August 29 (Sat) -- NH48 Finish on Moosilauke

NH48 Finish -- now SUNDAY (30th)

We are changing our hike to Sunday -- weather didn't shift and Sat looked miserable, with thunderstorms to boot. We definitely don't do thunderstorms.

Same ETA, same path, etc.

Hope those who had planned on Sat can do Sunday! I'll let MadRiver comment about the after-party
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ROUTE: Gorge Brook
Boots on trail at 8:30am

ETA at summit: 1pm

Normally, Alex and I could definitely reach the top by noon with an 8:30 start time. However, there may be other kids coming with us, I'll be carrying Sage on my back, and my husband may need a few rest stops (or, he might reach the summit at 10, who knows).

Those who want to hike with us are welcome. THose who want to do their own thing and meet us at the top -- cool. Those who want to start later and then catch up, awsome. We look forward to seeing whomever we see.

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Weather permitting, Alex and I plan to finish the NH48 on August 29 (Sat) on Moosilauke.

Anyone who would like to join us, please do.

At this moment, I am unsure of our ascent route and ETA at the summit. I will post that at a later date.

Anyone who would like to join us, or meet us at the top, please do so!

MadRiver has graciously offered to have an after-hike party at his home in Thornton. Details to be posted later. Thanks, friend!

ETA: our route will be Gorge Brook, summit time 1pm. If thunderstorms are in the forecast, we will move summit ETA to 10am and begin our hike much earlier in the morning.

If anyone can hike with me and help carry some stuff, please pm me. I'll be carrying Sage and will need some assistance with my usual gear. Thanks!

I was thinking about doing Moosilauke some afternoon earlier in the month. Now, I guess I'll be hiking it on a Saturday! Anyone interested in doing the Asquam and perhaps stopping by the plane wreck?

I'll be on that side of the Whites that w/e!!

I hope to join you. Will see if the family will let me go!!!
Sandy

I haven't joined any VFTT hikes yet, but if I can get away from work that day I'd love to join in. The only other time I've been to Moosilauke was a classic rainy/windy day in the Whites, so I think it's due another visit.

Rocket21, Trainwreck, Guthook, and BarkingCat -- cool -- hope to see all of you there!

Barkingcat said:

If I can get away that day, yes -- I'd love to check out the plane wreck.

You mean the one on Mt. Waternomee, right...the B-18A bomber crash site?

(Were you thinking about doing an in-and-back and then driving over to another trailhead from which to summit Moosilauke, or a bushwhack from the crash site to the Asquam Ridge Trail and then over to Moosilauke?)

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I'm thinking about ascending via the Asquam Ridge Trail, bushwhacking to the Waternomee crash, then back out to the trail and up to the summit, descending via Gorge or something else on the shorter side back to the Ravine Lodge.

Barkingcat said:

(Were you thinking about doing an in-and-back and then driving over to another trailhead from which to summit Moosilauke, or a bushwhack from the crash site to the Asquam Ridge Trail and then over to Moosilauke?)

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I know a few folks who tried to bushwack from the Asquam Ridge trail to the bomber crash, but were never successful. This was in the days before GPS so I suppose it might be easier with a waypoint now but it's certainly not the most direct way to the crash site. It's relatively simply if you're coming up from below.

David Metsky said:

I know a few folks who tried to bushwack from the Asquam Ridge trail to the bomber crash, but were never successful. This was in the days before GPS so I suppose it might be easier with a waypoint now but it's certainly not the most direct way to the crash site. It's relatively simply if you're coming up from below.

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Ah, thank you for that information...I hadn't looked into it before and didn't realize it was only at 2,500'

Amendment - I'm thinking about hiking Asquam Ridge without Waternomee

Tuckerman needs to meet Alex (and Trish and Sage). Tuckerman also needs to experience Moosilauke without the 60 mph wind and 10-degree temperature we had when we made the climb last Easter. Tuckerman believes the Moose is an icy, muzzle-freezing outpost that never has any people on its summit. Tuckerman needs to get real.

