Chilly morning. Minus 20 at the house. No doubt colder in the open

FULL STORY: http://forums.adkhighpeaks.com/showthread.php?t=27312

What to do when bouncing back from the flu? Something relatively tame and under 10 miles with good bailout options. Khyber’s Slide on Lower Wolfjaw (just south and over the ridge from Bennies Root Canal) seemed like a perfect option. As a bonus, I’d get another winter bushwhack 46 under my belt if we bushwhacked to the summit.

I skied into the Stone Dam Parcel from the Dean Road in Clare today. It was cold but sunny and no wind, so pretty much a perfect day. It is about a 6 mile round trip. I parked about 1/2 mile from the Stone Dam Trail as the road isn't plowed and parts of it are a snowmobile trail. The ski is very nice, it goes through the Grass River Easement, and while there has been some timber management, several mature trees remain and give the area an open forest feeling.

About zero degrees out, with a stiff wind. Cold. Snow blown across the roads in this more open area in the St. Lawrence Valley. Amish buggies out taking fresh milk to the plants. Cold. Meanwhile, Mass and Maine are getting hammered in a blizzard. No fresh snow here for days.

My dog Lida and I skied into High Rock in the Five Ponds Wilderness this morning. There was just enough snow to make it enjoyable, and the temps were low enough this morning, but by the time we returned between noon and 1 pm it had warmed up enough the snow was beginning to stick to the skis. Can anyone identify what manner of creature left the prints in the snow?

I had to ski into an easement to do some work today and I ran into this guy. He was chomping on a tasty white pine and was very content. We chatted for a while, as you know porcupines are not the most talkative creatures, but he was very thoughtful and thought it would be ok if I took his photo.

My backyard thermometer in the village of Canton read -12, but when I moved over to the Little River to walk the dog, the temperature was a chilly -20 this morning. Beautiful clear day, but the result of being out is frosty hair and whiskers.

The summit of St. Regis was frozen, but the climb up was not not bad. Used microspikes but no snowshoes.

Ampersand, the wind was crazy! Cold but beautiful.

Quick hike up to the smaller Haystack. Beautiful views.