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Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832318 by Trailhead Tessie
Feb 24, 2014 4:04pm
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I was at the Chestnut Street entrance yesterday and did not have spikes or coils on my boots. I walked for a few minutes and then gave up. I was going to my own box and couldn't figure out where it was due to the deep snow. The parking area there was barely cleared and very icy, most people were parked on the street. For a tough walking day there were still 8 cars parked there! I did see a couple walking in snow shoes. The snow on the trail was mostly hard packed but the top layer was pretty difficult to walk on with out spikes, and stepping off trail put you in knee deep snow.
Yaktrax vs. other traction devices
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832391 by Trailhead Tessie
Feb 25, 2014 10:21am
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I am now getting more questions on the microspikes...Kahtoola is the brand I have. People are asking how they compare with Yaktrax. I've never worn Yaktrax, but if you read the reviews on the link below there are some very interesting comparisons. Yaktrax appears to be a brand name for a variety of products you pull over your feet for snow and ice, but it seems like most people are familiar with the coils (Yaktrax also makes microspikes). According to the reviews below, the Kahtoola microspikes were far superior for hiking than the coils.

Yeah, that's what I would expect.

I've used the Yaktrax coils (both with and without the straps that go over the top of your foot) and I'm not very fond of them. The coils got rusted, they can break, they didn't help with my footing over ice very much--and I was just using them for walking to work over icy sidewalks. I like my Stabilicers better, but I think they can use some improvement too.

One of my chorusmates highly recommended Kahtoolas to me, so I went to a local outdoors store to look at them. They do seem like they'd really help with walking over ice. With a price tag of around $70 though, I decided to hold off on purchasing them for now. When I encounter ice, it's usually on city sidewalks; the Kahtoolas looked like they'd be overkill for that purpose. I don't hike in icy and snowy conditions too often.
Re: Yaktrax vs. other traction devices
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832603 by oj drinker
Feb 25, 2014 3:00pm
Thread (disabled) Board
When I encounter ice, it's usually on city sidewalks; the Kahtoolas looked like they'd be overkill for that purpose.

Not just overkill, they are uncomfortable when walking on dry pavement for more than a few steps, and often we have dry pavement with some icy patches. I have a pair of LLBean Stabilicers Lite for walking on icy pavement.

I don't hike in icy and snowy conditions too often.

Funny thing, I didn't use to either. Once I got the Kahtoolas, however, walking down an icy, snow-packed trail is not much different than just walking down a trail in the summer. It was so much easier than before that I started doing a lot more winter hiking.
Re: Yaktrax vs. other traction devices
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832603 by oj drinker
Feb 25, 2014 9:27pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I have the Yaktrax brand! I went with the hiking version (the running with little spikes evidently is less grip than the hiking which is all coils) great for hiking on packed snow/ice, and if you don't really use them on a regular basis, but just once in a while, the price is great (under $30 i think i paid) I used them in Moab, UT in December and it was great how fast you can pop them off. I liked them and felt more confident on the trails. And just like car chains/cables, you should always dry all your crampon/tractiion devices with an old towel after using to keep them from rusting.
Re: Yaktrax vs. other traction devices
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832681 by californiabluefrog
Feb 26, 2014 5:33am
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According to their website, Yaktrax has three different types of coils (Running, Walking, and Pro) and also microspikes (XTR - Extreme). Their microspikes are $60 and described as, "The XTR by Yaktrax provides extreme outdoor traction on snow and ice. Designed for anyone who enjoys hiking and exploring during the winter, the XTR won't slow you down while you take your adventure off-road."

https://www.yaktrax.com/
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832444 by DevilinDog
Mar 1, 2014 6:54am
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm thinking of heading out to the Chestnut Street entrance sometime in the near future (if I can get someone to take care of Noel). I just got a pair of spikes (they're for Men's boots though, so I hope they fit me... I take a Men's 9 in Keens, but an extra wide 9 in women's shoes). They're for sizes 8-14 in men sizes. Hope they fit!

