grouseking
Well-known member
For my latest adventure of hiking in the Whites, I chose a mountain close to where I was staying, so I could get some sleep and hopefully have energy thru the hike. Well I guess that is asking for too much, because I still got 3.5 hours of sleep and I was dead to the world. I went thru many mood swings on this hike; there were times when I was happy to be out, and there were times when I was ticked off to the point where I just wanted off the mountain. Thank god I didn't turn around, because the amount of snow near the top and the surprise views made this one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever taken.
Mattl and I started up the Tecumseh trail around 9:50am, after having to park at the ski area way down the hill, far from the trailhead. It was a busy day at Waterville Valley! There was at least 6 inches of new snow on the ground at the base, and people were taking full advantage of that. This was my first experience with the skiing culture, and not the last time we'd come in contact (almost literally) with a skier.
To sum up the first half of my hike, I was one tired SOB. I decided not to bring snowshoes because of only 6 inches at the bottom that had already been somewhat packed down, but that light and fluffy snow was very slippery, making it difficult to walk. Still, the scenery was wonderful and despite making very slow time, we didn't care too much because we were snapping photos left and right. Matt and I both have new cameras, so it was play day. Finally, after over an hour, we made it to the viewpoint along the ski trail, which had nice vistas of the Tripyramids and the Osceolas if you walked out far enough on the abandoned ski trail. I was tired but in fairly good spirits after seeing this view.......
But, as we climbed past the viewpoint, we saw two skiers ON THE HIKING TRAIL coming down, nearly hitting both of us in the process. I was really flabbergasted because I thought hiking trails were for hikers and ski trails were for skiers. I mean give me a break, someone could have been badly hurt. Actually two of them wiped out after hitting a rock on the way down, and I couldn't help but laugh for a minute. I did feel bad for one min because ONE WAS A KID with his parents following closely behind.....I'm trying not to vent too much. After seeing 10-12 skiers on the trail I honestly was about to turn around and call it a day. It was actually dangerous to hike the section of trail, I was cold, my feet hurt and I had a headache. When everything like that gangs up on me, normally I'm a crab and don't enjoy the hike at all, no matter how beautiful it may be. But I shrugged it off and continued up, slipping every 5 feet, which ticked me off even more....
Anyways I kept going because I figured the trail had to go away from the ski trail at some point. And it did, thank god. That was the saving grace for the hike. Since I wasn't in the best mood, I knew I wouldn't totally enjoy everything, so started snapping pics left and right. Anything that looked kind of pretty, I took.
Finally we got away from the ski area, and that was when my mood turned from sour to happy. I really am upset that my first experience with the skiing culture was so bad, but for me, those people we saw skiing down the hiking trails fit the arrogant stereotype. Back on topic, the conditions were amazing. There was over one foot of new snow up there and it continued to add up. The sky was impossibly blue, and when we made it to a flat area near the Sosman trail, I took many pictures of the rime and blue . The snowy conditions were magical and I was in heaven. Finally, we came to the split in the trail. The one to the right hadn't been taken yet, so Matt and I decided to break trail.
It wasn't hard breaking trail, despite the 12-15 inches of pure powder. The snow was so light it was a piece of cake. I kept snappin away with the camera until we came across some steep spots where id have to put it away. Just before the final push to the summit, there was a small blowdown patch with a surprising view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, Franconia Ridge and others! I was blown away by this stunning vista and it definitely made the trip. No views on Tecumseh....right.
Standing at the viewpoint I was up to my knees in snow, and Matt was nearly up to his waist. The area was sheltered, and all the snow was new. I would conservatively estimate that 20-24 inches of snow was on the ground there, and it was all fresh powder, prob from the night before and maybe a couple days before that. The upper elevations really got hit hard from this latest round of winter!
After taking more pics of the Tripyramids, Kearsarge North, and what appeared to be the Kinsmans, I finally tagged the summit around 1:30pm. This was my 30th 4k and second winter. I don't plan on doing them all in winter, but I pretty much have the capability if I wanted to.
My hands were frigid at this point...too many pics with just liners. So I put on the heavy duty gloves, put the camera away and off we went down the mountain. We made unbelievable timing. Within a half hour, we were back at the viewpoint along the abandoned ski slope. Since it was abandoned, Matt and I decided to hike along it. I'm surprised its not being used, there was a ton of snow on the trail. I sunk up to my waist before hitting crust on several occasions! Well I didn't know, but this trail came out to another ski trail that was being used. I felt bad for walking alongside the trail considering I was cursing previous skiers for comin' down the hiking trail, but it didn't seem to bother anyone at all. In fact, I don't think anyone even noticed. Even the people that were standing along the side of the trail didn't look at us. It felt weird walking down the ski slope seeing all the people and hearing one say "well get your IPOD out man!!" I knew this place wasn't for me, but it was interesting to check it out. We wern't endangering anyone because we were way over on the side, basically hugging the trees like Kennedy or Sonny Bono. Plus, it made the trip go by really fast, and we were at the bottom within another half hour.
The trip was a very fulfilling and eyeopening experience. Funny side story: we got lost in the parking lot and couldn't find the car for like 20-30 minutes! We play on a mountain, bushwhack thru the woods and then get lost in the parking lot. What a mess it is up there. Well I guess I'm more comfortable with the woods than the resorts. Still, a thumbs up hike for sure, and I'll be tackling Tecumseh at some point, but from Tripoli Rd next time. It looked beautiful.
