Scanning back in the trail register, the most recent entry for Allen was March 15, in which MarkL said the river at the ford was impassable. I don’t know if he meant on snowshoes, wading, or swimming. MarkL is tough and if he said impassable, I believe him. It looked like I was the first person to try to climb Allen in five weeks. The absence of snow at lower elevations, recent warm weather, and little rain suggested to me that the river level should be down enough for safe crossing. In addition, the weather forecast was for “sunny” (which was not entirely correct), so I thought it was time for a visit to Allen.
The first challenge was not falling in the water crossing the loose planks connecting to the log bridge over Lake Jimmy--I made it. The many wet areas along the trail were wet as usual, but not as bad as I have seen them many times in summer. Arriving at the Opalescent crossing point, I went upstream to a string of large rocks in the river about 100 feet below the old bridge site, where it was easy to rock-hop to the other side. Some nerve and skill are needed to cross here, and long legs are definitely helpful, but it sure beats the hassle of taking boots off, wading, drying, etc.
The herdpath to Skylight Brook was in good shape with not a trace of snow anywhere. There are three big blowdowns which need to be cleared--maybe something to do on my next trip . . . After a break at Skylight Brook, one of my favorite spots, I thought I heard voices. Impossible! No one else is up here; I have it all to myself. Then I see two figures coming out of the bushes, Gary and Matt! They had the same idea I did that today was a great day for Allen. As we reached the gorge of Allen Brook, we saw our first clumps of snow and the amounts progressively increased as we ascended. About half way up I put on my snowshoes to avoid breaking through where the water had tunneled under the snow. Gary and Matt managed with Microspikes, since they had decided not bring snowshoes. There were a few open areas on the slide where I clackety-clacked up, but for the most part I liked the support and traction of the snowshoes (especially on the descent). In the woods, the snow spine was hard and sharp on the herdpath to the summit, which still had 1-3 feet of snow. At least the snow cover made it easier to walk out to the overlooks.
Both snowshoes and Microspikes were used in the descent, which was much slower than usual—but I stayed on my feet all the way! The long walk out was uneventful, and I couldn’t see that the river has risen any during the day.
Allen is open. Why wait till summer, with the horrendous bugs, more mud, and treacherous brown slime? Go for it!!!
The first challenge was not falling in the water crossing the loose planks connecting to the log bridge over Lake Jimmy--I made it. The many wet areas along the trail were wet as usual, but not as bad as I have seen them many times in summer. Arriving at the Opalescent crossing point, I went upstream to a string of large rocks in the river about 100 feet below the old bridge site, where it was easy to rock-hop to the other side. Some nerve and skill are needed to cross here, and long legs are definitely helpful, but it sure beats the hassle of taking boots off, wading, drying, etc.
The herdpath to Skylight Brook was in good shape with not a trace of snow anywhere. There are three big blowdowns which need to be cleared--maybe something to do on my next trip . . . After a break at Skylight Brook, one of my favorite spots, I thought I heard voices. Impossible! No one else is up here; I have it all to myself. Then I see two figures coming out of the bushes, Gary and Matt! They had the same idea I did that today was a great day for Allen. As we reached the gorge of Allen Brook, we saw our first clumps of snow and the amounts progressively increased as we ascended. About half way up I put on my snowshoes to avoid breaking through where the water had tunneled under the snow. Gary and Matt managed with Microspikes, since they had decided not bring snowshoes. There were a few open areas on the slide where I clackety-clacked up, but for the most part I liked the support and traction of the snowshoes (especially on the descent). In the woods, the snow spine was hard and sharp on the herdpath to the summit, which still had 1-3 feet of snow. At least the snow cover made it easier to walk out to the overlooks.
Both snowshoes and Microspikes were used in the descent, which was much slower than usual—but I stayed on my feet all the way! The long walk out was uneventful, and I couldn’t see that the river has risen any during the day.
Allen is open. Why wait till summer, with the horrendous bugs, more mud, and treacherous brown slime? Go for it!!!
