Double Bow
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OK, been putting this off long enough...
7/16/05 And we're off! Shamie and I set off for our third week long section of the LT starting where we left off last, at Middlebury Gap and heading to our car spot (not the car's name) at Smuggler's Notch. We had stopped in Middlebury for lunch and grabbed a couple subs to bring with us and have as dinner that night. We wanted to ease into the trail food.
We started off in midafternoon with a half-day hike on the agenda. The climb up the notch and to Burnt Hill wasn't bad, though our pack weight did slow us down a little (my pack weighed 45lbs). From here, we passed Boyce Shelter and climbed Battell Mtn on our way to Breadloaf.
It was sort of funny but, although I had planned out the itinerary for the trip, I hadn't realized that we would be climbing Breadloaf on the first day! The peakbagger in me was excited to be getting this NEHH and we made sure to go up the .1mi spur to the summit. After coming down, we stopped in at Emily Proctor Shelter for the night.
Here, we spent the night with a southbound LT guy whose name we didn't catch and two Northbound LT girls named Heather and K. We chatted awhile and found out that the guy had been bitten by a dog 20min into his hike. Fortunately, the dog hadn't done much damage! The girls told us they had been celebrating earlier since they had reached the halfway point after having been out for two weeks. Shamie and I ate the subs and went to bed, wanting to get an early start the next morning.
7/17/05 Great way to start the day! This day started with climbing the rest of the way up Mt Wilson, another NEHH. It was very nice as we climbed through the wet woods and grew a little sick of ferns. Still, it was enjoyable and we liked the climbs over Roosevelt and Cleveland before stopping in at Cooley Glen Shelter for lunch where we met some southbound LTers who were enjoying a gourmet lunch with bread and smoked cheeses. It made my PB&J pita look mighty ghetto! While we were lunching, K and Heather arrived. They had woken up later than us but, the fact that they only had granola bars and water for breakfast got them out and on the trail quickly. Shamie and I had oatmeal and hot drinks every morning plus either a bar or a Pop Tart. The girls had a quick snack and chatted for a bit leaving. We were in no hurry so we hung out a little longer.
After lunch, we had a good time climbing Mt Grant before the long decent into Lincoln Gap and we really enjoyed the slabs and the view from Sunset Ledges. Unlike some of the other gaps we had been to, this one wasn't a steep decent however, like others, we had a steep climb up the other side as we made our way up the south ridge of Abraham. Just before we headed up from the road, an old guy, a woman, and a young teen girl in a skirt started up before us. They had nothing with them and seemed a little confused. A little while after we started up, they passed us as they were coming back down. Our best guess was that they had intended to go up to Sunset Ledges but, went up the wrong trail from the parking area.
We continued up until we reached Battell Shelter, our destination for the night. Here we got to meet the wonderful caretaker who actually hung out for a while and didn't just ask for the money and take off. We again shared the shelter with Heather and K as well as a new friend named Uncle Walt. He was really nice and shared about how he had hiked the AT before and that this was his third time hiking the LT but, he wasn't sure how much longer he could do it. He had breathing difficulties and was constantly breathing hard, even in his sleep. I'm sure his smoking didn't help. Actually, K, the dog bite guy, and the two southbounders from lunch all smoked. I've never run into so many smokers while backpacking, nevermind ones that smoke during their lunch stops. I never even though of doing that when I was a smoker.
Anyway, Uncle Walt was very nice and his deep breathing was gentle enough that it actually helped me get to sleep.
7/18/05 Go Double Bow, it's your birthday! Go Double Bow, it's your birthday! Well it was my birthday and what better way to spend it than climbing a couple 4Ks I hadn't been up? The morning started early under an ominous sky but we climbed the rest of the way up Abraham anyway and were rewarded with a view of... nothing. We were completely clouded in but, at least we had the summit to ourselves. I found the two benchmarks and we took our pictures before adjourning to Lincoln Peak and the observation deck there. We spent time chilling out and watching the waves of cloud and mist rush by. It was fun and one of the highlights of the day for Shamie (strange girl
)
After that, we stopped in at a Sugarbush warming hut to check it out and found that it had been kinda trashed. It was really a shame to see the way some folks leave things a mess like that. Leaving the hut, we continued on a very pleasant ridge walk until we got to the sign indicating the summit of Ellen and the mini-cairn in the middle of the trail. We took a snack break there and while there, K and Heather passed by and asked us "What is this?". To which I replied that it was the summit of Ellen. She said that it was very anticlimatic and they kept going. I thought it was cool... sure no view, but then again, I like Galehead and Waumbek for reasons I don't fully understand.
