Tom Rankin
Well-known member
The 'weekend' started out Thursday at Pamola and Whichway's pad. We had a few cold ones, and a large pan of ziti. They did not join us, but they wished us well on our journey.
Friday we did the Hancocks. We started around 8:00 and got out around 2:00. It's about 10 miles. The last half mile is insanely steep no matter which way you go around the loop! Fortunately, the rain held off until we were mostly back down the tough parts. No views, but still a beautiful day in the woods.
Saturday we did a 'Flags' hike to Middle Tri-Pyramid (over North Tri-P first). We took the Pine Bend Brook trail. It was humid and the trees were wet, so we were pretty damp when we got to the top. At the top, the mild breeze, and the on-and-off sunshine, helped make us feel better. We met about 20 people, none of whom knew about the event beforehand. Almost everyone thought it was a pretty cool thing to be involved in, and several said they would consider it for next year. We met an Iraqi vet and a guy who had been in the Pentagon that fateful day. On the way out, we met the North Tri-P flag crew, John S and a friend. Good job guys!
Sunday was rainy so we did a little sight seeing, around the Flume Gorge and the Woodstock Brewery!
Monday we saw the forecast was humid, and cloudy, but almost no rain, so we set our sights on Willie. It's another steep hike, and I'm glad the ladders are in good shape! When we got to the top, there was a little mist, but we managed. The views opened up for a while and we enjoyed seeing into the Pemi. On the way down, we could see towards the East a little. We met a trail angel at the trailhead, providing food for AT Hikers.
As we were going down, I asked Laurie if she wanted to stay another day if the weather was looking promising. So we went to the Crawford Notch visitor center and found out it was looking pretty good. We drove around Twin Mountain (The village!) and found a room at the 4 Seasons. Nice place, not too expensive, TV, AC, Frig. The next morning we drove to the Trailhead of the Edmands Path, and started up for Eisenhower around 7:15. We were very surprised to see a steadily flowing stream way up on the side of Ike. We hit the summit around 9:50. It was still mostly cloudy, but every now and then we could see the Big Boys peaking out. The forecast called for clearing, so we took a chance and headed over to Pierce. Every time we turned around, Ike was looking better! There was another good source of water down in the Col. When we returned from Pierce, it was mostly clear and we had great views in all directions. We skipped the Ike summit, returning around the bypass trail that skirts around to the East. The Edmands path is a delight. It's a perfect trail for making good time on the way down.
Totals, about 34 miles, and 12,000' of elevation gain. As Laurie kept saying, not bad for a couple of old farts!
Pics (which I'm sure will remind me of something!) to follow...
Friday we did the Hancocks. We started around 8:00 and got out around 2:00. It's about 10 miles. The last half mile is insanely steep no matter which way you go around the loop! Fortunately, the rain held off until we were mostly back down the tough parts. No views, but still a beautiful day in the woods.
Saturday we did a 'Flags' hike to Middle Tri-Pyramid (over North Tri-P first). We took the Pine Bend Brook trail. It was humid and the trees were wet, so we were pretty damp when we got to the top. At the top, the mild breeze, and the on-and-off sunshine, helped make us feel better. We met about 20 people, none of whom knew about the event beforehand. Almost everyone thought it was a pretty cool thing to be involved in, and several said they would consider it for next year. We met an Iraqi vet and a guy who had been in the Pentagon that fateful day. On the way out, we met the North Tri-P flag crew, John S and a friend. Good job guys!
Sunday was rainy so we did a little sight seeing, around the Flume Gorge and the Woodstock Brewery!
Monday we saw the forecast was humid, and cloudy, but almost no rain, so we set our sights on Willie. It's another steep hike, and I'm glad the ladders are in good shape! When we got to the top, there was a little mist, but we managed. The views opened up for a while and we enjoyed seeing into the Pemi. On the way down, we could see towards the East a little. We met a trail angel at the trailhead, providing food for AT Hikers.
As we were going down, I asked Laurie if she wanted to stay another day if the weather was looking promising. So we went to the Crawford Notch visitor center and found out it was looking pretty good. We drove around Twin Mountain (The village!) and found a room at the 4 Seasons. Nice place, not too expensive, TV, AC, Frig. The next morning we drove to the Trailhead of the Edmands Path, and started up for Eisenhower around 7:15. We were very surprised to see a steadily flowing stream way up on the side of Ike. We hit the summit around 9:50. It was still mostly cloudy, but every now and then we could see the Big Boys peaking out. The forecast called for clearing, so we took a chance and headed over to Pierce. Every time we turned around, Ike was looking better! There was another good source of water down in the Col. When we returned from Pierce, it was mostly clear and we had great views in all directions. We skipped the Ike summit, returning around the bypass trail that skirts around to the East. The Edmands path is a delight. It's a perfect trail for making good time on the way down.
Totals, about 34 miles, and 12,000' of elevation gain. As Laurie kept saying, not bad for a couple of old farts!
Pics (which I'm sure will remind me of something!) to follow...
