HuiYeng
Active member
Arm put together this trip earlier this year and I had been long awaiting for the day to come. A group of 7 of us, Arm, Giggy, Laura, Jen, Marc, Kim and I stayed a night at the Terrace motel Friday night and had an early start from Abol bridge campground. we hit the trail around 6:40 AM. Jen and Arm on ski and the rest of us barebooted on the 4 mi (?) long road walk.
I usually dreaded long road walk but this time my mind was preoccupied by the rubbing discomfort on my heel. Not wanting to slow down and fall behind the group, I endured the "discomfort" until I absolutely couldn't stand any more. I stopped to tape a moleskin over the slightly red hotspot and continued my hike toward Abol campground.
The road walk ended at Abol Campground where we'd continue the hike to the base of the slide on Abol Trail. Although the trail was packed enough to be bare-booted, we all put on our showshoes. To me the the gradual ascent on the trail was good for my aching heel
. Since once I pulled up the Televators on my MSR, the pressure was reduced from my heels and shifted to my toes. I was marching up the trail, enjoying the amazing day and views of Baxter peak peeking through the woods.
1.5 hours or so of hiking on the wooded trail later, we reached the bottom of the slide with a grant view of the stunning Baxter peak against a clear blue skies. Marc, Kim and I stayed on our snowshoes, we all have MSR with Televator and they're such a great help to have hiking up the lower section of the slide. About 1/3 up the slide where the terrain seemed to get steeper, we decided to change into crampons while we still can find a flat area to do so, Marc continued on hiking up the slide with his snowshoes. Just about 100' below us, Jen and Laura turned back as they've decided earlier and would wait for us at Abol campground.
From here on the slide get steeper, and there're more exposed rocks to negotiate. A slip here most likely will land on a rock, there is no chance and no way for self-arrest. So we carefully climbed up and over several boulder fields, sinking our crampons onto mix terrain of rocks and snow. Doing all these with the company of some awesome views , warm sun, calm wind and clear blue skies.
We topped out the slide after about 1.5 hours hiking/climbing/scrambling on it. Giggy put 2 wands at the entrance of the slide so that we can easily spotted it from afar. The views from the Tableland was absoultely GORGEOUS!! To our left we've got views 4 distictive looking peaks: Coe, S. Brother, N. Brother and Fort, and straight ahead is our first goal of the day, Baxter peak!
The calm wind was very short live but the clear skies stayed, and the "discomfort" on my heel was back. During the slide climb, I was lifting my feet and place each step down flatly and carefully onto the slope hence reduced the rubbing, but the heel raising flat walk on the Tableland began to irritate my heels once again and by the time I stopped at the windy Tableland to fix them, the hotspot on my right heel already turned into a blister. After patching up my right heel with Compeed and Kim's duct tape, just when I was talking off my left boot to assess the left heel, a gust of wind blew my blister kit away. So I taped up the left heel with only duct tape and moved on. The famous Baxter summit sign and the humungous cairn where right ahead of us, they look so close yet so far away... When we finally reached the summit, we're rewarded by the absolutely super amazingly daunting looking Knife Edge. Simply spectacular!!
At the summit of Baxter peak, I was contemplating the thought of turning back, just so that I wouldn't slow down the group, but after chatted with giggy, he noted that we're doing good on time, so I excitedly (at the same time painfully) decided to continue on.
The wind was feirce while we're hiking down into the col, on our way to Hamlin peak. We reached Hamlin peak and congratulated Marc on his winter New England 100 highest finish, took some pictures and videos to capture the gust and quickly bit fairwell to the summit and decended back to the col. We stopped for a quick lunch break just before we took the Baxter Peak Cutoff back to the top of the slide. The wands that giggy planted earlier was great to help finding the entrance. Another munch break later, we started the descent back to Abol Campground where we're greeted by a big smile on Jen's face and a big hug. Jen was so kind to offer to haul my pack out in her sled, and off she and Arm disappeared into the remaining day light. By the time I got back to the parking lot, I took off my boots and found (gross picture, viewer discretion is adviced) my socks were both soaked with blood on the heel...
Despite the bloody blisters, I had a great time and loving every moment of the hike. The marvelous views, clear blue skies (just a tad too windy) and great company, couldn't ask for a better maiden trip to this magnificent park! It worth every drop of the blood I sheded.
