Saturday, May 28, 2011

Offseason - 2010-2011

It’s been many months since my last post and even more since my last 4000 footer.  It was a long winter, interspersed with some casual snowshoeing (nothing blogworthy).  But a new hiking season is upon us and NH4K48 is back! 

The offseason hasn’t been entirely void of 4000 footer thoughts.  In February I made some hut reservations for some friends and myself in early July.  We will be doing a Presidential Traverse, summiting Mt Washington on my 40th birthday with one night each at Madison and Lake of the Clouds. 

Part of the spring has been preparing for the trip.  I started with a March vacation to San Diego where I did Cowles Mountain a few times and even some hiking on Catalina Island.  Then Mount Major a few times in April and early May, and my final hike before hitting some 4000 footers – Manadnock the cloudy Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. 

A cloudy/foggy trail on Mt. Manadnock, May 28, 2011

So there it is.  The offseason has come and gone.  Back to the trail.  Twenty-three mountains to go to finish my 48.  Will I finish this summer?  You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Wildcat A (4422 ft) and Wildcat D (4062 ft) - September 18, 2010

Weather:  A great sunny late summer day. 
Trails:  Wildcat Trail and 19 Mile Brook Trail.  Rather than an out and back, we did a car spot at 19 Mile Brook Trail and started on the Wildcat Trail.  8.5 Miles, 3150 feet of elevation gain.
Trail Conditions:  Heading up the west side there are many spots involving scrambling including one or two chimney type areas. 
View: Good east side view of the Presidential Mountain Range.
Group:  Mike, Brian, and Anai

This trip report is being written almost two months after the actual trip.  Hiking and blogging took a backseat to other pursuits over the past couple months.  This post may not be as in-depth as past posts however I do remember the trip pretty well and of course there are the photos.

We began the trip with a car spot, deciding we would rather hike out on the 19 Mile Brook Trail that do an out and back.  My jeep was left at the 19 MBT and Brian drove the Subi back to the Glen Ellis Falls parking area after a short stop at the AMC’s Joe Dodge Lodge. 

Upon our arrival at the parking area we got busy making friends with the local forest ranger.  This forest ranger would have given Yogi a run for his money.  A tourist type car had stopped in the middle of the road at the park-n-pay billboard leading to the parking area.  They looked confused at how to negotiate the parking fee and the ranger was giving them some tips.  Brian, having his WMNF parking pass didn’t need to stop at the park-n-pay so we proceeded around the car.  He crossed the double yellow line to do so, sparking the Ire of the hairy chinned ranger.  She demanded that Brian stop and proceeded to lecture him on crossing double lines.  Not wanting to make matters worse, I decided not to ask how long we should have waited behind the parked car that was blocking the road when there was no traffic coming the other way.  This ranger had that personality you often meet out in the woods.  The type of people who think they know a bit more than everyone else and are quick to try and teach you something.  I am an AMC member and recommend membership to people making use of the trails, but you find that same attitude among a lot of their volunteers and employees.  They display varying degrees of self-righteousness.  This ranger was nearly maxed out.  We were all a little put off by her overly-authoritarian way and unpleasant demeanor, but I think we all felt better when we realized she had been relegated to parking ticket duty.  I mean, to spend years going to forestry school or environmental science school and land a job with the U.S. Forest Service only to hand out parking tickets?  Which one of the USFS bosses did she piss off?  Or maybe the bears out in the forest complained that she was such a DB (this is a family blog) so the Forest Service figured why not give her a job where being a DB is expected.  Anyhoo, I couldn’t help myself but to snap a couple photos of her writing parking tickets just to commemorate the start of our last hike for the summer of 2010.  So here she is, forever memorialized on the information super trail (or at least until the cease and desist order is served) as the angry hairy chinned forest service parking ticket lady.

Identity obscured under the advice of counsel for nh4k48.

From the parking area there is a tunnel under Route 16.  After the tunnel you quickly come to the only significant water crossing on this hike. 

Trailhead with the tunnel under 16 to the left.

Anai making her way over our only significant crossing.  Route 16 in the background.

The Wildcat trail starts its ascent pretty quickly and you gain a good amount of elevation in a short time.  Soon you have great views of the Presidential Mountain Range.  The clouds were on and off on this day but I was able to get a few good shots.



The trail has some significantly steep areas where sure-footedness is a must.  This includes a few ledges with sharp drop-offs, chimneys, and other areas requiring a bit of scrambling.  Personally, I love these types of climbs.  The west face of the Wildcats involved the most scrambling I’ve done in the Whites so far.
Brian comes up the chimney

Some steps carved in the rock.

