子了，難道不是早該學習到要有耐心、有毅力、有彈性嗎？這些與自然相處所訓練出來的特質，可不是他人可以搶得走的啊！

星期六的行程，在到Black Dome Range Trail (BD)以及Blackhead Mountain Trail (BM)兩步道交會處，一直是按照計畫進行的。一路行來，雪只有幾吋深，也被好些人走過踏實了，雖是爬上爬下，走起來的感覺，和夏天也沒什麼差異。只是到了爬Thomas Cole山頂最後的幾百英尺的高度時，下結的堅冰，又滑又硬實。穿上冰爪還是有好些地方必須步步為營，尤其是在樹根盤根錯節的地方，想好好把腳放平，還真是不容易。

隊伍在Black Dome山巔附近，一邊欣賞南方一望無垠的山勢，一邊悠閒地享受午餐時光。在大太陽的照射下，惡魔之路上的數個山巔，歷歷在目；人是暖和地不得了，好幾次我坐在那裡都快要睡著了。這哪是冬天啊？冬天不是應該急速吃完點心，再趕緊在身體未冷之前趕緊上路嗎？要不是一路行來，背包的重量一直提醒我認清事實，真要雀躍地宣布春神來了。

絕佳的天氣，加上比預期好太多的路況，隊伍於是不能滿足於，只完成兩座山峰的原始目的。在兩條路徑中，我們挑選較遠的那一條，來攻頂Blackhead。較遠並不代表會花較多時間，另一條路徑，可是又險峻，又是冰棘滿布。以我們背上背包的重量，加上手無冰斧和繩索，還是不要貿然挑戰一己的運氣。

不過，這一條較遠的上山途徑，還真有一些詭異。從等高線圖看來，一路上山，可是單純地緊，就是一直往上爬就是了，不會有什麼假山巔的情況。偏偏，我每次一和隊伍說「就快到了」，就莫無奇妙又生出一堆往上行進的道路，弄得我也不好意思隨便講話了。幸好，經過四五次的「就快到了」，也真到了。一路上，風景絕妙，除了之前可以看到的南方山景外，又多了東南方的好一塊區域。只是，隨著我們愈爬愈高，景色也逐漸被密生的樹林給擋住了。

由於當天打算過夜的山屋，早已被另一個團體佔領了。隊伍決定多走一些路，回到車上，開到另外一個登山口，再走個不到一英里的距離，到另外一個山屋。早知道會回到車上，當初也不用背著重重的包袱，連攻下三個山頂了。千金難買一個早知道，隊員們開玩笑地說，這一段路程，就當作體力訓練好了。在野外活動久的人，似乎對於計畫外的情況發生的可能性，都胸有成竹，也因此，可以開朗面對變化。

那天晚上，也是暖和的不得了。卻是漫漫長夜，大夥兒都睡了個好長的覺，幾乎可以媲美李伯大夢。早上七點鐘，大夥兒才姍姍起床，可惜太陽卻還要繼續躲在雲後沈睡。當天的天色，從來不見開朗，也因此我們隊伍也少遇到不少行人，一直到快離開步道之前，才見到一個女士和她的愛犬。

這天的目的是攻頂Windham Mountain，這段路，和前一天的行程比較起來，可以說是超級簡單，不用雪鞋，更用不上冰爪。接近山頂的俯視，也是相當開闊，可以一直看到北邊的Albany的工廠，不過這風緊刮緊刮，催得大夥兒一刻也待不住。天氣真是說變就變，前一天還高唱春神來了，冬天就又機靈地跟著夜晚的腳步又溜回來了。

中午之前，一行人回到停放車子的地方。很幸運地，我們趕在落雨之前，完成了這趟旅程。冬天的雨是折磨人的雨，又陰又冷，可不像落雪一般詩情畫意。雖然我準備的額外的乾衣裳和雨衣雨褲，都乖乖地躺在背包待命中。可呀，我寧願背著它們，也不希望需得用上它們。

Related link: Trip Announcement: Blackhead Range Wild Forest winter backpack