A December Finish on Moriah, 12/30/2012

[BIGEarl]

December 30, 2012: Moriah

Trails: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail

Summits: Moriah

Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), John Gagne (jrgagne99 – VFTT), and me



Sue and I arrived to the Stony Brook trail head on Route 16 to meet the others for the hike. While there I found a message on my cell indicating most had pulled out of the hike due to the weather forecast for Mount Washington. We weren’t hiking Mount Washington, which is over 2000 feet higher in elevation. Moriah is barely 4000 feet. Quite often there is a significant difference in weather conditions with such a difference in elevation. It seems the forecast was indicating this was the case here. The National Weather Service White Mountains Summit Forecast was predicting winds at 2500 to 4000 feet of 30 mph in the morning increasing to 50 mph late in the day. They were also predicting winds at this elevation to be up to 50% less than those at the higher elevations (including Washington). I had seen the NWS Hourly Weather Graph for their point forecast of the area of Moriah and everything appeared well within our comfort zone. The late-day increase as shown would happen well after we were gone.

We waited for John Gagne to arrive, went through the usual introductions, grabbed our things, and started up. There were hikers ahead of us and a group of four that were planning to set off a short time behind us. After crossing the bridge at the start we were handed a nice surprise; we had almost a superhighway to hike. Over the past couple days the trail has seen quite a number of snowshoes. The trail was broken and generally tracked out. From trailhead to summit we had a beautiful snowshoe track with no ice. We put the snowshoes on at the trailhead lot and that’s where we took them off again.

The hike leading to the lower crossing of Stony Brook was the usual nice warm-up. We hit the crossing area and found the stream nearly completely bridged. We made the crossing and headed to the upper crossing. The rough trail leading to the upper crossing was completely hidden by snow and we were enjoying a very smooth trail (not a single posthole all day). At the upper crossing we met two others on their exit hike. From there the climb gets a little more significant and we all raised our heel lifts; then, just climbed.

In the course of the hike I noticed the trail had some soft places on the edges but stay on the main track and everything is fine. I had the extension tails on my MSRs. They helped on Jefferson the day before and I assumed they would help again. In fact, for the off-trail excursions to take care of “nature calls”, the added flotation made leaving the trail and returning much easier. I’m pretty sure making it easier to take a wiz wasn’t included in the MSR design criteria for these things, but loosening rusty nuts and bolts probably wasn’t part of the Coca Cola goal; a lot of people still drink the stuff and seem to enjoy it;

but I digress….

Roughly half way through the first steep pitch the group of four that were behind us went past. We continued at our seemingly slow pace. My legs were really sore from cramping on Jefferson the day before and I wasn’t moving very well at all. Sue and John were extremely patient with me as we made our way to the summit. In reality, our pace was only slightly over book time. We reached the final steep pitch leading to the Stony Brook-Carter Moriah trails junction and even I could hear the wind. We completed the climb to the ridge and at the big boulder just before the trails junction we stopped to add a layer, face masks, and warmer mittens. That’s all it took.

Soon we were climbing through the open sections to the ridge below the summit. When we were in the open areas there was enough wind to keep us moving but I believe the National Weather Service forecast was generally on-target at ~30 mph; we were also happy each time we went back into a sheltered section. The upper climb on CMT is a series of open and sheltered sections that we made our way through. The traction on the open slabs was great and we had no need for anything beyond our snowshoes. Eventually we were on the ridge and moving across the final open section; directly into the wind. John had his goggles out but I don’t recall if they were being used, Sue and I never pulled ours from our packs.

We continued through the final sheltered section, reached the Kenduskeag junction, made the left, and climbed to the summit. The snow that was in the air prevented any views and our time on the summit was short. We got the usual summit pictures, made our u-turn, and headed back down. On the climb, between the trailhead and the summit I believe we met around ten others on the same route.

The exit hike went as expected; we left the summit with cold hands from standing around and getting pictures, by the time we reached Stony Brook Trail we were all back up to temperature, the descent from the ridge to the upper crossing of Stony Brook generally moved us out of the wind, and the final cruise to the trailhead was quick.

Back at the trailhead it didn’t take long to pack up and hit the highway south. As we were leaving Gorham on Route 2 west of town the wind seemed stronger than anything we experienced all day.

Thanks for joining the hike John, I hope we hike with you again. You have your winter list started. Good luck with it from here on.

Thanks Sue – another good day. Hiking for the Grid month of December is done.


Pictures will follow.