Brian takes a rest while Anai continues to scramble up the ledge.
Traversing the Wildcats can be a little confusing.  The trail is well marked and easy to follow, but it is tough to find when you have hit a summit.  We didn’t find that any of the summits were clearly marked and there are actually 4 Wildcat summits, A thru D that we were hitting in reverse order, and two of which count as 4000 footers.  It gets confusing in that, you are never quite sure if you have hit a summit until you realize you have been descending for a while.

We passed the Wildcat ski-lift and hit what we believed to be the peak of Wildcat D.  Here there is an observation platform and this is where we stopped for lunch.  It has an excellent view out over the Presidentials. 

A run down summit house with the ski lift in the background.
New Hampshire's Highest.
From here we continued to hop over Wildcat C and B, neither of which count as 4000 footers.  I’m not sure we ever really knew when we were actually at the top of one.  At some point we came upon some folks who were doing an out and back.  They seemed completely wiped out and the women in the group complained loudly of wet trails on the east side.  We did find these areas that were wet descents for us and did involve a little slipping but nothing too crazy or anything to get upset about.

We finally arrived at the peak of Wildcat.  The summit is treed in for the most part but there is an observation area pointed east which looks out over the Carter Notch Hut far below.  We had gotten a late start that morning after a long ride up Pinkham Notch, plus the car drop and the stop at the AMC center.  By the time we got to the summit of Wildcat, the mountain was casting a long shadow out over the hut below.  We knew we would have to hustle off the mountain and out the trail if we wanted to avoid digging out the headlamps.

From the Summit of Wildcat, Carter Notch Hut in the shadow below.
On Wildcat with Carter Dome in the background

The descent off of Wildcat, headed down to the 19 Mile Brook Trail is sharp and fast.  We lost elevation very quickly.  At some point along the way I slipped and fell onto my pole, giving it a slight bow.  I later found a tree and bent it mostly back into shape.  We eventually found the junction with the 19 Mile Brook Trail.  If it had been any earlier in the day we may have considered a quick trip to check out the hut but we were in a hurry. 

19 Mile Brook Trail starts off with a gradual descent for the first mile so but the flattens out and can be quickly traversed.  It was about 3.5 miles from the trail junction to the trailhead and this distance was covered fairly quickly. 

Night was falling as we arrived at the 19 MBT trailhead


After exiting the trail and picking up Brian’s subi we decided to check out Margaritas down near the intersection of 302 and 16.  It was actually excellent Mexican food and I recommend it to anyone up that way… unless I’m there as well.  I don’t like crowds when I’m hungry.

Friday, September 17, 2010

A Colorado Diversion


A business trip to Denver slowed my progress on the WMNF NH 48 but allowed me to revisit my alma mater and spend a couple days in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

After completing work in Denver on Friday, I switched out the company rental car for my own and headed to Fort Collins and Colorado State University.  It had been 10 years since I last visited Fort Collins and CSU.  My first stop was the Pickle Barrel on Laurel Street to grab my favorite sandwich for lunch – the Funky Punky.  Then I spent a couple hours drifting around the CSU campus visiting my favorite former haunts.  When I got tired of feeling old and like a stranger at a place that used to be so familiar to me, it was off to Estes Park, the gateway of Rocky Mountain National Park.  I had been there a few times before with friends years ago but never took the time to get out of the car and take a walk in the woods.

The drive up is through the Big Thompson Canyon that leads from Loveland up into the mountains.  I settled into my hotel, grabbed a steak dinner in downtown Estes Park, and was ready for a weekend of hiking and sightseeing. 

Estes Cone.  6.6 Miles, 1601 feet of elevation gain, altitude of 11,006
Saturday, August 28, 2010

After my recent backpacking trip I had my mind set on certain criteria for my hikes in RMNP.  First, of course they needed to have great views.  I really wanted to experience some wide open spaces with fantastic vistas.  Second, they should take some effort to get there so my legs would stay used to hiking and I could leave the crowds behind.  On the other hand, they shouldn’t be too strenuous so that my feet could recover (or at least not get worse) and I wouldn’t suffer too much from the altitude.  I chose Estes Cone for my first hike which, by comparison to some NH hikes, is more challenging than Mt. Major or Mt. Cardigan but less strenuous than most of the 4000 footers.

Estes Cone from the overflow roadside parking near the trailhead.

The hike begins at the same trailhead as Longs Peak.  Longs Peak is the 14,000 footer that dominates the northern front range of Colorado and I had a great view of it just outside my apartment window when I was a student at CSU.  This trip would bring me closer than I had ever been.  Longs Peak is a 15 mile round trip hike with just under 5000 feet of elevation.  It is almost entirely exposed with sharp cliff faces.  At the trailhead ranger station the ranger was telling some people that just the day before someone had fallen and died on the mountain. 

