Upon arrival, the wood stove needed a bit of convincing to light, so we spent the afternoon and evening in the cabin stoking (and poking) the stove into an acceptable temperature. We passed the time with multiple games of scrabble.
The next morning, we went to the SUNY-ESF property on the border of Rich Lake armed with our winter gear. Upon arrival, it was apparent that the wet weather overnight would render it all obsolete and we strapped on boots to go for a woods walk. We admired the scenery along the peninsula that juts into the middle of Rich Lake. We saw an eagle, beaver and either a weasel or mink (them varmints move real quick like...). We also inspected all of the canoe access points for warm weather exploration!
After lunch at the cabin, we wanted one more walk before heading home so we drove to the Mt. Adams trailhead on the Tahawus road. We only went as far as Lake Jimmy since the ground was getting particularly muddy. We admired the scenery as the sun was getting low in the sky, waiting for the clouds to offer a view of the fire tower.
We sloshed our way back to the car, happy with our first taste of winter and glad that we were able to take our gear for a ride!