Anyway, I'm hoping to do some of the trails from the Chestnut Street entrance that don't have any boxes on them (or that I need anyway). I'm thinking about going on Violet trail from the entrance to red square, then go down to Mansion Road, backtrack up Red Square to green, the backtrack on Red Square to blue and then down blue to the car.

That way when I come up next, Ill try to park at the southern end of Red Square, go all the way up to Green and down green to Chestnut, then up Yellow or Orange from Chestnut Street, and back to Red Square. I will do this once the snow is gone, as I need quite a few boxes in this section.

Anyone know what the terrain for blue is East of Red Square? I don't think I've ever hiked that section of trail.

Thoughts?
Pam
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833227 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 1, 2014 10:53am
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I'm hoping to do some of the trails from the Chestnut Street entrance that don't have any boxes on them

There are trails at Sleeping Giant without boxes??
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833227 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 1, 2014 1:04pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Not relevant to your topic at all, but I have a daughter named Noelle! It's not very common and it's nice to hear the masculine version as well!
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833245 by Trailhead Tessie
Mar 1, 2014 5:06pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Not necessarily trails that don't have any boxes, but they may have boxes that I've already gotten ;-). This isn't my first time at the Sleeping Giant rodeo, as I had all but 4 boxes in the park at one point. I haven't been to SG since approx. 2006, so I'm merely plotting my conquest of the park and it's boxes....

BB
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #832318 by Trailhead Tessie
Mar 1, 2014 9:24pm
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Today (March 1st) I went to Sleeping Giant because my boyfriend and his friend wanted to attend an event at Quinnipiac University. My BF dropped me off at the Chestnut Lane kiosk. From there I embarked on a one-way hike to the Quinnipiac campus. First I went west on the Violet trail; when I got to the Red Triangle trail I took Red Triangle south until it met up with the Tower Path. Then I took the Tower Path to the tower; after hanging out at the tower for a little bit, I retraced my steps on the Tower Path until I came back to the Red Triangle trail, and continued heading south on Red Triangle to the Orange trail. Turning west onto the Orange trail, I followed it all the way to the picnic area and left the park through the main entrance on Mount Carmel Avenue.

I wore my winter boots, although I had my hiking boots and a third pair of boots with my Stabilicers attached (my Stabilicers are too small to fit either my hiking boots or my winter boots) tied to my pack too, in case I wanted to change my footwear. This might seem excessive, but I figured it was better to bring along the extra boots, especially since I expected to be alone for hours and I didn't know what the trail conditions would be like.

I was at the Chestnut Street entrance yesterday and did not have spikes or coils on my boots. I walked for a few minutes and then gave up. I was going to my own box and couldn't figure out where it was due to the deep snow. The parking area there was barely cleared and very icy, most people were parked on the street. For a tough walking day there were still 8 cars parked there! I did see a couple walking in snow shoes. The snow on the trail was mostly hard packed but the top layer was pretty difficult to walk on with out spikes, and stepping off trail put you in knee deep snow.

Trailhead Tessie and DevilinDog are right about the snow on the trails--it was packed down and had turned to ice. Despite the slipperiness, I actually didn't feel the need to change out of my winter boots, but I did have my trekking poles with me. No way could I have made it through the park without my poles. I went really slowly--it took me around 1.5 hours to reach the intersection of the Violet trail and the Red Circle trail from Chestnut Lane, for example. If I felt that an ascent or descent was troublesome, I went off the trail onto the untrodden snow, which was crunchy but friable and much easier to get a foothold in than the ice in the middle of the trail.

The Tower Path is very icy. For the most part I stayed on the shoulder of that trail.

The most hazardous ice was inside the tower on the ramps leading up to the top. I have no idea how anyone could go down those ramps without some kind of metal on the bottom of their feet, but people were.

Fortunately for me, almost all of the ice was gone from the ramps inside the tower, although I still held onto the railing on my way down.

