LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1417694
ful between camps. Along the trail, it seemed the forest did every- thing it could to hold us back. Branches constantly slashed at my face or grabbed on to my pack, trying hard to hold on. Tree traps and other inconsistencies in the snow made it easy enough to trip on our snowshoes and fall face-first (or back-first) into the snow. Even backing up with snowshoes puts you at risk of landing on your back. Although we avoided much snowfall, the vicious winds dropped the temperatures severely as soon as the sun went down, and the cold made its menacing presence felt. We agreed that one night may have gotten as cold as -20 degrees. Once, the winds dis- lodged my hood without me noticing it, and I got mild frostbite on my cheeks and ears. Another constant battle was keeping blisters under control, and drying our soaked leather boots each night before having to put them back on in the morning aer they'd partially frozen. Exactly seven days and nine hours aer our first steps on the roads of Northville, we reached the train station in Lake Placid, which marked the end of the trail, and we earned the FKT for the Northville-Placid trail unsupported in the winter. We averaged 17.25 miles a day and came out with 20-pound packs. e cliché of learning and growing with each step really rang true on this trip. Personally, I feel that there is no substitute for committing yourself to all parts of an expedition and experiencing everything that comes with it. Rattling off lessons or things learned from the NPT would be a gross simplification of what the trip was really like. It would misrepresent what the NPT and the Adirondacks have given me: confidence, patience, and resilience. Everything else the NPT taught me can be broken into subcategories of those three philosophies. All in all, although the NPT didn't offer the most outstanding views or the highest summit, the dedication it demanded and the challenges it presented have le me forever re- spectful and grateful. Standing against the wind on the summit of Denali helped me realize that I couldn't have been there without having completed the prerequisite course: the NPT. Father and son celebrate completing the Northville Placid Trail 61 LOCALadk