 

[Driver8]

Congrats on finishing December, Earl. How cold would you say it was at the summit, how high the steady wind and the highest gust at or near the top?

Personally, with little winter experience, I stayed closer to home on the slopes of Talcott Mtn. Found that my shell over a puffy jacket and a long sleeved shirt kept the body plenty warm, and long handle underwear under some tough pants, with gaiters, medium high Merrell leather boots and nice warm synth wool socks was fine for below the waist. Worst I ran into in terms of wind chill was about 25 F temp plus 40 mph gusts, 20-25, variable, prevailing. As with your Jefferson hike, I very much appreciated the 1.5 mile-or-so long wind-blown section atop a reservoir dike - made for much better traction with my spikes. The powdery snow before that was very hard on my feet, so used to firm ground and rock. You live and learn, for sure.

 

[BIGEarl]

Congrats on finishing December, Earl. How cold would you say it was at the summit, how high the steady wind and the highest gust at or near the top?
........

Hey Chris,

Anything I said would be a guess; I don't have a handheld weather meter. It wouldn't surprise me if the forecast conditions were reasonably accurate.

The National Weather Service predicted high temperature in the teens and wind of 30 mph, increasing late in the day. We were gone before the wind started to build. There were gusts but probably none greater than a few mph over the steady wind.

 

[BIGEarl]

I’ve posted some pictures from the day.


BIGEarl's Pictures


Straight to the slideshow

 

[Driver8]

Great pics, Earl. Man, all that snow is beautiful. Newbie, greenhorn, wet-behind-the-ears question, if you don't mind: in loose or semi-packed powder, how much of a difference do snow shoes make, as against boots with spikes? I had a helluva time yesterday on basically level trail in the loose snow. Is it a night-and-day thing? I haven't deployed snow shoes yet, probably will soon.

 

[BIGEarl]

Great pics, Earl. Man, all that snow is beautiful. Newbie, greenhorn, wet-behind-the-ears question, if you don't mind: in loose or semi-packed powder, how much of a difference do snow shoes make, as against boots with spikes? I had a helluva time yesterday on basically level trail in the loose snow. Is it a night-and-day thing? I haven't deployed snow shoes yet, probably will soon.

Bare booting a trail like the one we had yesterday to Moriah would probably be upsetting to some members of the hiking community. That's a great trail right now but it needs some care. Everybody hiking Stony Brook Trail should be on snowshoes.

Snowshoes make it easier to hike on soft, semi-consolidated snow and they protect the trail from damage (postholes). Quite often you can hike faster and easier with snowshoes.

There are conditions better suited for snowshoes, MICROspikes, and crampons. It's a good idea to be prepared with the proper footwear based on the conditions you're hiking. A good pair of backcountry snowshoes will give you the needed flotation and in many cases better traction.

Tearing up a trail because you're hiking with MICROspikes when you should really be hiking on snowshoes creates a dangerous condition for others that use the trail.

 

[Driver8]

If you want to piss off the hiker world, try bare booting a trail like the one we had yesterday to Moriah. That's a great trail right now but it needs some care. Everybody hiking Stony Brook Trail should be on snowshoes.

...

Tearing up a trail because you're hiking with MICROspikes when you should really be hiking on snowshoes creates a dangerous condition for others that use the trail.

Thank you for the favor of your reply, Earl. I appreciate your effort to be helpful and encouraging. Your advice that there are different conditions which are better suited to different sorts of equipment is most informative.

 

[BIGEarl]

Chris,

Yeah.

I guess the key point here is this….. If you’re looking for support of a particular opinion on snowshoe use, just do a couple quick searches and you’ll find people on all sides of the issue. And, when the topic concerning snowshoe use comes up every year the same old arguments are presented.

Keep in mind, spring is only thirteen weeks away.

Soon we'll be able to debate the best insect repellant once again.

 

[Summerset]

Earl and Sue, Congrats to you both for finishing up those December goals! Sounds like you had a reasonable weather day, a little more pleasant than some predictions.

 

[Trail Trotter]

The trail was tracked out nice. Especially after the Maine crew took the lead. Thanks!
Congratulations John on completing your first winter 4K! Some will be easier and some will be harder. But I have found that you just can't stay away from the mountains, no matter what season it is.


Thanks Earl for a nice finish to December

 

[Driver8]

Driver8, to you I would say that the issue of postholing here on Views, is similar to asking if you should bring a gun or dog on your AT hike on the Whiteblaze forums. It is a passionate topic. Proceed with caution.