As for letterboxes... I looked for 4 boxes. The only one I could actually collect was "Aurora Borealis." (Those footprints I saw heading to the boulder must've been Trailhead Tessie's!) The first three boxes I searched for--I was able to locate them, I could see them and touch them, but they were frozen in place. No matter how much I dug around with my trowel or went "UNNGGHHH!" trying to pry them loose, there was no hope of budging them. So close and yet so far...
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833300 by oj drinker
Mar 2, 2014 5:44am
Thread (disabled) Board
How much snow pack is there right now?

Here in Marlborough, we still have a foot or so of hard packed ice/snow. But only five miles south of here in Colchester, it looks more like 4-6 inches. I'm just wondering how much chiseling I would need to do to get down to boxes with my whammy bar.

BB
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833320 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 2, 2014 6:50am
Thread (disabled) Board
Lots if packed snow on trails in pequonnock river valley park in Trumbull, but I got my pixies planted today, so I got something done, woohoo!
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833320 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 2, 2014 12:41pm
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How much snow pack is there right now?

Just got back from the Tower Trail...there is definitely less snow than a week ago, although the remaining snow is denser. The Tower Trail is really packed down now and pretty icy. Up around the tower most of the snow was only maybe 4" deep and I found a box without clues just poking around. Was able to walk on top of most of the snow up there, breaking through occasionally.
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #833320 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 5, 2014 8:49pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm just wondering how much chiseling I would need to do to get down to boxes with my whammy bar.

Wait, ummm...isn't a whammy bar a device on an electric guitar? How could that help you dig?

Right now it's not digging through SNOW I'd be concerned about. I think the ground's too frozen to really get at anything. On Sunday my boyfriend and I went to Crandall Park in Tolland to look for a letterbox. We were able to locate it, but we just couldn't lift the small stone that was covering it out of the ground. Guess I'll have to come back when the ground's thawed out--which will be when, May?
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #834024 by oj drinker
Mar 6, 2014 4:55am
Thread (disabled) Board
Tried for Charlotte's Web Hitchhiker Hostel yesterday, but I couldn't even see the four rocks mentioned in the clue, let alone trying to find the box. Will have to go back another day, when I do Friends of the Giant.

I was able to get Cheers for Red, White and Blue yesterday. No snow cover on the rocks on the box, so it was extremely easy to find.

We took Blue Trail from Chestnut Lane, up to Red Square, down to Mansion Rd, and then backtracked back to Violet, and back to Chestnut Lane. There was only one box on this section that I needed (Cheers for RWB), so it was a good choice for a very snowy day! Yaktrax or shoe spikes are essential for hiking right now on the Giant, as is a hiking stick so you can be sure of your footing. It was still a little icy (especially on Red Square on the north side of the park), even though it was over freezing and the icy snow was softening up a little bit.

I'm not sure if we will be able to get any boxes for another few weeks or so (though this weekend's 50 degree temps should help a lot!). Stay tuned! I am putting our conquest of the Giant up on my blog if anyone wants to see how we're doing it.

BB
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #834045 by Bungalow Boxer
Mar 6, 2014 5:06am
Thread (disabled) Board
I went to that box the other day to drop off a HH and even I couldn't find it. It's MY box! stepping off the trail to hunt around got me buried up to the knee in ice crusted snow which cut my leg right through my pants. I'll go back in a few weeks.
Kathy
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #834047 by DevilinDog
Mar 6, 2014 5:39am
Thread (disabled) Board
Well I plan to try Friends of the Giant Saturday starting around noon, will head for 2nd box of Add 7 in Dog Years and depending on success and trail conditions will decide what next, may head back to Chestnut St and migrate to main entrance to take tower trail up to the Tribute box.
Re: Sleeping Giant
Board: State: Connecticut
Reply to: #834047 by DevilinDog
Mar 6, 2014 8:58am
Thread (disabled) Board
which cut my leg right through my pants

I think people who are dismissive about the snow icon are from areas that do not have this type of snow. If you live in an area that is further north and gets mostly powder, it's no big deal to just go out and explore looking for boxes. If you live further south, you just wait a few days for it to melt. But if you live in Connecticut, you have to go months with the ground covered in icy concrete.