Hard Tellin' Not Knowin' - 5/2/26

Guest Blog: Pete Sintros & The Buracks

We almost didn't make it out today because the forecast looked bleak, but we sent it anyway and it paid off! Fortunately, consistent precip throughout the day stayed light and the snow was beautiful.

We hit the trail at 10 AM from Pinkham Notch and wore hiking boots from the parking lot at Pinkham Notch up until we hit the bottom of the line in Hillman's Highway. Our route was Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Hillman's Highway with a pit stop for lunch at the Hermit Lake Shelter. The trail started out a little slippery from the rain and turned a bit icy further up, but recent snowcover kept it passable without microspikes. 

Folks we passed on our way up the trail reported that Hillman's had been fairly icy in the morning, but by the time we hit it (2 PM) the ice had turned pretty slushy. Crampons were needed and ice axes came in handy on the ascent. There were certainly some holes over moving water but these were easily avoidable. The skiing wasn't too bad, all things considered. We might've even gotten in a second lap if one of us hadn't broken a binding at the bottom of the pitch...

All things considered, it was a great rainy day in the backcountry.