David Metsky
Well-known member
I'm not the best hiker in very hot weather. I tend to wilt, eventually whither, when the heat and humidity climb. So it comes as some bit of a mystery why I would start a hike up the Moosilauke Slide trail at 11:00 on one of the hottest days of the year, but then again, there I was, nauseous and lightheaded on the loose scree ...
Christine and I headed up from Boston at 8:00 with the A/C cranking, stopped at White Mountain Bagel in Lincoln to grab some lunch for the day. We checked in at MRL (now with a walrus head?!) for dinner reservations but they were full, so we packed up and headed out, leaving the lodge around 10:50. It was already hot but we kept a fairly moderate and steady pace up to Last Sure Water. There I suggested that we take the Slide trail, now closed, but still pretty easy to follow if you know where you start. We headed into the woods and were soon climbing.
The bottom of the slide is much more grown in than I remembered, but not difficult to follow. We were stopping to observe birds along the way; I'm just begining to be able to identify bird calls. About 1/3 the way up the slide I began feeling a bit off. Nothing to glaring, just not a good feeling. I was drinking lots of water, but I could tell my heart was racing a bit. The center of the slide is out in the open, no shade, and it was now 12:30 or so, the heart of the heat. Soon, I was feeling less OK, definately a bit of nausea, and a slight "buzzing" in my head. Not the best place for it, either.
We found a bit of shade, and I sat and drank and ate a little bit. That seemed to calm things down but only to put a damper on my condition, not to eliminate it. Christine had frozen her waterbottle the night before and the cold water tasted much nicer than my luke warm camelback. We kept going up (easier than going down) and with a few more stops reached the top of the slide where we entered the woods again. There we rested a long time and I drank another liter of water. That seemed to take the edge off, I was feeling, if not normal, then at least not horrible.
The trail from the top of the slide to the Carriage Road went much easier in the shade, then the easy surface and slope of the Carriage Road was a breeze, as was the breeze. A quick jaunt to the top of South Peak for lunch began to restore my body to normalcy. We met up with one of the DOC cabin crew up there, and talked a bit about her summer so far. No one else was there, and we could see lots of people on the main summit, so the isolation felt good. Lots of haze to the south and west, but surprisingly clear to the main peak.
After lunch (and more ice water!) we headed to the main summit, again, meeting far fewer people than I'd expected. This late in the day we may have missed the hoards. There were several groups on the top, and this year's Alpine Steward. He asked about the summit spring and I walked him over to it, curious myself how it looked these days. Plenty of water, not lookin' too fresh, though. We didn't hang around long, just time enough to eat a few snacks and touch the summit sign. The rest of the Whites were completely hidden in the haze. The blackflies are what finally drove us away, I have dozens of bites on my ankles and neck; it was a blood bath.
About half way down we started seeing many folks headed to the summit, they'd probably left the lodge around 3:00 or 3:30. There's plenty of daylight left this time of year, and the heat was becoming a bit more tolerable, but they really didn't have enough water among them and some were looking pretty hot and bothered already. We made it down, having consumed the better part of 6 liters between the two of us, and stopped to dunk our feet in the Baker River. At the lodge we found a few seats had been freed up for dinner so we ate in, then headed home.
For a mountain so familar, it was odd to feel so out of sorts. I've been up Moosilauke many times but never felt quite like that. Lack of sleep and too many hours of work have turned me into a bit of weekend warrior, something I need to watch as I get up in years and hike in the middle of the hot summer days. I probably could stand to pre-hydrate a lot more, carry a frozen water bottle, and get more sleep. But I thought what would have happened if I were solo up on the slide, knowing that no one else was going to pass that way, with no shelter near by and me feeling so badly. Thoughts to ponder while trying to get to sleep on a hot night in Boston.
Photos are HERE.
-dave-
Christine and I headed up from Boston at 8:00 with the A/C cranking, stopped at White Mountain Bagel in Lincoln to grab some lunch for the day. We checked in at MRL (now with a walrus head?!) for dinner reservations but they were full, so we packed up and headed out, leaving the lodge around 10:50. It was already hot but we kept a fairly moderate and steady pace up to Last Sure Water. There I suggested that we take the Slide trail, now closed, but still pretty easy to follow if you know where you start. We headed into the woods and were soon climbing.
The bottom of the slide is much more grown in than I remembered, but not difficult to follow. We were stopping to observe birds along the way; I'm just begining to be able to identify bird calls. About 1/3 the way up the slide I began feeling a bit off. Nothing to glaring, just not a good feeling. I was drinking lots of water, but I could tell my heart was racing a bit. The center of the slide is out in the open, no shade, and it was now 12:30 or so, the heart of the heat. Soon, I was feeling less OK, definately a bit of nausea, and a slight "buzzing" in my head. Not the best place for it, either.
We found a bit of shade, and I sat and drank and ate a little bit. That seemed to calm things down but only to put a damper on my condition, not to eliminate it. Christine had frozen her waterbottle the night before and the cold water tasted much nicer than my luke warm camelback. We kept going up (easier than going down) and with a few more stops reached the top of the slide where we entered the woods again. There we rested a long time and I drank another liter of water. That seemed to take the edge off, I was feeling, if not normal, then at least not horrible.
The trail from the top of the slide to the Carriage Road went much easier in the shade, then the easy surface and slope of the Carriage Road was a breeze, as was the breeze. A quick jaunt to the top of South Peak for lunch began to restore my body to normalcy. We met up with one of the DOC cabin crew up there, and talked a bit about her summer so far. No one else was there, and we could see lots of people on the main summit, so the isolation felt good. Lots of haze to the south and west, but surprisingly clear to the main peak.
After lunch (and more ice water!) we headed to the main summit, again, meeting far fewer people than I'd expected. This late in the day we may have missed the hoards. There were several groups on the top, and this year's Alpine Steward. He asked about the summit spring and I walked him over to it, curious myself how it looked these days. Plenty of water, not lookin' too fresh, though. We didn't hang around long, just time enough to eat a few snacks and touch the summit sign. The rest of the Whites were completely hidden in the haze. The blackflies are what finally drove us away, I have dozens of bites on my ankles and neck; it was a blood bath.
About half way down we started seeing many folks headed to the summit, they'd probably left the lodge around 3:00 or 3:30. There's plenty of daylight left this time of year, and the heat was becoming a bit more tolerable, but they really didn't have enough water among them and some were looking pretty hot and bothered already. We made it down, having consumed the better part of 6 liters between the two of us, and stopped to dunk our feet in the Baker River. At the lodge we found a few seats had been freed up for dinner so we ate in, then headed home.
For a mountain so familar, it was odd to feel so out of sorts. I've been up Moosilauke many times but never felt quite like that. Lack of sleep and too many hours of work have turned me into a bit of weekend warrior, something I need to watch as I get up in years and hike in the middle of the hot summer days. I probably could stand to pre-hydrate a lot more, carry a frozen water bottle, and get more sleep. But I thought what would have happened if I were solo up on the slide, knowing that no one else was going to pass that way, with no shelter near by and me feeling so badly. Thoughts to ponder while trying to get to sleep on a hot night in Boston.
Photos are HERE.
-dave-
