Two carpooled from Richmond Park and Ride, meeting the other two of us at the Hedgehog Brook trailhead in Fayston. We set out at 9:15, all in snowshoes.

The ice was nice and thick across the wide brook right at the start of the trail, allowing a safe crossing. (The prior week’s serious thaw had fortunately been followed by several days and nights of quite cold temperatures, allowing the “ice bridge” to re-form.) The many smaller water crossings on the trail were also mostly frozen over, making our passage easier than it often is on this notably wet trail.

The trail was mostly broken out except for some drifts, until we reached the junction with the Long Trail, at which point the trail got progressively less distinct, and the trail breaking significant in places. We did a bit of trail finding but were little delayed by it, reaching the summit at 12:15. There was little to no wind and strong sun, making us quite comfortable despite the cold (single digit maybe low teen) temperatures as we took in the lovely views and had a quick lunch.

We stayed on the summit about half hour before heading down, reaching our cars at 2:45. Great hike and great company!

Participants: Susan, Juan, Dave, and Jill (trip leader). Photos: Dave Hathaway, Jill George.