Sunday’s hike with the Ramblers started and ended at Bear Mountain as planned, although we didn’t entirely follow the planned route.
The Ramblers' schedule is put out months in advance - in this case, in October - which means that, especially in winter, there is some guesswork as to whether the hike will be appropriate for conditions. In this case, the hike as written was to follow some old roads and unmarked trails, but the snowy conditions made those hard to find and even harder to posthole through. We adjusted slightly, including cutting off a planned loop to save time: going was a little slower in in the snow.
Adding to the challenge, we had some snowfall in the early afternoon. Its principal effect was to whiteout the views we ought to have had on the Appalachian Trail mid-hike.
Now, that doesn't mean we didn't have a good time. It just means we didn't hike quite as far as planned. But one thing I do like about hiking at Bear Mountain is that we come back to the lodge, with proper bathrooms, hot chocolate, and a warm place to wait for the bus.
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