“Cone” is a good description of this mountain which is nearly perfectly cone shaped when viewed from a distance.  The trail to Estes Cone quickly separates itself from the Longs Peak trail, veering North toward an old abandoned mine.  The trail is rolling on moderate pitches for the first 2 miles on gravely footing and passes through arid forest and a small meadow. It then begins a sharper climb for the next 3/4 mile.  It is the final approach to the summit that is the only real challenging part of this hike.  It gains 750 feet in half a mile and this is where I felt the altitude.  My legs felt great by my lungs were working overtime.  The trail switches back and forth a bit on loose gravely terrain.  You have to keep your eyes peeled for the cairns so you don’t lose the trail.  The trail then comes abruptly above tree line to the large rocky helmet that the cone wears on its head.  You have to look carefully for the way to the summit which is a short steep climb carved in the side of the rock. 

The steep climb the last half mile of the climb to Estes Cone.
The last rocky scramble to the summit.

This summit affords fantastic 360 degree views.  To the north is the town of Estes Park.  To the east are the Twin Sisters, a slightly more strenuous hike I had considered but ruled out.  To the south was the mammoth Longs Peak.  And to the west, the rest of RMNP.  

The hike took a lot less time that I anticipated it would and I was left with a good part of the afternoon to browse around the outfitters in Estes Park and make my first trek in to the heart of RMNP along Trail Ridge Rd. 


Mills Lake – 5.6 miles, 750 feet of elevation gain.
Sunday August 29, 2010

This is a very moderate hike that leads to Mills Lake with a jagged mountain ridge as a dramatic backdrop.  I saw a photo of Mills Lake in a book and decided I absolutely had to go there.  I got a late start on this day after taking my time with breakfast and picking up lunch at Subway.  The best way to get to the trailhead is via the shuttle bus from visitor parking.  The trailhead parking is small and fills up fast.  The shuttle runs frequently and gets you to the trailhead quickly. 

The first 0.7 miles of the trail is crowded.  This portion leads to Alberta Falls which draws a lot of people who aren’t up for any real adventure but want to be able to say they saw something that can’t be seen from their cars.  This part of the trail is crowded with people unused to hiking and the normal courtesies of the trail.  The park maintains this trail almost too well.  Alberta Falls was so crowded it was not worth taking any photos.  Besides it would have been impossible to get a photo without a bunch of people in it.  The falls aren’t really that spectacular.  You can see better falls near Zealand Hut.  

Walking away from the falls and continuing on toward the lake the crowds dissipate quickly.  I still ran into a few people who rarely ventured far from pavement but there were far fewer of them and they were generally more polite.  The hike continues in the open over a path that is cut into a hillside above the river that formed Alberta Falls.  It then turns and weaves through several large hills and then makes its way through a denser wooded area that suddenly opens to incredibly dramatic views. 

The abruptness and intensity of the view caused me to lose myself for a minute.  I was busy taking it in and snapping photos as I walked that I lost the trail momentarily and had to walk myself back a ways so I was certain I was staying on the path. 

The woods suddenly open to expose this great vista.
The photo is magnificent but it actually doesn't do this spot justice.

This is a place that is hard to leave.  I found a place to set at the water’s edge and had lunch.   I spent at least an hour just taking it all in.

I left just in time as a horde of people where coming up the trail as I was on my way out.  As I made my way back past Alberta Falls I had difficulty getting past all the tourist types snapping photos of each other.  I was trying to be polite and not cut in front of anyone’s photo – but just take the picture already!  You’re blocking the path for crying out loud!

This summarizes the difference between a National Park and a
National Forest.  You won't find a bridge over a trickle of water
in WMNF, especially when there are perfectly good rocks
to hop on!
I made my way back to the trailhead and eventually the car.  I went back into Estes Park, grabbed an ice cream, and then decided to take the long way to Denver where I would spend the night and get on a plane early the next morning.  I made my way back over Trail Ridge Road and out the southwest side of the park in Grand Lake.  It was then out route 40 through Winter Park and over the Berthoud Pass, then down to I-70 which takes you back to Denver.  It rained a bit while driving on I-70 and I got to see a great double rainbow.  

From the top of Berthoud Pass.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Backpacking 7 Peaks through the Pemi – August 13 to 15, 2010

Summits Reached (in order):  Garfield, Galehead, South Twin, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff, and North Twin.  Bond and South Twin were summited twice during out and backs.
Total Miles:  Approximately 27 total miles. 
Total Elevation Gain:  Not calculated but estimated between 6500 and 7500 feet.
Campsites Used:  Garfield Ridge Campsite, Guyot Campsite
Trails:  Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Frost Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur Trail, North Twin Spur Trail, North Twin Trail.
Views:  Great 360 degree views from all peaks except Galehead and North Twin.
Group:  Solo for Garfield, Galehead, and South Twin.  Brian and Anai caught up to me for the Bonds and Twins. 