When I waive the "greenhorn," "newbie" flag and ask an experienced hiker for helpful advice, I don't usually get such a response. The funny thing is, simple inductive logic would hold that, if I am grumbling about a hike in spikes on powder in CT, five miles from my home, I'm not the biggest threat to drive 400+ miles, round trip, and hike in spikes up a powdery 4K, so the "piss off the hiker community" bit was needless.

My hike, as noted, was on level trail. A 25' wide, graded, maintained, water company gravel road, to be precise. It was partly packed out and was being hiked and walked by numerous people, with about 10" of new powder over a crusty base. My feet so hated all the give in the snow that my left one was crampy and very sore afterward. Sore but OK the next day. Good exercise, at the end of the day, just something new to get used to.

This is not an "experts only" forum, is it? As cantankerous a board as Whiteblaze can be, one of its distinctive hallmarks is that there are plenty of smart, experienced hikers there who forthcoming with helpful advice. I have found that to be the case here at times as well.

Earl: I prefaced my question to you with "if you don't mind." Evidently you did - in that instance, you needn't have felt obligated to reply - and I am sorry to have troubled you. I regret the error and will not repeat it.

 

[BIGEarl]

When I waive the "greenhorn," "newbie" flag and ask an experienced hiker for helpful advice, I don't usually get such a response. The funny thing is, simple inductive logic would hold that, if I am grumbling about a hike in spikes on powder in CT, five miles from my home, I'm not the biggest threat to drive 400+ miles, round trip, and hike in spikes up a powdery 4K, so the "piss off the hiker community" bit was needless.

My hike, as noted, was on level trail. A 25' wide, graded, maintained, water company gravel road, to be precise. It was partly packed out and was being hiked and walked by numerous people, with about 10" of new powder over a crusty base. My feet so hated all the give in the snow that my left one was crampy and very sore afterward. Sore but OK the next day. Good exercise, at the end of the day, just something new to get used to.

This is not an "experts only" forum, is it? As cantankerous a board as Whiteblaze can be, one of its distinctive hallmarks is that there are plenty of smart, experienced hikers there who forthcoming with helpful advice. I have found that to be the case here at times as well.

Earl: I prefaced my question to you with "if you don't mind." Evidently you did - in that instance, you needn't have felt obligated to reply - and I am sorry to have troubled you. I regret the error and will not repeat it.

It’s interesting that you have decided to edit as much out of your initial response.

Nobody bit your head off as you had stated in your unedited response.

Nobody, other than yourself engaged in multiple personal attacks as you did in your unedited response.

And now, after the fact, you’re changing the context of a question that was asked on a thread dealing with a hike in the White Mountains to a gravel road in Connecticut.

 

[Early Bird]

Hi Big Earl,
I hear you are getting close to your grid finish. March? Amazing. Good weather to you this winter.

 

[BIGEarl]

Earl and Sue, Congrats to you both for finishing up those December goals! Sounds like you had a reasonable weather day, a little more pleasant than some predictions.

Thanks Summerset,

It was nice to get the month finished with a day to spare.

We did have a reasonable weather day. Fortunately, the conditions were generally in-line with the predictions by the National Weather Service. I rely on the various NWS sites for hike planning more than any other weather forecast source.

...........

Thanks Earl for a nice finish to December

Hi Big Earl,
I hear you are getting close to your grid finish. March? Amazing. Good weather to you this winter.

Thanks Early Bird,

I hope we all enjoy terrific winter hiking - as much as we want.

 

[Sunshine Chris]

Congrats for finishing your December grid, folks! 3 MORE MONTHS to go! Wishing you both good weather. Thanks for posting. Informational as always and I love following your quest for the grid.

 

[Driver8]

It’s interesting that you have decided to edit as much out of your initial response.

...


And now, after the fact, you’re changing the context of a question that was asked on a thread dealing with a hike in the White Mountains to a gravel road in Connecticut.

Remarkable that you paid so much closer attention to the post I edited, which I did in the interest of diplomacy (nice to have that capability here without having to pay, one nice contrast with Whiteblaze, one of several), than you did you the one where I posed you the question about my level hike in CT. Did you miss the word "level," Earl? Or greenhorn, newbie? Or did you catch all that and come back as you did knowingly?