Oh, enough of me, a big congrats to Marc for his amazing accomplishment! Well done Marc!! What's next dude. Hope you got the chance to fix your window!
Thanks everyone for the your company and Arm for organized the trip! Here are my pictures from the hike. Enjoy!
I usually dreaded long road walk but this time my mind was preoccupied by the rubbing discomfort on my heel. Not wanting to slow down and fall behind the group, I endured the "discomfort" until I absolutely couldn't stand any more. I stopped to tape a moleskin over the slightly red hotspot and continued my hike toward Abol campground.
The road walk ended at Abol Campground where we'd continue the hike to the base of the slide on Abol Trail. Although the trail was packed enough to be bare-booted, we all put on our showshoes. To me the the gradual ascent on the trail was good for my aching heel
. Since once I pulled up the Televators on my MSR, the pressure was reduced from my heels and shifted to my toes. I was marching up the trail, enjoying the amazing day and views of Baxter peak peeking through the woods.
1.5 hours or so of hiking on the wooded trail later, we reached the bottom of the slide with a grant view of the stunning Baxter peak against a clear blue skies. Marc, Kim and I stayed on our snowshoes, we all have MSR with Televator and they're such a great help to have hiking up the lower section of the slide. About 1/3 up the slide where the terrain seemed to get steeper, we decided to change into crampons while we still can find a flat area to do so, Marc continued on hiking up the slide with his snowshoes. Just about 100' below us, Jen and Laura turned back as they've decided earlier and would wait for us at Abol campground.
From here on the slide get steeper, and there're more exposed rocks to negotiate. A slip here most likely will land on a rock, there is no chance and no way for self-arrest. So we carefully climbed up and over several boulder fields, sinking our crampons onto mix terrain of rocks and snow. Doing all these with the company of some awesome views , warm sun, calm wind and clear blue skies.
We topped out the slide after about 1.5 hours hiking/climbing/scrambling on it. Giggy put 2 wands at the entrance of the slide so that we can easily spotted it from afar. The views from the Tableland was absoultely GORGEOUS!! To our left we've got views 4 distictive looking peaks: Coe, S. Brother, N. Brother and Fort, and straight ahead is our first goal of the day, Baxter peak!
The calm wind was very short live but the clear skies stayed, and the "discomfort" on my heel was back. During the slide climb, I was lifting my feet and place each step down flatly and carefully onto the slope hence reduced the rubbing, but the heel raising flat walk on the Tableland began to irritate my heels once again and by the time I stopped at the windy Tableland to fix them, the hotspot on my right heel already turned into a blister. After patching up my right heel with Compeed and Kim's duct tape, just when I was talking off my left boot to assess the left heel, a gust of wind blew my blister kit away. So I taped up the left heel with only duct tape and moved on. The famous Baxter summit sign and the humungous cairn where right ahead of us, they look so close yet so far away... When we finally reached the summit, we're rewarded by the absolutely super amazingly daunting looking Knife Edge. Simply spectacular!!
At the summit of Baxter peak, I was contemplating the thought of turning back, just so that I wouldn't slow down the group, but after chatted with giggy, he noted that we're doing good on time, so I excitedly (at the same time painfully) decided to continue on.
The wind was feirce while we're hiking down into the col, on our way to Hamlin peak. We reached Hamlin peak and congratulated Marc on his winter New England 100 highest finish, took some pictures and videos to capture the gust and quickly bit fairwell to the summit and decended back to the col. We stopped for a quick lunch break just before we took the Baxter Peak Cutoff back to the top of the slide. The wands that giggy planted earlier was great to help finding the entrance. Another munch break later, we started the descent back to Abol Campground where we're greeted by a big smile on Jen's face and a big hug. Jen was so kind to offer to haul my pack out in her sled, and off she and Arm disappeared into the remaining day light. By the time I got back to the parking lot, I took off my boots and found (gross picture, viewer discretion is adviced) my socks were both soaked with blood on the heel...
Despite the bloody blisters, I had a great time and loving every moment of the hike. The marvelous views, clear blue skies (just a tad too windy) and great company, couldn't ask for a better maiden trip to this magnificent park! It worth every drop of the blood I sheded.
Oh, enough of me, a big congrats to Marc for his amazing accomplishment! Well done Marc!! What's next dude. Hope you got the chance to fix your window!
Thanks everyone for the your company and Arm for organized the trip! Here are my pictures from the hike. Enjoy!
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