Following that, we continued on decending Ellen, passing the spur for Glen Ellen Lodge, and then ascending Gen Stark to the beautiful warming hut at Mad River Glen's single lift. There we found Uncle Walt who had left the shelter long before us. He had just finished his lunch and was having a smoke. We put out somethings to dry on the deck and went in for lunch. I moved two of the Adirondak chairs to the window and we ate. I never though I was going to be able to get out of that chair again, it was so comfortable! While we were eating, Uncle Walt said that he was going to be spending the night at Theron Dean Shelter and that he thought that was as far as he could make it that day and we wished each other well.
After finishing, K and Heather arrived. They had gone down the .3mi spur to Glen Ellen to have lunch since they needed more water. Shamie and I sunned ourselves on the deck and talked for awhile as the girls had luch inside. They decided to take it easy and spend the night there since they were getting picked up on Rte 17 the next day and figured that since Theron Dean is small, they might not get a spot in the shelter (they had no tent). We continued on.
The way over to Theron Dean wasn't bad but the descent to Appalachian Gap and then the climb out of it were wearing. After finally getting up and over Baby Stark and Molly Stark Mtns, we had to book it since, due to our taking everything so leasurely, we were running out of daylight.
We happily made it Birch Glen Camp and found that we had it all to ourselves. This is an amazing shelter with a nice big porch, a table and benches on the porch, and a semi-private bunkroom plus no fee! We had a great salmon pasta dinner and wine to celebrate my birthday and a great day on the trail.
7/16/05 And we're off! Shamie and I set off for our third week long section of the LT starting where we left off last, at Middlebury Gap and heading to our car spot (not the car's name) at Smuggler's Notch. We had stopped in Middlebury for lunch and grabbed a couple subs to bring with us and have as dinner that night. We wanted to ease into the trail food.
We started off in midafternoon with a half-day hike on the agenda. The climb up the notch and to Burnt Hill wasn't bad, though our pack weight did slow us down a little (my pack weighed 45lbs). From here, we passed Boyce Shelter and climbed Battell Mtn on our way to Breadloaf.
It was sort of funny but, although I had planned out the itinerary for the trip, I hadn't realized that we would be climbing Breadloaf on the first day! The peakbagger in me was excited to be getting this NEHH and we made sure to go up the .1mi spur to the summit. After coming down, we stopped in at Emily Proctor Shelter for the night.
Here, we spent the night with a southbound LT guy whose name we didn't catch and two Northbound LT girls named Heather and K. We chatted awhile and found out that the guy had been bitten by a dog 20min into his hike. Fortunately, the dog hadn't done much damage! The girls told us they had been celebrating earlier since they had reached the halfway point after having been out for two weeks. Shamie and I ate the subs and went to bed, wanting to get an early start the next morning.
7/17/05 Great way to start the day! This day started with climbing the rest of the way up Mt Wilson, another NEHH. It was very nice as we climbed through the wet woods and grew a little sick of ferns. Still, it was enjoyable and we liked the climbs over Roosevelt and Cleveland before stopping in at Cooley Glen Shelter for lunch where we met some southbound LTers who were enjoying a gourmet lunch with bread and smoked cheeses. It made my PB&J pita look mighty ghetto! While we were lunching, K and Heather arrived. They had woken up later than us but, the fact that they only had granola bars and water for breakfast got them out and on the trail quickly. Shamie and I had oatmeal and hot drinks every morning plus either a bar or a Pop Tart. The girls had a quick snack and chatted for a bit leaving. We were in no hurry so we hung out a little longer.