Here are my pictures...lots of them, plus a few movies.
grouseking
Mattl and I started up the Tecumseh trail around 9:50am, after having to park at the ski area way down the hill, far from the trailhead. It was a busy day at Waterville Valley! There was at least 6 inches of new snow on the ground at the base, and people were taking full advantage of that. This was my first experience with the skiing culture, and not the last time we'd come in contact (almost literally) with a skier.
To sum up the first half of my hike, I was one tired SOB. I decided not to bring snowshoes because of only 6 inches at the bottom that had already been somewhat packed down, but that light and fluffy snow was very slippery, making it difficult to walk. Still, the scenery was wonderful and despite making very slow time, we didn't care too much because we were snapping photos left and right. Matt and I both have new cameras, so it was play day. Finally, after over an hour, we made it to the viewpoint along the ski trail, which had nice vistas of the Tripyramids and the Osceolas if you walked out far enough on the abandoned ski trail. I was tired but in fairly good spirits after seeing this view.......
But, as we climbed past the viewpoint, we saw two skiers ON THE HIKING TRAIL coming down, nearly hitting both of us in the process. I was really flabbergasted because I thought hiking trails were for hikers and ski trails were for skiers. I mean give me a break, someone could have been badly hurt. Actually two of them wiped out after hitting a rock on the way down, and I couldn't help but laugh for a minute. I did feel bad for one min because ONE WAS A KID with his parents following closely behind.....I'm trying not to vent too much. After seeing 10-12 skiers on the trail I honestly was about to turn around and call it a day. It was actually dangerous to hike the section of trail, I was cold, my feet hurt and I had a headache. When everything like that gangs up on me, normally I'm a crab and don't enjoy the hike at all, no matter how beautiful it may be. But I shrugged it off and continued up, slipping every 5 feet, which ticked me off even more....
Anyways I kept going because I figured the trail had to go away from the ski trail at some point. And it did, thank god. That was the saving grace for the hike. Since I wasn't in the best mood, I knew I wouldn't totally enjoy everything, so started snapping pics left and right. Anything that looked kind of pretty, I took.
Finally we got away from the ski area, and that was when my mood turned from sour to happy. I really am upset that my first experience with the skiing culture was so bad, but for me, those people we saw skiing down the hiking trails fit the arrogant stereotype. Back on topic, the conditions were amazing. There was over one foot of new snow up there and it continued to add up. The sky was impossibly blue, and when we made it to a flat area near the Sosman trail, I took many pictures of the rime and blue . The snowy conditions were magical and I was in heaven. Finally, we came to the split in the trail. The one to the right hadn't been taken yet, so Matt and I decided to break trail.
It wasn't hard breaking trail, despite the 12-15 inches of pure powder. The snow was so light it was a piece of cake. I kept snappin away with the camera until we came across some steep spots where id have to put it away. Just before the final push to the summit, there was a small blowdown patch with a surprising view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, Franconia Ridge and others! I was blown away by this stunning vista and it definitely made the trip. No views on Tecumseh....right.
Standing at the viewpoint I was up to my knees in snow, and Matt was nearly up to his waist. The area was sheltered, and all the snow was new. I would conservatively estimate that 20-24 inches of snow was on the ground there, and it was all fresh powder, prob from the night before and maybe a couple days before that. The upper elevations really got hit hard from this latest round of winter!
After taking more pics of the Tripyramids, Kearsarge North, and what appeared to be the Kinsmans, I finally tagged the summit around 1:30pm. This was my 30th 4k and second winter. I don't plan on doing them all in winter, but I pretty much have the capability if I wanted to.
My hands were frigid at this point...too many pics with just liners. So I put on the heavy duty gloves, put the camera away and off we went down the mountain. We made unbelievable timing. Within a half hour, we were back at the viewpoint along the abandoned ski slope. Since it was abandoned, Matt and I decided to hike along it. I'm surprised its not being used, there was a ton of snow on the trail. I sunk up to my waist before hitting crust on several occasions! Well I didn't know, but this trail came out to another ski trail that was being used. I felt bad for walking alongside the trail considering I was cursing previous skiers for comin' down the hiking trail, but it didn't seem to bother anyone at all. In fact, I don't think anyone even noticed. Even the people that were standing along the side of the trail didn't look at us. It felt weird walking down the ski slope seeing all the people and hearing one say "well get your IPOD out man!!" I knew this place wasn't for me, but it was interesting to check it out. We wern't endangering anyone because we were way over on the side, basically hugging the trees like Kennedy or Sonny Bono. Plus, it made the trip go by really fast, and we were at the bottom within another half hour.
The trip was a very fulfilling and eyeopening experience. Funny side story: we got lost in the parking lot and couldn't find the car for like 20-30 minutes! We play on a mountain, bushwhack thru the woods and then get lost in the parking lot. What a mess it is up there. Well I guess I'm more comfortable with the woods than the resorts. Still, a thumbs up hike for sure, and I'll be tackling Tecumseh at some point, but from Tripoli Rd next time. It looked beautiful.
Here are my pictures...lots of them, plus a few movies.
grouseking
Last edited:
