wardsgirl
Active member
I have often thought it would be a great deal of fun to hike the length of the Dry River Trail. You know... the trail where everyone gets lost and needs to call for an evacuation. Friday dawned sunny and warm, so we decided that, having no plans for the Fourth of July, we would take a stab at the Dry River Trail. We planned to hike from Rt. 302 up to Oakes Gulf, bang a left, and descend via any number of side trails back to Rt. 302.
After stopping to eat way too much food at Almost There in Conway, we eventually outwitted the traffic and arrived at the trailhead. My BF graciously offered to drive the car up to the AT crossing and hitch back to the Dry River trailhead, not only so that we could come out of the woods at the car if we decided to hike Webster Cliff Trail on the descent, but also to place the car strategically at a populated parking area which would be easy to get a ride to if we descended via any other western route. As usual, he had no trouble finding a ride back to the Dry River trailhead, and soon caught up to me on the trail.
It was a lovely day, so far and there was a nice view up the valley to Oakes Gulf.
Because of all the rain we had lately, the Dry River was running wild and high. We reached the damaged bridge and had to make a decision on how to cross the river. The sign on the bridge states that a bridge crosser will be issued a $5000 fine and 6 months imprisonment for trespassing on the bridge. That seems pretty steep to me. Less steep, however, than the descent to the rapidly flowing river for a treacherous and life-threatening crossing of whitewater? ... perhaps.
Our leisurely hike brought up to the campsite at the Mt. Isolation Trail. The site was occupied by a few uber-woodsmen, complete with axes and a variety of imported beers. I admired their nicely hung tarpage and my BF and I continued along the ridge to another flat campsite as it began to rain. Fortunately, it did not rain for long, and we were able to make delicious sausage subs for dinner, served with our own imported beer, before the real rain came.
In the night, the rain poured down. I had flashbacks to my Long Trail hike last year, where it rained every day. Luckily, the rain stopped in the morning and we packed up camp after a nice breakfast of coffee, bagels and cream cheese. We didn't see the uber-woodsmen in the morning again, or any other person, in fact, for the rest of the weekend.
After a short while, we reached Dry River Falls, which was flowing full bore.
The trail was very wet and muddy, so we didn't even bother to try to rock-hop any of the numerous stream crossings. After crossing a waist-high stream, we reached Dry River Shelter #3. Although my BF and I have been backpacking in the Whites for a million years, we never realized that there was a shelter here! We almost decided to stay, but a big patch of blue sky was coming our way and the day was going to be dazzlingly sunny! -yeah, right!
Our hopes for good weather were short-lived, as the rain began to fall. On a positive note, the Dry River Trail from Dry River Shelter #3 to treeline was beautifully maintained. Recent clippings littered the trail which was brushed a bit wide for Wilderness standards, but a welcome treat, nonetheless. As thunder rumbled, we pressed on, anxious to reach the headwall of Oakes Gulf. As lightning struck the horizon while thunder boomed, we laughed that we were less than one mile from Lakes of the Clouds Hut. As the hail poured from the sky while the lightning and thunder intensified, we reached treeline and said, 'screw this,' and went back to Dry River Shelter #3.
Dry River Shelter #3
We didn't bother to try to light a fire or set off any commemorative fireworks as the rain continued into the night. After a delicious meal of rice tacos with cheese, salsa, and guacamole, accompanied by cold beer, we went to sleep in the shelter. Note to anyone contemplating spending a night in Dry River Shelter #3: Sleep with your head to the back of the shelter. The shelter is tilted forward, and you will roll out of the shelter in the night if you try to sleep in it lengthwise!
The rain stopped by morning and we enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup. We packed up to hike back out the way we came in. Fortunately, plenty of raindrops blew off the trees and carwashed us from the sides of the narrow trail, so we didn't have to worry about our clothes or pack covers getting too dry as we hiked out in the sunshine.
On the way out, I lost the trail at one point, and had to bushwhack about twenty feet up a steep slope to get back onto the trail. I felt like I had cheated death itself. No helicopter evacuation was necessary on the Dry River Trail this weekend!
