coldfeet
Well-known member
Been a while since I wrote a detailed trip report...I'll do my best to skip some things but I have a lot to say...first a big thx to this community for suggesting my moderate hike question in the NE area.....
App 11pm Fri night my nephew (26) and I (not telling) pulled into the Woodstock Inn to taste some beers to make this a www.viewsandbrews.com trip...why not?....Liked the Pigs Ear and chocked on the IPA...after leaving the plan was to sleep in the mini van at Hancock....instead it was at Liberty Springs trailhead, probably not a good idea....at app 1:30 a flashlight was shinning in the window...oh crap....police?...the light went away and never came back...so much for me sleeping the rest of the night.....should have paid the $ for a good night sleep, I learned my lesson....
We loaded up at 8am with our full packes to spen the night at Liberty Springs platforms and proceeded to go the 3 miles up...it's been a while since I carried 30lbs but I practiced 3-4 times the last 2 weeks in my neighborhood, so I felt comfortable....gee, this will take forever to write ..let me get to the point...
Got drizzled on going to the tent site, ate a good meal there....the caretaker (carebear) suggested going up to Liberty then Flume because it was getting a little late (11am) to go to Lafayette,,,he suggested we hit that on Sunday....by the way I loved the foliage on the ground...it was so colorful hiking up the trail for a little ways.....we get up to the junction and add another layer and go above treeline with the winds hitting us.....the fog was surrounding us but we were lucky to still see the blazes....we whoo hooed on Liberty until the fog lifted and I noticed that we were on a knob with Liberty a short distance away...duh....we hiked up there, whoo hooed again, took pics with my school mascot, also named Liberty....The winds we blowing real hard, the hardest I've ever felt...what a rush...no views but really exciting and chilly....we hiked down and up to Flume and experienced it all over again...I was layering on and off every ten min....my nephew was experiencing his first hike and was he in heaven.....after spending a few min on flume we went back down and up to Liberty...it was app 4pm and the SUN cam out!
We got some awesome views but for a very short time....it was a long day and I was spent going up Flume...it was time to go down to the site....we saw a lot of people from other hiking groups, college clubs and young boy scouts backpacking up Flume and going where we were...great job kids.....we cooked, drank some port wine (thx Matt) and saw the sun setting through the trees....I wished I was up on Liberty to see that, next time....we hit the tent at 7pm and went to sleep...but there is a reason for my trail name....my feet were freezin!...I had a 20bag but it didn't matter...the temps were about 26....will never forget the booties again....
We wake up and I see Carebear...bad news...rim ice on Lincoln and Layfayette (sp?) and the winds were picking up. possibly 65mph....well, I'm daring but not stupid...I ask him about how far can we go until we're exposed..he tells me Little Haystack...I figure we'll go there, check it out and come back....well, let me tell you that I loved that trail going to Haystack...I see people coming the opposite way, talk to them and I find out that there really isn't enough ice there, so no need for traction, but Layfayette is getting hammered....lets see how far we can get...well, Little Haystack isn't so little and it's fogged in and the wind is ripping....man.....we continue down and start following other people towards Lincoln...as we're getting there the fog lifts, the sun comes out and holy sh-t what a view of the ridge! Wow!.....Just like the magazines and pic I see on line and here we are right in the middle of it....BEAUTIFUL!...then the fog comes back witrh the wind hitting us, gald I brought the balaclavas....we enjoy the trail going past the alpine plants and go on top....full wind, harder than the day before....we hunker down behind a big rock and rest....the sun comes out agin and the wind slows down....I take out a pic of abe Lincoln (thx patty) and we pose with Lincoln, on Lincoln....while we rest I notice how crowded it's getting and all of a sudden a beautiful angel with tight leggings runs past me guess we're really in heaven then more angels run past us...then some men run past us...so much for my dreams...it was the Dartmoth ski team exercising man, what a tough coach they must have...the sun comes out again and we noticed a ton of people hiking the ridge coming towards us...I mean there must have been over 150 people that we spotted over the course of the day...most I've ever seen hiking, and looks like everyone except us is going North, glas we were going back south because there were some huge dark clouds in that direction.....we had to leave and went back down back to Haystack, enjoyed some more views and hiked back to our tent site where we broke down the tent, ate food and hiked back to the car....another lesson, don't follow a group in front of you without paying attention....we missed the parking lot and ended up crossing the stream over a log, which I slipped on and slash....and found the bicycle parking lot....hmmm, should have zigged instead of zagged....Matt was right....we drove into Nashua, had another beer on Main St....hated most of it except for the stout and proceeded to drive into CT...got Matt home app 12pm...and I slept there...whew....been a while sine i wrote a report....pics will be up hopefully tomorrow.....3 peaks, 2 viewsandbrews, 1st pemi ridge hike, 1st backpack with my nephew.....PRICELESS!
