Mount Baker 2-4-2018

Winter Carnival is Saranac Lake's fun wintery take on Mardi Gras. It's a week of music, events and activities that draws visitors from near and far.

The weather forecast for Sunday looked decent. So, I decided that we would put our own spin on Winter Carnival and planned a full day of exciting things to do... Beginning with a climb of Mount Baker.

Kailee and I have never climbed a mountain in Winter. I figured Baker would be a good one for our first attempt. I borrowed a pair of microspikes for me to use and bought some trekking poles for Kailee.

We started our hike on the frozen shore of Moody Pond at 1:30. We followed the marked trail which was caked in a thick layer of ice, thanks in large part to the mountain's popularity.

We ascended into a cloudy haze accompanied by light snowfall and big shouts of wind. In spite of those conditions, it was unusually warm (low 30s) and we were protected from the wind by Baker's canopy of trees.

As we neared the final stretch to the Summit, a local called out to us from the woods.

"I've been making this track over here for the past two days. The trail you're on is too icy," he explained, "you guys should follow my tracks for the rest of the way up and down."

He told us where we would pop out on our descent and we thanked him for the heads up. Following his tracks in the snow was way easier than the marked trail.

Within a few minutes we were at the Summit. Kailee and I were both happy and excited to be there. We refueled with hiking bars and water while Kailee lounged against a boulder.

Thanks to the haze, our view was limited to foggy McKenzie pond. Neither of us minded the lack of views. It was all about the adventure.

After 30 minutes of hanging near the Summit, we began our descent by following the local guy's tracks. Our bushwhack down was both scenic and quick. Kailee did a few Adirondack butt slides and we enjoyed checking out different ice formations. We were back at the car by 4PM.

I had a great time hiking Baker with Kailee last Summer. But, I loved hiking Baker in the Winter!

We then made our way over to the Adirondack Carousel for a ride. The restored carousel features carved animals based on the creatures commonly found in the region and beautiful artwork decorating it. Kailee rode a deer and an eagle and I took a spin on an otter.

Afterwards we visited the famed ice palace which had an Adirondack theme this year. It had ice sculptures of a bear, a snowmobile, a lean-to and even a fake privy.

We hit up McDonalds and munched on Happy Meals before our ride home.

It was an outstanding day and one heck of a way to do Winter Carnival.