So Tuckerman and his master will be there to celebrate your great accomplishment with you (pending any family obligations or commitments I don't know about yet).

Trish,

I would love to join you and Alex for the big finish. Count me in!

Larisa

I haven't been up Moosilauke this year so that seems like a perfect time to do so. Do we bring the traditional champagne for finishing? Perhaps sparkling grape juice? What would Alex like?

How about Champagne for us, AND sparkling grape juice for our kids??AND something special for our four legged hiker friends.

Trainwreck said:

How about Champagne for us, AND sparkling grape juice for our kids??

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...and copious amounts of chocolate, though I'm sure that will be a given.

Feathered Hat, LRiz, and Dave,

That's great -- we look forward to seeing you folks as well!

Bring whatever you feel like bringing -- unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to carry much more than I usually do, so I can't bring a whole lot to share with others on the hike itself. It's possible I'll be hauling Sage up the mountain in addition to my pack, so the most I can probably do is pack a few extra Hershey bars. I doubt Sage will want to walk much of this one on her own two feet, and I don't want to push her.

As for me personally and alcohol...I will wait until the after-party, as I don't want to risk becoming fuzzy at all for the trip down. After all, I still need to make sure Alex gets back to the trailhead safely. THEN I'll liquor it up.

Alex likes water, regular juice (no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added), and if its chilly, hot chocolate.

I may restrict her chocolate intake somewhat at the summit, just to make sure she doesn't get sick on the way down. Once back at the trailhead, however, she can eat as much of anything as she pleases.

It looks like this is shaping up to be a Lakes Region VftT hike. Better count me in! I would like to do the bushwhack to Mt. Blue along the way. (Blue is on the Trailwrights list.)

Great, Paradox! Looking forward to meeting you!

BUMP!

Just a reminder that we'll be doing Moosilauke on Aug. 29 for our NH48 finish.

We welcome any and all company!

Our route: Gorge Brook (I'm carrying Sage so I need the easiest route)
ETA at summit: 1pm

REQUEST FOR HELP....

If anyone could help me carry some of my pack, I'd appreciate it! Seriously, I'll be taking Sage on my back and there's no way I can carry my usual gear. I'd like to distribute some clothing among one or two other folks if that's okay... pm me if that's a possibility, thanks!

QUESTION:

Anyone know of a climber's route up Moosilauke? It's easier for my husband to climb up than hike up.

If there are no such routes, then he'll probably run ahead on Gorge Brook and take many breaks. This will be the least painful way for him to ascend. His running legs cause less friction and pain than his walking legs. So he won't be with us much of the time, he'll need to pace himself in his own way, then meet us at the top (hence my request for help with carrying some of my gear).

PS -- if weather calls for thunderstorms in the afternoon, then we will move our ETA to the late morning and leave earlier. I'll keep an eye on the weather and post accordingly.

There's really no climber's route up Moosilauke. Maybe Beaver Brook, with its steep pinned wooden steps, but once you're past that I don't think it's much better. The abandoned Slide Trail might be an option. Send me a PM.

TrishandAlex said:

Anyone know of a climber's route up Moosilauke? It's easier for my husband to climb up than hike up.

If there are no such routes, then he'll probably run ahead on Gorge Brook and take many breaks. This will be the least painful way for him to ascend. His running legs cause less friction and pain than his walking legs. So he won't be with us much of the time, he'll need to pace himself in his own way, then meet us at the top (hence my request for help with carrying some of my gear).

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I also don't know of anything that one might call a climber's route on Moosilauke. However, if "running legs" suggests that he might prefer to run, the Carriage Rd might be worth considering. Park at Breezy Point and follow the road up to the ridge between the South and Main summits.

The road is used as a ski and snowmobile route in winter. I haven't been on it in summer in quite a while--others might be able to give you more up-to-date condition reports.

Doug