This backpacking trip was planned with a few thoughts in mind.  We wanted to take one weekend and snag as many peaks as possible.  I also needed to get quite a few peaks under my belt if I wanted to get to 24 by summer’s end, knowing that I had an aggressive travel schedule in late August that would keep me sidelined for a few weekends.  Backpacking also seemed the best way to get to the Bonds without an aggressive day-hike. 

THE PREPARATION

I had to do some shopping in preparation for this trip.  My last backpacking trip was done many years ago with the external frame backpack I used as a boy.  Now that I’m all grown up I figured it was time to upgrade to a modern internal frame backpack, something lighter that distributes the pack weight better.  I did one of my usual fly-bys at the LL Bean outlet in Concord back in mid-July during their storewide sale and found the Gregory Baltoro 70 size large at a deep discount with the 20% sale discount on top of that.  I was already a Gregory fan having had several summits under my belt with my Gregory Z30 daypack. 

I also needed a new sleeping bag.  I have a winter weight bag that is 25+ years old, heavy and bulky.  It served me well on many winter campouts in the 80’s but would not serve well on this trip where space and weight need to be conserved.  I also have a summer weight bag but it is synthetic and a little heavier and bulkier than I would prefer.  So I picked up a three-season 20 degree bag that is extremely light at 2.5 pounds and compresses down to smaller than a football.  It is the EMS Mountain Light Long.  I combined a gift card and an EMS discount card I earned on a prior purchase to pick up a lightweight cook kit and a small pocket rocket stove for almost nothing.  I also picked up a Steri-pen to purify water at the two campsites where I would be staying. 

As I have reported before, I have been struggling with footwear.  Just days before I set out on this trip I visited LL Bean in Freeport and picked up a pair of Cresta Hikers with the help of a gift card.  This may be THE PAIR of boots.  But maybe not THE PAIR of boots for a backpacking trip just two days after buying them.  I made the game-day decision that I would wear them but also bring my New Balance NB966 trail shoes to switch out of.  Spoiler Alert – I’m glad I brought the New Balance shoes.

The Baltoro was the perfect size.  I was able to fit everything I needed into it.  I borrowed a small backpacking tent from Brian since my tent was larger and heavier and I was doing everything I could to save on space and weight.  Brian and Anai needed a slightly larger one anyway.

I also trimmed down some of my equipment to save on weight.  After looking at the weather report I got rid of the rain hat and rain pants – kept the rain jacket with hood just in case.  My zip-off hiking pants/shorts repel a light rain so I figured I could manage.  I also ditched the thermal top figuring I had plenty of other layers and it would only get cold enough to need it at night and when/if it did I would just crawl in bed – kept the thermal bottoms since that was my only other bottom layer but never did wear them.  I also thinned out some of my other gear, basically doing anything I could to save a pound or two without sacrificing safety or relative comfort. 

For food I stuck with dehydrated food, Larabars, and trail mix.  I picked up a couple of bags of trail mix at Target.  They have some good ones there.  They are hearty, a bit heavy, and packed with calories.  I loved the dried cranberries with walnuts, pecans, and white chocolate.  Yum. 

I got everything packed and ready to go Thursday night.  I was a little concerned at the pack weight.  It was hovering right around 40 pounds with a full 3-liter bladder of water.  Trying it on at home that night I was a little concerned about a 27-mile hike with that kind of weight.  My Z30 is normally between 10 and 15 pounds with water depending on weather and length of the day-hike.  This was a completely different feeling. 

THE PLAN

The plan was for me to hike Garfield on Friday, camp at the Garfield Ridge Campsite Friday night, hike Galehead and South Twin on Saturday and meet Brian and Anai at the Guyot Campsite early Saturday afternoon.  They would move my Jeep to the North Twin trailhead and hike Galehead and South Twin a bit after me (they were starting from Londonderry and I was starting on the trail).  After meeting me at Guyot around 2pm, securing a platform and setting up camp we would then hike the Bonds together on Saturday afternoon, spend the night at Guyot and then hike out Sunday morning back over South and North Twin.  From reading blogs and message boards I learned that Guyot fills up fast this time of year so we wanted to make sure we got there early.  This was a great plan, but of course it would be changed as events unfolded on the trail.

