The ice proved no match for our intrepid renegade hikers. The snow, however, provided an unanticipated challenge. As the trail made its way up and over boulders and through caves, the path was marked with red painted blazes. These were easy to follow when appearing in the shelter of a cave or on the vertical surface of a live tree, but quickly bacame covered up by snow on flat, exposed surfaces. Like Indiana Jones grabbing his hat from under a falling rock door, we made it to the end of the trail just as the last markers became completely obscured by snow.

(Can you spot the red blaze in this picture? It’s right in the middle on that jutting slab.)