App 11pm Fri night my nephew (26) and I (not telling) pulled into the Woodstock Inn to taste some beers to make this a www.viewsandbrews.com trip...why not?....Liked the Pigs Ear and chocked on the IPA...after leaving the plan was to sleep in the mini van at Hancock....instead it was at Liberty Springs trailhead, probably not a good idea....at app 1:30 a flashlight was shinning in the window...oh crap....police?...the light went away and never came back...so much for me sleeping the rest of the night.....should have paid the $ for a good night sleep, I learned my lesson....
We loaded up at 8am with our full packes to spen the night at Liberty Springs platforms and proceeded to go the 3 miles up...it's been a while since I carried 30lbs but I practiced 3-4 times the last 2 weeks in my neighborhood, so I felt comfortable....gee, this will take forever to write ..let me get to the point...
Got drizzled on going to the tent site, ate a good meal there....the caretaker (carebear) suggested going up to Liberty then Flume because it was getting a little late (11am) to go to Lafayette,,,he suggested we hit that on Sunday....by the way I loved the foliage on the ground...it was so colorful hiking up the trail for a little ways.....we get up to the junction and add another layer and go above treeline with the winds hitting us.....the fog was surrounding us but we were lucky to still see the blazes....we whoo hooed on Liberty until the fog lifted and I noticed that we were on a knob with Liberty a short distance away...duh....we hiked up there, whoo hooed again, took pics with my school mascot, also named Liberty....The winds we blowing real hard, the hardest I've ever felt...what a rush...no views but really exciting and chilly....we hiked down and up to Flume and experienced it all over again...I was layering on and off every ten min....my nephew was experiencing his first hike and was he in heaven.....after spending a few min on flume we went back down and up to Liberty...it was app 4pm and the SUN cam out!
We got some awesome views but for a very short time....it was a long day and I was spent going up Flume...it was time to go down to the site....we saw a lot of people from other hiking groups, college clubs and young boy scouts backpacking up Flume and going where we were...great job kids.....we cooked, drank some port wine (thx Matt) and saw the sun setting through the trees....I wished I was up on Liberty to see that, next time....we hit the tent at 7pm and went to sleep...but there is a reason for my trail name....my feet were freezin!...I had a 20bag but it didn't matter...the temps were about 26....will never forget the booties again....We wake up and I see Carebear...bad news...rim ice on Lincoln and Layfayette (sp?) and the winds were picking up. possibly 65mph....well, I'm daring but not stupid...I ask him about how far can we go until we're exposed..he tells me Little Haystack...I figure we'll go there, check it out and come back....well, let me tell you that I loved that trail going to Haystack...I see people coming the opposite way, talk to them and I find out that there really isn't enough ice there, so no need for traction, but Layfayette is getting hammered....lets see how far we can get...well, Little Haystack isn't so little and it's fogged in and the wind is ripping....man.....we continue down and start following other people towards Lincoln...as we're getting there the fog lifts, the sun comes out and holy sh-t what a view of the ridge!
Wow!.....Just like the magazines and pic I see on line and here we are right in the middle of it....BEAUTIFUL!...then the fog comes back witrh the wind hitting us, gald I brought the balaclavas....we enjoy the trail going past the alpine plants and go on top....full wind, harder than the day before....we hunker down behind a big rock and rest....the sun comes out agin and the wind slows down....I take out a pic of abe Lincoln (thx patty) and we pose with Lincoln, on Lincoln....while we rest I notice how crowded it's getting and all of a sudden a beautiful angel with tight leggings runs past me guess we're really in heaven then more angels run past us...then some men run past us...so much for my dreams...it was the Dartmoth ski team exercising man, what a tough coach they must have...the sun comes out again and we noticed a ton of people hiking the ridge coming towards us...I mean there must have been over 150 people that we spotted over the course of the day...most I've ever seen hiking, and looks like everyone except us is going North, glas we were going back south because there were some huge dark clouds in that direction.....we had to leave and went back down back to Haystack, enjoyed some more views and hiked back to our tent site where we broke down the tent, ate food and hiked back to the car....another lesson, don't follow a group in front of you without paying attention....we missed the parking lot and ended up crossing the stream over a log, which I slipped on and slash....and found the bicycle parking lot....hmmm, should have zigged instead of zagged....Matt was right....we drove into Nashua, had another beer on Main St....hated most of it except for the stout and proceeded to drive into CT...got Matt home app 12pm...and I slept there...whew....been a while sine i wrote a report....pics will be up hopefully tomorrow.....3 peaks, 2 viewsandbrews, 1st pemi ridge hike, 1st backpack with my nephew.....PRICELESS!