THE TRIP

Friday – August 13, 2010

I set out at about 8:30 AM to make the trek to the Garfield trailhead.  After a quick stop in Lincoln I was on the trail around 10:45AM.  When going on a trip and trying not to forget anything I always inevitably forget something, its just a question of what it will be and how important it is.  As I was gearing up at the trailhead I realized I was missing my Red Sox hat that has made the trip with me up every other 4000 footer this year.  I immediately saw this as a bad sign.  After all, I survived all those other trips with my trusty Red Sox hat.  Would this one be different without it?  My IU hat would have to play substitute and see me safely out of the woods.  About five minutes onto the trail and I came across a couple with their toddler.  The kid was about three years old, looks at me and says “the trail is really really tough.”  Thanks kid, I needed that.

The Garfield Trail, while fairly long at five miles and having an elevation gain of 3000 feet, does not have a very steep incline.  The incline is moderate until you near the summit at the intersection with the Garfield Ridge Trail.  I was glad to have a fairly easy hike with the elephant on my back.  About an hour in, as suspected, I began to feel hotspots on my heels from the new boots.  I was glad to be able to take the pack off for a few minutes while I prepared some moleskin for both heels.  I immediately felt relief as I resumed the climb but about 30 minutes later I was feeling hotspots again on the left.  Evidently I was a little careless about applying the moleskin on the left side and it was not covering the area that was rubbing the most.  I was at the point where a blister was starting to form so I reluctantly made the decision to bandage the heel really good and switch out to my NB 966 trail shoes.  This dampened my spirits as I realized I had 24 more miles to go and I was already experiencing issues with footwear.  Putting the pack on with three more pounds of weight in it didn’t help either. 

The view north from the Garfield Trail
Things started to look up as my resolve grew stronger and the new lighter footwear felt good.  I grew used to the pack weight and I was able to carry on without many more stops.  When I got to the Garfield Ridge Trail I made the decision to go down to the campsite and secure a platform rather than go up to the summit, choosing to save the summit for later in the afternoon/evening.  It was a steep descent from the trail junction down to the campsite, and then the trail to the campsite from the main trail was longer than anticipated.  But I was the first person there to spend the night.  I arrived around 1:45 – 2:00pm.  The caretaker wasn’t around but there was an AT through-hiker taking shelter from a passing sprinkle in the campsite shelter.  I talked with him for about 20 minutes, getting the story of his experience to this point.  He was hoping to get past Zealand to Ethan Pond that day.  I didn’t tell him but I thought that was fairly aggressive, over South Twin, along the Twinway over Guyot and Zealand, past Zeacliffs, down to the hut, and around to Ethan Pond.  There was some fairly gnarly terrain in front of him before nightfall. 

The trail into the Garfield Ridge Campsite
After the shower past there was still no caretaker in sight so I found one of the more remote platforms and set up my tent.  I was glad to be there and felt confident that I would have a comfortable night.  Surprisingly, I had cell reception and was able to text Brian with info about the road to the trailhead and my status so far. 

At about 4:30 I packed up my much-reduced backpack with some warm clothes and my supper and started out for the summit of Garfield.  I met Eli, the AMC Caretaker, on the way out, spoke with him a bit and paid my fee.  I stopped at a boulder on the campsite trail that has a bench on it.  From there you can see South Twin with Galehead and the Galehead Hut below it.  South Twin looked as steep as it had been described.  The trail can be seen etched in the side going straight up with no switchbacks for relief.  I would face that challenge in the morning.


A zoomed in photo of South Twin centered with the Galehead Hut
below and Galehead Mtn down to the right.  If you look close you
can see the trail cut into the mountain straight up from the hut.
The trail to the summit of Garfield has a steep pitch.  As I would later learn, ascending (or descending in my case) Garfield from the east side of the Garfield Ridge Trail is the steep route.  The summit of Garfield was, to that point, the best view I have had in the Whites.  I was happy to have an unlimited amount of time to spend at the summit.  By the time I got there the weather had cleared.  I had unobstructed views of Franconia Ridge, Owl’s Head, the Twins and some of the Presidentials just over the twins shoulder.  It was warm in the sun and there is a nice flat spot on the summit so after grabbing some photos I laid down for a little nap.  I woke up and started cooking dinner (heating water): lasagna with meat sauce and some tea.  I was joined by a couple of kids from Pennsylvania who had just come over from Lafayette and were headed for 13 Falls for the night.  They had graduated college earlier that year and being unable to find gainful employment they were doing some section hiking of the AT for a few weeks of the summer. 


The Pemi Wilderness with Owl's Head at it's center.  No roads,
buildings, electric lines or other signs of man within sight.

The mountains of Franconia Ridge: Flume, Liberty, Lincoln & Lafayette
North Twin with the Presidentials showing over it's shoulder
I returned to the campsite around 8:15 after stopping at the water source to fill up my camelback and water bottle.  There was (I assumed based on gender and age difference) a father/daughter together on the platform about 50 feet from mine through the woods.  They were thru-hiking the AT.  He appeared to be in his early 60’s and she in her early 30’s.  From my brief but separate conversations with both of them I surmised that the trail had taken its toll on their conversational skills and they were not too used to human interaction other than from each other.  I was able to get some utterance out of the father who seemed very focused on other things each time he passed my platform.  The daughter was a bit more talkative but seemed more comfortable in silent contemplation of the mountains than in conversation with me. 

