Brothers, Coe and Doubletop Trip 1/26 - 1/29

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Mats Roing

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
732
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Location
Brighton, MA
Player Rooster:
Arm
Skimom
Frodo
Jay H
Mtnpa
Hot Donna
MEB
Swamp
Mats

Carpooling from Portsmouth Park and Ride to Millinocket was done by the majority of the crew.
After an eventful car ride where a certain Hannaford’s inventory of whoppie pies were depleted, we arrived at The Terrace where we stayed overnight and met Frodo the next morning.

Saturday 1/26
After packing the sleds and loading them onto the trucks and driving for 45 minutes or so we took off from Telos Road breaking some good virgin snow with our sleds. 6 miles to Nesowadnehunk Campground was the task for today. Some of us snowshoed and some skied. Moose tracks but no signs of moose. We followed the forest roads all the way to the campground except for the last ¼ mile or so where we followed a trail into the sun drenched campground. It was a beautiful sigh a little after 3pm with the cozy cabin waiting to get fired up. Jay and Swamp made sure the wood stove didn’t stay cold much longer. The five of us who slept outside started to set up tents and organize a lean-to. Arm brought his music and the disco balls were glittering in the windows.

By the time it was dark a variety of food and beverages was the objective for us. We figured we could probably stay an extra week without starving. We had an early night around 9pm since a long day was ahead with an early rise. It was frigid cold outside! At 9pm the thermometer showed -15 degrees and it felt a lot colder in the morning........no official reading was made though.

Sunday 1/27
It was easy to get into the cabin to get warmed up and get something hot to drink and eat. Keeping the extremities warm was the primary objective today. The second objective was to climb Mt. Coe, the Brothers and possible Mt. Fort. We grouped up in to teams of four and five. Hot Donna, Mtnpa, MEB and Swamp broke the trail up to South Brother while Frodo, Arm, Skimom, Jay H and I went up Coe Slide to Mt. Coe. It was slow going since constantly breaking trail. The good thing was we were many of us. We had walkie-talkies also so we could communicate with the other group. The upper part of Coe Slide presented us with a bit harder work than the less angled lower part. The sun was shining and we were able to snowshoe the whole way.....no crampons......after a small section in the woods above the slide we inhaled the breath-taking views from Mt. Coe. The other group had some hard work going up the steep section to the ridge between North and South Brother. We ended up meeting on top of South Brother. It was after 3pm when we came back down below tree line and we decided it was going to be rough going breaking the trail up to North Brother so we decided to take the crew off the mountain and back home. 16-17 miles was good enough for a cold day like this. Came back down to the snowmobile trail around 5pm and we put our packs in the sleds for the last 3 miles up to the campground. It started to get very cold again. Took some time to get the heat going in the cabin but it eventually did. What would we do without the cabin we thought........

The evening flew by with the great company with hot food and beverages flowing. Sometime after 10pm it got so hot in the cabin that the Swede decided to take a dip in the river. It had to be done really quickly since the temps were well down in the negative territory. A mad dash to the river and off with the clothes faster than an employee at Club La Casa. The feet were the worst since exposed constantly. Laying down in the water, then off with the headlamp so the head would get dipped also......up on the ice to get down booties and goretex pants and jacket on.....and the 100 yards back to the cabin. Hot Donna volunteered as Bay Watch Babe to assist in case something happened. All went well with the refreshing experience though :)

Monday 1/28
A beautiful morning and not so cold anymore....probably was above zero by the time the sun made some impact. Today we were more free flowing and one group made an attempt on Doubletop without summiting since some feet got cold in the slow process of breaking the trail. Better to be safe than sorry so we turned back 700 feet below the summit. Another group went to bag North Brother since most of it was broken out. Another group did some easy skiing. Frodo had to work the next day so he departed for the easy 6 miles of road back to the car. It was wicked awesome to sit on the cabin deck in the afternoon sun and no wind starting to nab away at the inventory of good stuff we wanted to finish before heading home the next day. MEB’s lasagna went faster than you could say “Nesowadnehunk”. Hamburger soup by mtnmama, chicken parmesan, Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes, some dish with sausage, eggs and bread with maple syrup......yum! The cabin even turned into a dance floor this night. Foot- and back massages were abundant as well......with or without olive oil. ;)

Tuesday 1/29
Today was cleaning up and packing out on the morning agenda. Some had to clean up more than others. Swamp and Jay left earlier than the rest. Temps in the 20’s now. The sleds were a lot lighter than on the way in.....can’t have been the mini-kegs? It was a beautiful trip back to the cars and those people who skied enjoyed it even more on the long gentle downhills. I think we figured out the spot where Frodo found the bloody antlers the previous day......lots of moose hair chunks and moose tracks.....after loading the sleds we were off to the AT Cafe in Millinocket......dropped MEB off in Freeport, ME and then the Portsmouth commuters met at the Park and Ride where it felt like we just met up there yesterday.

Thanks for organizing it Arm!
 
spencer said:
How was the new bunkhouse?
spencer

.....they named it "Cozy Cabin" I think......it's cozy in there :) .....we were nine people and I think that's the max capacity at dinner time. They could set up some clothes lines in the tall ceiling to make it easier to dry off....like the huts in the White Mountains with the mechanism to lower and raise the clothesline.

