A hike after too many months off!

[alpinista]

I was supposed to meet HikerBob and Kaboose on Saturday at the Edmands Path trailhead at 8 a.m. Instead, it was the sound of my cell phone ringing, resting nicely on my nightstand, that awoke me from a peaceful slumber. It was 8:15 a.m., they were there, and I was in Salem, Mass., catching some Zzzzs. OK, it's decision time: Do I stay nicely tucked under the covers, and remain a slug? Or do I high-tail it outta there and at least get in a hike? I opted for the latter.

I hadn't been hiking since August for mostly work reasons, and I was hankerin' to be back in the woods. I made my way to Crawford Notch, assuming that the tons of snow that had fallen in recent weeks would still be there. But, in fact, I had no trouble driving my VW Bug down a clear and dry Mt. Clinton Road to the Edmands Path trailhead.

But I didn't get there until 1 p.m. yikes!

The last time I was on Edmands Path was last summer when I tagged Monroe for the Flags on the 48 memorial and opted to take this trail down back to the valley. It seemed so steep on the way down after a long day of hiking. But on this day, and for the short time I hiked, it was a pleasant, relatively flat stroll. Guess I didn't hike long enough to get to the really steep parts.

The recent storms had meant there were tons of blowdowns and large branches/brush in the trail. I spent time casting them to the side so they wouldn't be a nuisance when the early snows really fly and stick to the ground. About an hour into the hike, the trail gets wetter but it's totally manageable. This is also where a few patches of snow start to appear.

Around 2:30 p.m., just below where the deeper snow starts to show up, I decided to turn around to beat the impending nightfall.

All in all, I ended up seeing about a dozen hikers, including HB, Kaboose, LenDawg and Chinooktrail and several couples, father-mother-daughter combinations and pooches.

It was great to be back in the mountains!

Here are some pix: Alpinista's Webshots

 

[sapblatt]

Welcome back!
Glad you got out - that is one of my favorite trails!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Welcome back to the mountains! You made the right choice!

 

[MichaelJ]

Definitely a better choice than staying home!

 

[LenDawg]

Welcome back! It was nice meeting you on the hike. Hope to see you on the trails.

 

[giggy]

your more determined than I - because if I overslept - I would have written it off and bailed - I so respect you for heading out later. cool beans!!

 

[LenDawg]

Chinooktrail and I met up at the Highland Center and headed up to the start of the Edmands Path. Just before we started our climb, Christine noticed Hiker Bob's car in the lot, a very pleasant welcome to what would be a great hike.

We avoided some blow-downs and loose branches along the first part of the hike. I was pretty sluggish during most of the early parts of the hike. Not enough Goo, I guess (still should try Pete's method of freezing and snorting the stuff).

The first lookout was a mere teaser for what we would see. However, it was breathtaking in its own right. For the first time since I started this "hiking thing", I brought a camera. I'm hoping the link below works. If not, I'll be begging Tomahawk for instructions on how to best post them.

The trail was mostly wet until we got up to that first lookout. Then the snow began. We finally reached the base of the peak where we ran into Hiker Bob and Caboose starting their way downward. We chatted for a bit, and then proceeded to the top. Christine lead the way up the peak, assisting me with where NOT to step ("there's no rock there!"). It was prettty cool and windy at the summit. Christine tagged what I believe is her 36th... congrats! We stayed at the top for a bite to eat (I of course had my trusty sub, but no Moosehat this time).

We ran into a few dogs on the way. Great seeing them on the trail!

In between conversations, Christine kept checking back to see if I skidded off the trail ("I'm still here... almost.")

We finally caught up with Hiker Bob, Caboose, and Alpinista at about a quarter mile from the bottom, stopped for a quick photo shoot, and then headed down the final stretch before making plans for a quick stop at the Mooseland.

This was a fun hike, with great views, and great conversations. I hope the pictures come out okay. Thanks Chinooktrail for setting up this hike!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowseP...er=0&albumsperpage=12&navfolderid=0&ownerid=0

 

[Lovetohike]

LenDawg,
The link you posted takes you to a sgin in screen where you have to put in your e-mail and password, etc. I don't think that's what you wanted to post...

 

[amstony]

I hope your alarm goes off tomorrow, I'll be sitting in my driveway waiting on you...............

Oh yes, not a bad writeup for a journalist!

 

[Artex]

A stellar return! Welcome back to the mountains.