I arranged some things around the tent and prepared for a quick escape in the morning before climbing into bed.  The stars were crystal clear from the Garfield Ridge campsite, the clearest I have seen this year.  I left the door to the tent open and had little difficulty getting to sleep.

Saturday – August 14, 2010

I slept so well I overslept by about 30 minutes.  I hadn’t set an alarm, counting on the fact that I would have a restless sleep.  I had some breakfast and hot tea to get me going, repacked my backpack, and was headed for the trail a bit before 7:00AM.  I made the decision to put my boots back on for this portion of the morning hike since I would be losing elevation coming off of Garfield until I met up with the Gale River Trail and I shouldn’t develop anymore heel issues until I started gaining elevation again.  The pitch from the campsite down the Garfield Ridge Trail toward Galehead was steep.  Sure enough, after passing the Gale River Trail and starting to gain elevation I started having issues with the boots again.  It didn’t take much to re-aggravate the hotspot that developed the prior day, which by this point had become a blister.  I stopped about a half mile from the Gale River Hut and bandaged my foot up pretty good.  I cut a hole out of some moleskin and put it over the blister, covered the hole where the blister was showing with a large bandaid, then covered the hole thing with some athletic tape that I wrapped around the entire ankle.  I was determined that the heel would not be an issue from this point on.  At the Galehead Hut I put the boots in the backpack and sadly this is wear they would stay for the remainder of the trip. 
Trail marking just below the Garfield Ridge Campsite
As I arrived at the hut the last of the previous night’s guests were leaving, as was a hut crewmember off to get new supplies.  I stepped inside and grabbed some of their fresh baked apple crumb cake.  I left my pack outside, grabbed the water bottle, and made a quick 15 minute climb to the summit of Galehead.  The summit is treed in with no view to speak of.  A little ways before the summit is an overlook that gives a good view southeast into the Pemi Wilderness.  I made an equally quick descent back to the hut and, wanting to delay my climb of South Twin as long as possible, grabbed another apple crumb cake. 


From the Galehead looking, looking southwest
From the Galehead lookout, looking back to the hut and North Twin
The trail from the hut to the summit of South Twin is the most grueling climb I have experienced so far in the Whites.  The steepness (1150 feet of elevation gain in 0.8 miles) combined with weight of a fully loaded backpack easily qualified South Twin as one of Mike’s Miserable Miles.  The trail from the hut is the toughest approach to the South Twin summit (I would later experience the other two).  It took me a little over an hour to travel that eighth of a mile – probably the slowest I have ever moved in the Whites.  When I reached the summit I saw that I still had cell reception so I dispatched a profanity laced text to Brian providing him with my thoughts on the trail I had just traversed.  Luckily the great 360 degree views made the climb (almost) worth it.  I could look back to the west and see Garfield where I had eaten dinner the night before, and see the Bonds to the south where I would soon be.  It wasn’t exactly Cannon but here were quite a few people hanging out at the summit.  There was a group of about 10 people who were doing the Pemi loop together, taking the counter-clockwise route.  There was another solo hiker also doing the Pemi loop in the clockwise route.  Both had started at Lincoln Woods and would finish there later that night.  I met up with a couple that were doing a similar backpacking trip as I was but in reverse.  They had stayed at Guyot the night before and were headed to Garfield Ridge Campsite where I had just come from.  We shared information on our prior night’s accommodations.  I confirmed for them that Garfield is fairly laid back and wasn’t too full – they confirmed for me that Guyot could be a bit of a zoo but assured me that I would be there in plenty of time to secure a platform.  I grabbed some photos and some trail mix and then headed out over the Twinway.   
From South Twin, a look back to Garfield where I had eaten dinner
the night before.  Lafayette off to the left.
Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range from South Twin
Looking South from South Twin, with the Bonds straight ahead
 and Carrigain and Nancy off to the left.
A great White Mountain panorama.
This is where I would have my one and only fall of the trip.  It is pretty rare that I don’t fall at least once each hike.  This was a pretty good one and gave me a little blood to show off.  I slipped on some loose gravel but landed in such a way that my legs were completely tangled up with my poles.  I had to unbuckle my backpack to wrangle myself free.  My only wounds were some decent gravel rash on my right arm and leg.  The Twinway is fairly flat with no drastic elevation gain or loss from South Twin all the way to the Zeacliffs.  I would veer off the Twinway at the alpine area just west of Mt. Guyot and head toward the Bonds and the Guyot Campsite where I would meet up with Brian and Anai. 

