Winter Hike with Hugh

The North Boquet	Setting up camp and wondering how to use an ice axe	Learning about stream crossings
Ow, that hurt	We wandered around and passed the swimming hole on the North Boquet	Dinner time
Safe stream crossing in the morning	A very large group was heading for Hough, following their trail was easy	When we caught the group, we decided to avoid cutting trail for them and instead headed up Elizabethtown #4 for early views and deep snow
Serious, hard climbing	Tricky slopes	and the views begin
There was some wind swept places on Elizabethtown #4 and hints of blue sky	We made the summit	but it is still a long way to Spotted mountian along the ridge
The views are getting better	As we work along the ridge	Spotted mountain seems harder up close
Cutting trail along the ridge	Can you see our path below?	Nearing the top of (the first bump of) Spotted Mountain
Lake Champange is visile in the distance	Hough and Dix are almost out of the clouds	The rest of Spotted mountain, East Dix, and more of the ridge are visible
Ice rime on the peak	And wonderful views for lunch	Descending requires new skill
But it is lots of fun	We make it safely to the South Boquet	visit an ice wall
and a swimming hole near where the Dix brook enters the South Boquet	Hugh hides in the swamp bushes	and we take a well deserved break at shoe box falls before heading home.