• 12.1 miles round-trip
• 2320 ft total ascent
• Link to my hiking route: https://caltopo.com/m/0CVUD/DBRTRN1TC2RV06C4

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The sky was blue, there was not much snow on the ground, and it had been well below freezing for a few days. Would this finally be the day I completed a winter hike to Erebus?

Erebus was one of two remaining hikes for me to compete the Lake George 12ster in the winter. Given that it has no view, I didn’t want it to be my final hike for the challenge. In December 2022 I bailed on a hike to Erebus because there was deep, fluffy snow and I didn’t have the energy to break trail for the long hike.

I drove out Sheving Rock Road and parked at the Hog Town trail head. The road to Dacy Clearing is closed in the winter, adding the 1.5 mile (each way) walk from Hog Town to Dacy Clearing to this hike and making it more challenging to complete as a winter hike.

I put on my boots, trail crampons, and backpack and started the walk to Dacy Clearning. Snowmobile tracks led me over the rolling hills of this road, past campsites and a foundation of an old building. Before long, I arrived at the Dacy Clearing trail head, started up the trail and signed in at the register.

The trail started to gain elevation after leaving Dacy Clearing. On some of the other times I have done this hike there has been water running down this part of the trail. It had been cold enough that the water was mostly frozen, and I could safely walk along the side of the trail on dirt or rough ice. After less than a mile I reached the junction with the heavily trafficked trail to the Sleeping Beauty overlook. I took the left, less trafficked, trail at this junction to continue up to Bumps Pond. Later in the day I would return from the Sleeping Beauty summit via the trail on my right.

At this point, the trail continued to climb and was icy in places. My trail crampons provided good traction in these conditions allowing me to look around and enjoy the hike through the forest. I passed cliffs covered with ice and had a peek at Lake George from an overlook.

The trail leveled out as I approached Bumps Pond. After getting a few peeks of the pond through the trees, I came upon an open area on the long side of the pond. I took a snack break here, then turned away from the pond to the left to start my trek out to Erebus Mountain.

The snow got a bit deeper on some parts of this trail, but never so deep that I needed snow shoes. The snow was mostly a firm surface to walk on because it had been quite cold in the previous few days. The hike to Erebus is a nice walk in the woods with a few ups and downs. The trail goes past a wetland area, reaches a well-marked junction, then begins the ascent up Erebus.

I chose to keep on the trail and pass the marked high point on the shoulder of Erebus (this is what is required for counting Erebus toward the Lake George 12ster). I have previously done the bushwhack to the true summit of Erebus, which requires navigating steep terrain around cliffs. From the footprints in the snow I could tell that most recent hikers had made the same choice to not trek to the true summit.

After passing this high point I continued on the trail around Erebus to the junction with the trail to Fishbrook Pond, then followed this trail to the pond. I hiked along the west side of the pond. Few people had taken this trail. I lost the trail in a few places but was able to relocate the trail before long because it generally follows the shoreline of the pond. The south end of Fishbrook Pond has a lovely site to rest, eat a snack, and view the pond.

I spent some time enjoying the view of Fishbrook Pond but started getting cold. It was time to continue my hike and head back toward Bumps Pond and Sleeping Beauty mountain. The trail from Fishbrook Pond to Bumps Pond gains a bit of elevation. On previous hikes, I have encountered muddy areas on this trail so I was glad the mud was mostly frozen for this hike. At the north end of Bumps Pond I had my first encounter with other people. The group seemed to have inadvertently taken the north trail descending from Sleeping Beauty and I hope they had no further difficulties with heading back to their car. I turned left on the trail to Sleeping Beauty and began the relatively gentle ascent. I had the view point near the summit to myself and deeply enjoyed the view of Lake George with the tips of the High Peaks visible to the northwest.

I made certain to take the trail that descends Sleeping Beauty to the south, the shortest way from the view point back to Dacy Clearning. There were some icy areas on this trail, and I avoided the worst of the ice by staying to the side. I passed a couple of groups who were heading up the mountain.

Soon I reached the point that closed my loop, and took the trail and road back through Dacy Clearning to the Hog Town parking area.

My conquest was complete, I had now added Erebus to my winter Lake George 12ster list! Only one more left to complete my first winter challenge…