After lunch, we had a good time climbing Mt Grant before the long decent into Lincoln Gap and we really enjoyed the slabs and the view from Sunset Ledges. Unlike some of the other gaps we had been to, this one wasn't a steep decent however, like others, we had a steep climb up the other side as we made our way up the south ridge of Abraham. Just before we headed up from the road, an old guy, a woman, and a young teen girl in a skirt started up before us. They had nothing with them and seemed a little confused. A little while after we started up, they passed us as they were coming back down. Our best guess was that they had intended to go up to Sunset Ledges but, went up the wrong trail from the parking area.
We continued up until we reached Battell Shelter, our destination for the night. Here we got to meet the wonderful caretaker who actually hung out for a while and didn't just ask for the money and take off. We again shared the shelter with Heather and K as well as a new friend named Uncle Walt. He was really nice and shared about how he had hiked the AT before and that this was his third time hiking the LT but, he wasn't sure how much longer he could do it. He had breathing difficulties and was constantly breathing hard, even in his sleep. I'm sure his smoking didn't help. Actually, K, the dog bite guy, and the two southbounders from lunch all smoked. I've never run into so many smokers while backpacking, nevermind ones that smoke during their lunch stops. I never even though of doing that when I was a smoker.
Anyway, Uncle Walt was very nice and his deep breathing was gentle enough that it actually helped me get to sleep.
7/18/05 Go Double Bow, it's your birthday! Go Double Bow, it's your birthday! Well it was my birthday and what better way to spend it than climbing a couple 4Ks I hadn't been up? The morning started early under an ominous sky but we climbed the rest of the way up Abraham anyway and were rewarded with a view of... nothing. We were completely clouded in but, at least we had the summit to ourselves. I found the two benchmarks and we took our pictures before adjourning to Lincoln Peak and the observation deck there. We spent time chilling out and watching the waves of cloud and mist rush by. It was fun and one of the highlights of the day for Shamie (strange girl
) After that, we stopped in at a Sugarbush warming hut to check it out and found that it had been kinda trashed. It was really a shame to see the way some folks leave things a mess like that. Leaving the hut, we continued on a very pleasant ridge walk until we got to the sign indicating the summit of Ellen and the mini-cairn in the middle of the trail. We took a snack break there and while there, K and Heather passed by and asked us "What is this?". To which I replied that it was the summit of Ellen. She said that it was very anticlimatic and they kept going. I thought it was cool... sure no view, but then again, I like Galehead and Waumbek for reasons I don't fully understand.
Following that, we continued on decending Ellen, passing the spur for Glen Ellen Lodge, and then ascending Gen Stark to the beautiful warming hut at Mad River Glen's single lift. There we found Uncle Walt who had left the shelter long before us. He had just finished his lunch and was having a smoke. We put out somethings to dry on the deck and went in for lunch. I moved two of the Adirondak chairs to the window and we ate. I never though I was going to be able to get out of that chair again, it was so comfortable! While we were eating, Uncle Walt said that he was going to be spending the night at Theron Dean Shelter and that he thought that was as far as he could make it that day and we wished each other well.
After finishing, K and Heather arrived. They had gone down the .3mi spur to Glen Ellen to have lunch since they needed more water. Shamie and I sunned ourselves on the deck and talked for awhile as the girls had luch inside. They decided to take it easy and spend the night there since they were getting picked up on Rte 17 the next day and figured that since Theron Dean is small, they might not get a spot in the shelter (they had no tent). We continued on.
The way over to Theron Dean wasn't bad but the descent to Appalachian Gap and then the climb out of it were wearing. After finally getting up and over Baby Stark and Molly Stark Mtns, we had to book it since, due to our taking everything so leasurely, we were running out of daylight.
We happily made it Birch Glen Camp and found that we had it all to ourselves. This is an amazing shelter with a nice big porch, a table and benches on the porch, and a semi-private bunkroom plus no fee! We had a great salmon pasta dinner and wine to celebrate my birthday and a great day on the trail.
