I discovered new land this week! Okay, well, not new, but new to me. It felt like I was discovering new land, which I believe is the pinnacle of all mountain explorations, so that’s all that matters. Crunching my way up the Wapack Trail, this feeling was aided by the fact that I was all alone for six miles, with no other company than the chirping birds, no doubt confused by the sudden break in the cold weather.
Like many hikers in the region, with the frigid temperatures and snow forecasted for this weekend, I opted to get some climbing in on Thursday, where the sun was out and the temperature rose to the forties in the lowlands. Because of the cold weather these last two weeks, I anticipated being cold and ended up overdressed in long underwear. But I didn’t mind it. I was able to disregard the discomfort of my overheated nether regions because I was on a mission.