The Twinway between South Twin and Guyot.  On Sunday we would
see many AT thru-hikers in this section.

In the alpine zone of the Twinway at the junction with the
Bondcliff Trail.
I arrived at the Guyot Campsite around 1:30PM.  Many of the platforms were already occupied.  The two that were left were for “large groups” but the platforms were not all that big with really only enough room for two large or three very small tents.  I set up my tent on one and prepared to defend the open space for Brian and Anai.  It quickly became apparent that the place was going to get full quick and the scramble for platform space could get ugly.  There were about 10 French Canadians who took particular offense to me trying to save space for Brian and Anai.  They pointed out that the platform said “large groups” and implied that I should get off.  I didn’t relent.  Their French rant and angry glances did not make me feel bad about turning them away.  There was a polite married couple in their mid-twenties who were about to leave and I invited them to squeeze onto the end of the platform, preferring their kind faces to angry French Canadians.  The day was growing long, Brian and Anai hadn’t shown up yet, and I was growing doubtful of my ability to hold a spot for them without things getting nasty.  The caretaker, Ian, came by shortly after that.  Ian said he had no issue with saving space since he had to somehow find room for everyone who came to the campsite.  He was not allowed to turn anyone away.  He suggested we might be able to squeeze in a fourth tent on if we turned two sideway.  We were doubtful but he assured us he had had more tents than that on there before.  People continued to stream into the campsite so we (the younger married couple and I) started scoping out a couple more decent people to recruit onto our platform.  We spotted two brothers in their late teens that were hiking together and invited them on.  The night was supposed to stay dry so the older brother decided to sleep in his hammock and the younger one just found a spot on the platform.  Finally around 6PM Brian and Anai showed up.  The first part of the hike had been harder than they thought it would be.  They set up and we discussed our plan for the evening. 

Our original plan had been to grab all the Bonds on Saturday afternoon.  That plan clearly had to be amended as the sun would set in two hours leaving no time to bag three peaks.  We made the decision to save Bond and Bondcliff for the next morning and head for West Bond for dinner and to watch the sunset.  The caretaker, Ian, and the two brothers on our platform joined us at the top which was just less than 1 mile from the campsite.  The sun retreated over Franconia Ridge and made a pretty good show in the scattered evening clouds.   We made our way back to the campsite with the aid of headlamps.


From West Bond at sunset, looking back to Garfield and the northern
part of the Franconia Ridge.
Sunday – August 15, 2010

I think all three of us were feeling a little worn the next morning.  Not a good sign since we would cover the most miles this day.  I didn’t sleep nearly as well as I had at Garfield, despite wearing ear plugs.  We packed up and headed for the trail.  Where the campsite trail meets the main trail we stashed most of our gear just out of sight.  Since we would have to pass back by here after we hiked the Bonds there was no sense carrying full packs.  I was not feeling well even with the much-reduced weight.  I was a bit dizzy and my head was foggy.  I had a couple of Larabars and some water while we hiked up Bond and felt much better by the time we reached the summit. 

Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range from Mt. Bond.
A view of Bondcliff from just below the summit of Mt. Bond.
Brian and Anai make their way up Bondcliff.
From the moment you leave the south side of Bond you can see the summit of Bondcliff in front of you.  Almost the entire trail lies above the tree line.  Distances appear shorter than they are.  The brothers from our platform had passed us on Bond and we could see them far down in the col between the two mountains. 

We stopped at the summit for a bit more breakfast and I boiled some water for tea.  This was another invigorating shot and I was feeling pretty good.  We spent some time at the summit and got photos at the cliffs.  I got as close as I was comfortable to the edge.  It is a sheer drop and it does put your stomach in your throat.

Brian and Anai near the summit of Bondcliff
The classic Bondcliff snapshot.

We exited back out over Bond and back to the junction with the campsite trail where we reloaded our backpacks with our overnight gear.  Unfortunately I had something resting on my water valve while we were reloading and lost most of my water onto the ground – requiring a half mile roundtrip journey back to the campsite to get more.  Brian and Anai were well rested when I got back. 

We saddled up and headed out over the Twinway.  The pack was lightened somewhat by the food I had eaten along the way and was feeling fairly good.   We passed Guyot and the alpine area and made our way up the south face of South Twin.  We carried on fairly quickly down into the col toward North Twin.  We stopped for lunch in a quiet area at the bottom of the col. The climb out of the col was not nearly as bad as it was described in the books.  There was some black ledge that we had to traverse but it was not too bad.  We took some photos at the summit of North Twin but headed off fairly quickly, ready to put this one in the books.

