more restful than a hot summer day with mosquitoes buzzing about. The tent door is wide open as darkness envelops us. Our freeze-dried dinner is surprisingly good — nothing like those tasteless concoctions of the 1980s — with much better ingredients and more nutritional value. Now at the halfway point in our trip, we are satiated completely as the stars disappear and a light snow begins to fall. We awake at 5 a.m. this time and see the light snow turned heavy. We enjoy an oatmeal breakfast with hot drinks before we’re on the move. The added snow turns Basin, the first peak of the day, into an aerobic challenge. After we summit, we run and slide on our snowshoes down the steep, long slope on the other side. Aside from the fresh blanket of snow, the second day is straightforward and our final climb is the highest summit of the region. Even at 5,344 feet, Marcy is a “soft summit” with a gentle slope that’s easier on the lungs. We move steadily to escape the forest before dark and we’re back at the trailhead by 3:40 p.m., just three hours after we were at the top of Marcy. We remove our trampoline footwear and eagerly head for a hot pizza in Lake Placid. I don’t know if anyone has done the Range in a single winter day, but as I sit at the keyboard drinking hot chocolate, the math is tempting. I can imagine hitting the trailhead at 3 a.m. and making it back to the car in 18 hours of travel time at 9 p.m. We’d be eating pizza in Placid before 10… hmmm... — Real Perriard has been an active outdoorsman for the last 20 years – leading expedition cycling, canoe, and backpacking trips across North America and into New Zealand. Real was very busy adventure racing since 1998 with Team Phoenix and is now training for the 2005 Marathon Des Sables in Morocco.
Photo by Real Perriard.
Hike Sedona, Arizona EXPERIENCE Sedona with James Gregory, OTTAWA resident and veteran Sedona hike master, as he guides you off the beaten path to explore: red rock vistas; secret canyons; natural bridges; caves and sinkholes; summits and mountaintops; cliff faces and rappelling, ancient native ruins and rock art. Groups are limited to ten or less. Packages start at $2,000 CDN. Openings are available for the following winter/spring Sedona 2005 hiking tours: • “Hiking as a Spiritual Experience” (Moderate – February) • “Spring Break Hiking Adventure” (Intermediate – March) • “Extreme High Angle-Hiking” (Advanced - April)
Sedona Adventure Hikes Expect the Unexpected
These programs are offered through OOC Travel.
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Photo by David Sunfellow.
Office: (613) 730-7240 info@sedonaadventurehikes.com www.sedonaadventurehikes.com
