Mt. Equinox, Southern Vt.

My wife and I had a great hike today, 3K elevation gain in 3.1 miles, last 1K with micro-spikes on snow and ice. This is the sister Mt. to Stratton Mt., the view from which is said to have been the inspiration for the AT. In one of the pics, 3 peaks are visible through the top of the clouds. The far left is Stratton, the middle Mt. Snow, the far right, Mt. Greylock the highest point in Ma. and the Berkshires. I broke in a new pair of boots, some Vasque St. Elias GTX's. They functioned well uphill and as a platform for the Kahtoola's, but the toebox was really tight downhill and I'll need to find a way to either reduce heat and friction, stretch them a bit, or wear moleskin or use skin slide. I got them to replace the trail runners and Keen mid high's I've been using, as I have a little pain happening in one foot. The pain went away carrying a pack uphill (I hauled lunch,hydration, extra clothes and emergency gear for both of us) but the hot spots that developed on the way down were a bummer. These are not near the Vasque Sundowners I had 25 years ago that were like tough slippers right out of the box. I read reviews that said this boot with its wrap around rubber toe cap was notorious for this, but they felt good in the store walk-around. Unfortunately I bought them at Eastern Mountain Sports, whose return policy is just don't. They were bought out by a big box sports store and are now getting pretty bad with service and the products they carry. No REI's near me. Still a great walk. Next Week is Slide Mt. - the highest peak in the Catskills.

Awesome view! Thanks for sharing.