Phelps Mtn 2/18/10

I went into this winter wanted to get a couple high peaks done, to take some of the load off this coming summer. As it turned out, I ended up only getting this one. We left early in the morning and were on the trail by 9am. It was myself and HikingMates partner Jennifer. We started out of the Adirondack Loj, up past Marcy Dam and back the same way. The temps were pretty mild, in the twenties, but unfortunately the cloud cover was very low so our visibility was very poor for the hike, with no visibility at the top. The trails up to the Phelps trail were packed snow, with 2-3 inches of fresh powder on top. When we got to the Phelps trail we threw on our traction for the steeps and ice that we found on the last stretch. Overall, no issues with traction or on the trail. We encountered several parties on the way in, including a group that had over-nighted and was headed up to Algonquin, and then a handful of parties snowshoeing and skiing on the way back down. The black capped chickadees were out in force around Marcy Dam. We stopped for a picture and they came right down and were landing on my trekking poles, and even my hand! I'm sure they were hoping we had a snack for them, but no luck. Overall, I had a great time, but another hike this winter with no views or limited views on top. Oh well.