It's such a peaceful setting with the open fields surrounded by beautiful forest, the river flowing silently, Swamp chopping wood by the wood shed, Skimom putting together something awesome to eat in the cabin, Donna and Mike coming back from skiing with shades and color in their faces, Arm and Frodo hauling water back to the cabin, Jay H planning the next day's action on the sunny porch....you see the picture.......we felt like happy little gnomes in winter wonderland going about our business to tend to the little things which makes life really wicked awesome out in the wilderness. I wish we could just have added a moose family crossing the field behind the cabin.....maybe next time :)
 
Great trip report Mats!! Sounds like you all had a brilliant time. It's a beautiful place - one of these days I'd like to see it in all its splendor in the winter. Food sounds absolutely delicious AND you had whoopie pies???....yummy ... now I really wish I could have gone! :) :)
 
thanks to everyone for a fun trip !

one funny quote from Swamp, after his backpack fell out of his sled, breaking trail heading into basecamp:
"I think I'm getting my second wind !"

Camp Cozy is the new (temporary?) 4-person bunkhouse at Nesowadnehunk

as a wise man once said, "Baxter State Park Rules" ! :)

thanks to Frodo and GO for leading BSP Winter trips over the past six years ... there were many friends on those trips we missed on this trip

lookin' forward to going back ... posted a few pics here
http://community.webshots.com/user/armhike
.
 
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Sounds like you guys had a great trip.
I spoke to Jay this morning. I'm heading out to meet up with him tomorrow. We're hoping to summit Baxter/Katahdin Sunday morning. Driving home listening to the Superbowl !
 
Mats Roing said:
.....they named it "Cozy Cabin" I think......it's cozy in there :)

Oh yeah, I was there the day they loaded up Cozy Cabin from its previous home at Daicy Pond, loaded it on a trailer and hauled it up the Tote Rd. to Nesowadnehunk. When it was sitting on the trailer I tried to go inside but moving it had skewed the structure so much out of square that the door wouldn't open! It is quite small indeed. I was thinking that they were going to use the new ranger cabin for winter guests but now I remember the deal.

If I think of it, I'll load up some pics I took of the cabin on the trailer.
 
Hey all, looks like you guys had a great weekend, I was thinking of you all. The cabin looks like a resort to me :). So Mats, I guess the sled was holding up OK? Thanks for the great report and pictures.
 
Nice trip report Mats!!!

I heard it was a BLAST!!! Hopefully I will make it next winter.

I can't believe you went into the water. What are ya nuts??

You people are so much fun to be with!!!!!! :)

I was thinking of all of you and missing my man.
 
Frodo rocking out with the axe... priceless.


Excellent pics and looks like you guys got some awesome clear weather.
I can't wait!
 
Another memorable part of the trip was when 2nd degree black belt Skimom gave one of the hardmen in the group a lesson in karate outside the cabin.......ask and you shall recieve ;) Someone will think twice next time before asking her to hit him with her best shot...... :D :D :D
 
Sounds like a great trip you guys had. Yes, baxter is the place

The new Cabin at chimmey has propan lanterns. According to the alpine ranger Roaring Brook Cabin will also get the same lanterns. Seems they rather supply lanterns then have people use candles. Perhaps all the cabins will be reto with lanterns.


bunk house
 
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Fun trip with some fun people and wicked awesome food! :D

Great hiking on Sunday up to South Brother. Had hoped to go over to Coe but it was late in the day. I'm bummed my feet froze on the way to Doubletop :( ...I was up there last September and it has some amazing views.

Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

-MEB
 
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spencer said:
Oh yeah, I was there the day they loaded up Cozy Cabin from its previous home at Daicy Pond, loaded it on a trailer and hauled it up the Tote Rd. to Nesowadnehunk.......I was thinking that they were going to use the new ranger cabin for winter guests but now I remember the deal.


Sounds like a great trip.

Does the Nesowadnehunk cabin in which you stayed have two rooms, one with two double bunks, the other a small kitchen-livingroom? If so, I think that is the one in which five us stayed in March 1999, and I seem to remember being told that it was only a year or two old at that time? One couple who shared a bunk, so we all were able to sleep inside.

Hey, karate is great for chopping fire wood, right?
 
Baxter, oh yea!

Thanks Arm for leading another great trip into Baxter State Park. And a great big thanks to Dani & MEB, the co-leaders for helping to make this trip most awesome. Skiing, hiking and hanging with good friends, in BSP?? What more can you ask for?

Now, anyone up for a quick run up & down Coe Slide????

Thanks to everyone on the food front...yummy! Ginny, your soup was great!

Here's a few pictures. Sorry I didn't have time to write up captions.

http://community.webshots.com/user/donnaryan102
 
Hey all, when viewing my BSP pictures they are showing up as the last album...when I look at them, they show up as my 1st...don't know how to fix it...but the pictures are there, just need to go to the bottom. :confused:

Happy hiking!
 
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