I hiked Starrigavan Ridge during a rare cold snap last March, when the temperature in town stayed in the teens and twenties for about six days. It was gorgeous hiking; crisp clear skies and rock-hard snow to crunch across in crampons. Walking in crampons is a strange feeling at first; every time you look down and see the ice beneath your feet, you expect to start sliding down the mountain at any moment. But good crampons on moderate slopes are quite secure.

That same weekend, two friends hiked across the island in three and a half grueling days. They dealt with high winds and below-zero temperatures on the exposed ridges. One of them got a minor case of frostbite, but they had a tremendously satisfying trip, and I thought about them often on this hike. Also on that weekend, a hiker got stuck on Verstovia and spent two unplanned nights near the summit in minimal gear. To his credit, he kept moving to maintain circulation, and stayed in good spirits until he was picked up by a Coast Guard helicopter Monday morning, after he was reported missing. He lost several toes.

The cold and wind can be deadly, but they create beautiful shapes to marvel at along the way. This sculpture was created at a particularly windswept spot just below Starrigavan Peak. Mt. Edgecumbe and Crater Ridge are in the background.