Winter solo hike, 12 on my pack. PHOTO HEAVY!

Awesome recap of an awesome trip Mike! Happy late birthday! I love getting away on my birthday.

We have to meet up and do some hiking.

Thanks for posting Mike!

Jeremy
 
dresnor said:
Awesome recap of an awesome trip Mike! Happy late birthday! I love getting away on my birthday.

We have to meet up and do some hiking.

Thanks for posting Mike!

Jeremy
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Thanks! I've been waiting for some snowshoeing pics from you and Amanda. Which reminds me...I was thinking of you guys on the Brook Trail because there are a LOT of birches and I started looking for chaga. I picked a couple fungi but haven't had a chance to interwebz search to see what I got. I don't think it's chaga....but I really don't know. Might have even put something poisonous in my pocket. I'll take some pics and post them up later.
 
Awesome Pic's & views there Granite!
Thanks for sharin!
Beautiful Country...;)
 
granitestateofmind said:
Last year was a total was for me as I herniated a disc in September, it ruptured in November and was surgerized in December.....then recovery for the rest of the winter. First time out in 2 years.
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Hey GSOM, hope you don't mind a follow up question. I'm asking because I also have a herniated disc for the last 40 years. I did not have surgery because I heard too many horror stories. I assume because of this great thread that the results of the surgery were positive. Which disc was herniated?

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hey GSOM, hope you don't mind a follow up question. I'm asking because I also have a herniated disc for the last 40 years. I did not have surgery because I heard too many horror stories. I assume because of this great thread that the results of the surgery were positive. Which disc was herniated?

Doc
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Don't mind at all. L4-L5 disc, herniated Labor Day weekend in 2013. Was out of work for 6 weeks, went back for four weeks and then had a colonoscopy the week before Veteran's day in November. I was on light duty at work and my back was better but still hurt quite a bit. The day after the colonoscopy, I knew something had gone wrong....called the doc and went back out of work. 4 days later, November 10th, I was lying in the "spinal unloading" position (on my back on a heating pad with my legs at 90° elevated on a couch)....and found myself in a great deal of pain. Had to call the ambulance to get me out. Felt like my legs were being torn off....basically the disc ruptured and a big blob of disc material was squashing my sciatic nerve. Took Toradol, Ativan and finally Morphine before I could get some rest in the wee hours of the morning on the 11th. They wouldn't operate when it was just a herniation, but after a look at the second MRI the neuro doc said a microdiscectomy was a viable option. Didn't take me long to decide, as the doc was a brain surgeon so.....I would have healed eventually without the surgery, but the amount of material that came out would have made it a long road. My back is pretty much at 100%, but there was quite a bit of sciatic nerve damage (also from a hamstring tear a couple years previous, whole other story) and I still have residual numbness in my right leg and both feet, mostly noticeable in the last three toes of my right foot. I would say IF you are a candidate for a microdiscectomy (which you may not be; all they can do is remove the extruded disc material - they can't fix the disc tear) then do your due diligence and decide if it's right for you. I'm happy that I had it done, and had no complications. It's certainly not without risk, but nothing in life is. I am a hell of a lot more careful, though....

If you want to talk about it shoot me a pm or email (from my avatar) and I'll give you my phone #.
 
What a lovely set of photos

Brings back great memories of solo long distance snowshoeing trips in the Greens, Adirondacks and the Catskills
Did not do the Whites in the Winter just during the summer

Crampons and gaiters ruled the day; snowshoes would have been more than a little cumbersome on the ascent, and weren't worth carrying for possible use on the way down. I left them in the car. Next time I won't even take them.
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I always carried both
I could never know how much snow there would be on the ascent
Rather carry the extra weight of snowshoes than having to pothole my way thru deep snow, which is punishingly tiring
And as I would get to ice I would take the snowshoes off and don crampons
But now a days the integrated crampons underneath the snowshoes are much better than they were so if you had 'climbing' snowshoes, you might not need crampons (I had a set of Pragers)
 
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granitestateofmind said:
Don't mind at all. L4-L5 disc, herniated Labor Day weekend in 2013.
If you want to talk about it shoot me a pm or email (from my avatar) and I'll give you my phone #.
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Same disc as mine. Thanks for the follow up and the offer, but I think I will continue as is. I'm careful with my back and when I do something stupid, my friendly chiropractor sets me right.

Glad to hear you're doing so well. :thumbup:

Doc
 
Thanks for the great photos. After reading the thread, it took 3 cups of hot chocolate and some schnapps to warm up. :D
 
Awesome looking hike! I love being out in those conditions. Everything is so quiet. We spent a few years developing a climbing area during similar conditions. Some of our fondest memories.
 
Ray Settanta said:
Thanks for the great photos. After reading the thread, it took 3 cups of hot chocolate and some schnapps to warm up. :D
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That's funny. Might have to do that today. Currently I am drinking hot coffee, which for me is a rarity as I always drink it iced. Even after that hike.....
gmoneyluv said:
Awesome looking hike! I love being out in those conditions. Everything is so quiet. We spent a few years developing a climbing area during similar conditions. Some of our fondest memories.
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Where was that?
Galeocerdoshark said:
Loved this series of pictures granite. Nicely documented hike! Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks! Hope you are feeling better.

So our office is closed today due to the weather....again. Kids home from school as well, celebrating my oldest daughter's 14th birthday. Probably be able to go "winter" hiking until about June, at the rate we're going. Make me wonder what St. Loke is up to. I loved seeing his winter pics.
 
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