The Winter of My Discontent



Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Shakespeare must have been speaking of this past winter when he spoke those famous words.  No truer words could be uttered regarding the winter of 2010/2011, one that many are calling the worst in 25 years.  From national attention-getting lows of -27 degrees in Glens Falls, to two inches of freezing rain, to 12" storm after storm, and wicked winds.  Slush, fog, rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, and cold, these past six months have had it all.  We've even added a new word to our lexicon: thundersnow (which is REALLY cool, I might add).

Annnyywwwaaayyssss, you get the point.  This has been a tough winter.  I haven't gone on a hike since...wow, since I did Marcy in August.  So, when the weather broke this past weekend, giving us consecutive sunny days in the 60's, I had to snap up that opportunity.  I'm a bit concerned that this brutal winter has left me in need of shaping up before I attempt the Adirondacks, let alone any of the High Peaks.  Despite the fact that much of the region is finally freeing from that nasty white stuff, the DEC reports that there is still a whopping 43 inches of snow at Lake Colden, with 6'' falling just this week! 

This worked out great for me, as I was visiting my girlfriend at SUNY Cobleskill.  There is a popular hike up a hill nearby that the locals call "Vroman's Nose".  (It even has its own Facebook page!)  I figured this would suffice as a good first hike of the year, and so the girlfriend and I took the 15 minute drive from campus.  The trailhead was very busy when we arrived in the early afternoon.  There were probably around 15 cars parked in two provided lots and on the road shoulder, which they ask you not to use.  Nevertheless, we quickly parked and started up the trail.

Vroman's Nose is an easy hike of just 1.5 miles roundtrip leading to a spectacular lookout over the Schoharie Valley.  Along the way, there are signs that teach about the geological history of glaciation and erosion of the nose and the valley.  There's approx. 700 feet of ascension, making for a steep going.  However, the trail itself is flat, wide, extremely easy to follow, and hard-packed, with several rocky overlooks along the way.

       The summit area is perfect for picnicking.  It's large and flat, around 10 square-acres, and has a few round charcoal grills for hikers to use.  The edge of the summit is stone, scoured with glacial streaks and pock-marks, while behind that there are trees, grass, and a quite pleasant shaded area.  The girlfriend and I walked past a couple dozen people to reach the far point of the summit, where we were able to relax by ourselves for half an hour, warming ourselves in the stone's reflective heat.  I was not as brave as she, though, when she laid belly-down to peer over the cliff edge at the valley floor 600 feet below.