This is my 2nd pre-work hike this year and my first time reaching the summit. I decided to try something that presumably had a more gradual climb than Nor’easter. Since Lower World Cup is a blue square and the entirety of Nor’east is a black diamond, I figured World Cup looked like a good candidate.
I also hoped to carry less weight this time. With the exception of my fingers getting cold and my camera equipment not working, this worked out well. I only carried a medium-weight pair of gloves, leaving my go-to Stoic Welder Mitts and my just-in-case down mittens at home.I typically carry my camera in a padded case to keep it out of the weather and help keep the battery from draining … I opted to leave the case and my extra battery at home since this would be a short hike. About half way up the mountain, the wind was really howling. My hands were cold and I realized that my phone, mirrorless camera, and action camera were all low on battery. Despite my efforts to conserve battery life, all of my devices had dead batteries soon after I summited. In the future, I’ll plan to carry down mittens as backup (I always do this on a “normal” snowshoeing trip). On my next trip, I also plan to try using my Ribz pack as a way to keep my electronics accessible, but out of the direct wind.
More details coming soon!
Geek Stats
Ludlow Mountain, via Upper & Lower World Cup Ski Trails || Distance: 1.78 miles || Duration: ~1.5 hours || Gain/Loss: +1,888 || Max Elevation: 3,156′ || Difficulty: Strenuous
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