As we neared the road, my wonderful BF hiked ahead, hitched to retrieve the car, and had a lawn chair, a cold beer, and bowl of chili from the Willey House waiting for me when I came out of the woods. It was a Fourth of July to remember, but, then again, maybe it would be better to just forget.
After stopping to eat way too much food at Almost There in Conway, we eventually outwitted the traffic and arrived at the trailhead. My BF graciously offered to drive the car up to the AT crossing and hitch back to the Dry River trailhead, not only so that we could come out of the woods at the car if we decided to hike Webster Cliff Trail on the descent, but also to place the car strategically at a populated parking area which would be easy to get a ride to if we descended via any other western route. As usual, he had no trouble finding a ride back to the Dry River trailhead, and soon caught up to me on the trail.
It was a lovely day, so far and there was a nice view up the valley to Oakes Gulf.
Because of all the rain we had lately, the Dry River was running wild and high. We reached the damaged bridge and had to make a decision on how to cross the river. The sign on the bridge states that a bridge crosser will be issued a $5000 fine and 6 months imprisonment for trespassing on the bridge. That seems pretty steep to me. Less steep, however, than the descent to the rapidly flowing river for a treacherous and life-threatening crossing of whitewater? ... perhaps.
Our leisurely hike brought up to the campsite at the Mt. Isolation Trail. The site was occupied by a few uber-woodsmen, complete with axes and a variety of imported beers. I admired their nicely hung tarpage and my BF and I continued along the ridge to another flat campsite as it began to rain. Fortunately, it did not rain for long, and we were able to make delicious sausage subs for dinner, served with our own imported beer, before the real rain came.
In the night, the rain poured down. I had flashbacks to my Long Trail hike last year, where it rained every day. Luckily, the rain stopped in the morning and we packed up camp after a nice breakfast of coffee, bagels and cream cheese. We didn't see the uber-woodsmen in the morning again, or any other person, in fact, for the rest of the weekend.
After a short while, we reached Dry River Falls, which was flowing full bore.
The trail was very wet and muddy, so we didn't even bother to try to rock-hop any of the numerous stream crossings. After crossing a waist-high stream, we reached Dry River Shelter #3. Although my BF and I have been backpacking in the Whites for a million years, we never realized that there was a shelter here! We almost decided to stay, but a big patch of blue sky was coming our way and the day was going to be dazzlingly sunny! -yeah, right!
Our hopes for good weather were short-lived, as the rain began to fall. On a positive note, the Dry River Trail from Dry River Shelter #3 to treeline was beautifully maintained. Recent clippings littered the trail which was brushed a bit wide for Wilderness standards, but a welcome treat, nonetheless. As thunder rumbled, we pressed on, anxious to reach the headwall of Oakes Gulf. As lightning struck the horizon while thunder boomed, we laughed that we were less than one mile from Lakes of the Clouds Hut. As the hail poured from the sky while the lightning and thunder intensified, we reached treeline and said, 'screw this,' and went back to Dry River Shelter #3.
Dry River Shelter #3
We didn't bother to try to light a fire or set off any commemorative fireworks as the rain continued into the night. After a delicious meal of rice tacos with cheese, salsa, and guacamole, accompanied by cold beer, we went to sleep in the shelter. Note to anyone contemplating spending a night in Dry River Shelter #3: Sleep with your head to the back of the shelter. The shelter is tilted forward, and you will roll out of the shelter in the night if you try to sleep in it lengthwise!
The rain stopped by morning and we enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup. We packed up to hike back out the way we came in. Fortunately, plenty of raindrops blew off the trees and carwashed us from the sides of the narrow trail, so we didn't have to worry about our clothes or pack covers getting too dry as we hiked out in the sunshine.
On the way out, I lost the trail at one point, and had to bushwhack about twenty feet up a steep slope to get back onto the trail. I felt like I had cheated death itself. No helicopter evacuation was necessary on the Dry River Trail this weekend!
As we neared the road, my wonderful BF hiked ahead, hitched to retrieve the car, and had a lawn chair, a cold beer, and bowl of chili from the Willey House waiting for me when I came out of the woods. It was a Fourth of July to remember, but, then again, maybe it would be better to just forget.
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