I am a newbie to winter conditions, with minimal experience though not none, and asked you the question I did because I respect your mind and experience and hoped for a helpful response. Your best response was that I would do better connecting with the VFFT server with a snowshoe vs. spike query. I appreciate the guidance and will take it to heart. Good luck with your grid.

 

[BIGEarl]

Remarkable that you paid so much closer attention to the post I edited, which I did in the interest of diplomacy (nice to have that capability here without having to pay, one nice contrast with Whiteblaze, one of several), than you did you the one where I posed you the question about my level hike in CT. Did you miss the word "level," Earl? Or greenhorn, newbie? Or did you catch all that and come back as you did knowingly?

I am a newbie to winter conditions, with minimal experience though not none, and asked you the question I did because I respect your mind and experience and hoped for a helpful response. Your best response was that I would do better connecting with the VFFT server with a snowshoe vs. spike query. I appreciate the guidance and will take it to heart. Good luck with your grid.

Christopher,

I believe I owe you an apology.

In a thread focused on hiking in the White Mountains to Mount Moriah, you initially asked two questions:

1. “in loose or semi-packed powder, how much of a difference do snow shoes make, as against boots with spikes?”

and

2. “Is it a night-and-day thing?”

Between the questions was your comment “I had a helluva time yesterday on basically level trail in the loose snow.”

I incorrectly assumed the questions were being asked based on the general context of the thread, which was and still is hiking in the White Mountains to Mount Moriah. I never once thought you were seeking assistance regarding how to walk on level gravel roads in Connecticut. Subsequently, you provided additional details describing the trail as “A 25' wide, graded, maintained, water company gravel road”. Prior to this specific comment I had no way of knowing your interest was something other than the posted nature of the thread.

The response I provided was based on the context of the thread, which was and still is hiking in the White Mountains to Mount Moriah.

If I had recognized your real interest, I probably would have said I don’t know and suggested you start a thread in the Q&A – New England forum. I’m sure there are people around here that can help. I do not have personal experience with level gravel roads in Connecticut and wouldn’t want to lead you to believe otherwise.

I screwed up and misunderstood the nature of your questions. For that I am sorry. Please accept my sincere apology.

Additionally, my suggestion to utilize the available search tools to zero in on past comments dealing with snowshoe use was also unintentionally misguided. I doubt there are any threads dealing with snowshoe use on level gravel roads in Connecticut, but I could be wrong.

For making a suggestion for action that would be little more than a waste of time on your part, I am sorry.

 

[Driver8]

I appreciate your making the effort, Earl. Again, good luck with your grid. I look forward to enjoying more of your fine reports and to learning from and profiting by them.

I regret that it was, as you explain, difficult for you to understand my initial query. I felt like, under the context, it was straightforward, but I can certainly understand that no two people will read the exact same passage in the exact same way. It is chuckle-worthy, the foibles and limitations of each of us as people - thank you for reminding me of that.

And I edited this post, a few times. I love the editing feature and make liberal use of it - the connection from my mind, such as it is, to my fingers, much less the rest of my body, is often tenuous and my find itself more than occasionally less than precise. It's helpful to keep in mind that this is true for so many of us. Good day, and happy trails.

 

[Driver8]

And for the record, the loop trail I hiked was a part of the Metacomet Trail stretch of the New England National Scenic Trail, in northwestern West Hartford and southwestern Bloomfield, CT, on the eastern slopes of Talcott Mountain. The Metacomet indeed follows for a mile and a half or so a water company road looping around the shores of Metropolitan District Commission (Hartford area water company) Reservoir Number 6. Where the Metacomet turns west to go up the mountain, I continued around the mostly level loop.

Sore and pained as my feet were by the large amount of give in the powdery snow, my spikes n/w/standing, the last thing I wanted to go was to continue up the mountain, ordinarily easy, in scarcely trod powder - I ran into the one guy who'd hiked it that day, in his snowshoes, as he headed back to his car from the top of the mountain. It was the intense post-hike pain in my feet, rising to the level of serious PF/borderline cramping in the left, which motivated my question to you. I wouldn't have troubled you and diverted from the thread's clear main thrust but for that - remember, I prefaced the initial question by "if you don't mind" - just wondered if snow-shoeing in powder would be more like day to the night of boots covered by spikes, if that's not by now utterly clear.

I took several photos that day which illustrate the trail/road, some of which I have attached below.

 

[mtruman]

Congrats on another month in the books Earl and Sue! Best of luck counting down your grid peaks over the next couple of months! Looking forward to following the rest of the journey. I'm certain that no kittens will be injured along the way