Grabbing lunch between the Twins.
Galehead and the Galehead Hut as seen from North Twin.
Franconia Ridge and Garfield are in the clouds.
Brian gracing the North Twin summit cairn to remove a pebble.
The route off of North Twin is 5 miles.  The first mile and a half is steep and has loose gravel.  Anai slowed up a bit here and I wasn’t complaining.  The trail seemed to go forever.  The minor streams we had crossed tricked us into thinking these were the crossings we were looking for.   We knew we had three crossings to make.  What we didn’t know what that the crossings were fairly significant, even with what little rain we had this year.  More than once we thought the trailhead was close only to be fooled.  The trailhead came soon enough and so was our backpacking adventure to the Bonds.  We took some time to stretch and shuttled Brian and Anai back to their car.  No Mad River Tavern for me this time – I had a 6:00AM plane to catch the next morning and hadn’t packed yet!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Cannon Mountain (4100 ft) - August 8, 2010




Weather:  Partly cloudy.  Threatening clouds appeared in the afternoon but never produced rain.  Low humidity.
Trail:  Way up: Lonesome Lake Trail to Kinsman Ridge Trail.  Way Down:  Hi Cannon Trail back to Lonesome Lake Trail.  5.9 miles.  Trail is more challenging than the numbers suggest. 
Trail Conditions:  The conditions were good overall.  Kinsman Ridge section was especially steep with some scrambling.
View:  360-degree panoramic view of the White Mountains from the observation deck – partially obstructed by the hoards of tourists that arrive by tram which can limit your enjoyment.  Kinsmans and Franconia Ridge are especially visible from Cannon.
Group:  Mike, Brian and Anai

The numbers for this hike, 5.9 miles and 2350 feet of elevation, do not do it justice.  I’ve been on hikes that were considerably longer and with a lot more elevation that felt much less challenging than Cannon.  But there are definitely some fun sections too that involve a little scrambling. 

The Trailhead near the Lafayette Campground

We ended up taking the long way around on the way up.  We intended to hit the Joe Dodge Cut-off from Lonesome Lake but somehow missing it (despite the fact that I got a photo of the sign) and ended up taking the Lonesome Lake Trail and Kinsman Ridge Trail.  We don’t know what the Joe Dodge Cut-off was like since we missed it both up and down, but the sections we took had some interesting and fun sections to them that involved some scrambling and a ladder climb. 

The elusive Dodge Cut-Off

The hike into Lonesome Lake has a very moderate pitch on a well maintained trail.  This was Anai’s first hike in over a month.  She had been resting after suffering from some tendonitis in her knee.  She took it slow for this section and Brian stuck with her.  I trudged ahead and waiting for them at the lake.  Anai got her legs back along with some confidence and we all hiked together from this lake on. 

The Lonesome Lake Trail continues up from the lake and meets up with the Kinsman Ridge Trail.  Portions of this trail are particularly steep but can be fun since they involve a decent amount of scrambling over boulders and ledge. 

Boulder Hopping

Kinsman Ridge then meets up with the Hi Cannon Trail which is has a fairly easy approach to the summit and overlook to Franconia Ridge. 

Franconia Ridge from near the Cannon summit

The summit of Cannon is more easily attained via the tram that services the ski area in the summer.  I didn’t even know the tram ran in the summer until we reached the observation deck and were surrounded by people who reached the summit via the tram.  There were some who were breathing heavy and sweating profusely from the short hike from the tram house to the observation deck. 

Until Cannon all of the mountains we have climbed have had between zero and ten other hikers at the summit.  Cannon, by contrast, was a legitimate tourist attraction, the Wally World of the White Mountains, creating what Brian termed “The Griswald Effect”.  Don’t hike it expecting peace, tranquility, and great views.  You get only one out of three.  It is the only summit I have been to where you can buy refreshments (with a credit card) and use flush toilets.  So we were surrounded by Griswalds:  crying babies, mouthy teenagers, and other tourist types who looked at us funny, appearing to doubt that anyone would chose to actually hike up the mountain when there was a perfectly good tram to take up.  After taking in the views from the observation deck and buying a chocolate chip cookie in the tram house (hey, it was there so why not) I quickly led us a distance away from Wally World to a place along the trail where we could eat lunch in peace, partly chased away by an incessantly crying toddler.

 Griswalds Enjoy Lunch at the Tram House

We took the Hi-Cannon Trail back to the Lonesome Lake Trail.  It involved some downward scrambling, a decent down a ladder, and some cliffs with views of Lonesome Lake. 

Lonesome Lake from the Hi-Cannon Trail.  The Lonesome Lake Hut is also visible.

The hike up had some good parts but the tourist trap feeling at the top made this one of my least favorite hikes.