BIGEarl
Well-known member
March 31, 2007: Cardigan
Trails: Back 80 Trail, Elwell Trail, Mowglis Trail, West Ridge Trail, Skyland Trail, Vistamont Trail, Cathedral Trail, Holt Trail
Cardigan came as a result of an alarming development – (in this case, alarm clock). Our “Plan A” for the day was to hike Franconia Ridge from Lincoln through Flume. Our “Plan B” was Passaconaway and Whiteface. Both required an early start. The intentions were to head north at 6:00am for a meeting at 8:00am with MadRiver at the northbound Basin lot, drop the car, and he would drive us to the OBP/Falling Waters trailhead lot for our hike. At 6:30am Jennifer and I were on the phone discussing the available options. We both wanted a hike and realized our first choices slept late. The chosen fallback was Cardigan. Earlier we hiked Cardigan with Jennifer’s brother and had a very enjoyable day. That day was overcast and we were unable to enjoy the views. Today was clear and warm. Plus, we knew there were a number of other trail choices on Cardigan and decided to see some new terrain. Everything worked out great!
Starting a hike at 10:30am is a little late for both of us but that’s the hand we were dealt. After arriving at the AMC Cardigan Lodge we quickly geared-up and headed for the trails. We decided to take the “long way” to Cardigan’s summit, and beyond.
The first section of the day’s hike was spent on the Back 80 Trail. This is an easy walk in the woods with a very mild elevation gain, enjoying great spring conditions. There were patches of snow and ice, easily passed, and very little mud. We followed the Back 80 Trail from the Holt Trail to the junction with the Elwell Trail. Evidently, this is not a particularly popular trail in the winter. We saw no evidence of traffic, except for some moose and turkey tracks. There are a couple ski trail crossings where old ski tracks were visible. The Back 80 Trail passes through some large sections of hardwood with really nice views. Bright sun, warm temperatures, and no wind made for a pleasant start to the hike.
When we reached the Elwell Trail the work started. The trail starts to climb at a pretty good rate and a significant amount of ice was encountered. We were able to work around it without added traction aids. The thought of pulling out the Stabilicers came up once but we continued barebooting. The amount of moose activity in the area seemed to suggest this is a place where they yarded up for the winter. Lot’s of postholes for the next 1.5 to 2 miles. Some were very fresh and seemed to indicate we were moving some animals around though we never actually saw any. We also put up two grouse soon after changing to the Mowglis Trail.
The Moglis Trail is a moderate climb passing by the Crag Shelter. We made a quick rest stop at the shelter and enjoyed a snack. Above the Crag Shelter we started to encounter more sections of open ledge. There were a number of really nice viewing locations to the north and east. As we came closer to Firescrew the ledge areas became more open and exposed. Still there was no wind and the conditions were great. Also, at Firescrew we came upon the first human tracks of the day. The views were terrific and we got quite a few pictures of Kinsman Ridge, Franconia Ridge, the Bonds, The Presidentials, and more. After a few minutes we headed off for the Cardigan tower.
Roughly fifty yards below the tower we encountered a couple hikers and their dog in a sheltered place enjoying the day. We exchanged greetings and continued to the tower for some refreshments, a brief rest, and more pictures. Soon after reaching the tower, the wind started to come up and we decided to continue on our way.
Our next target was Rimrock. A short distance below the summit we started to encounter more ice, we were getting a little tired, and Jennifer decided to pull out her Stabilicers. We headed off on the West Ridge Trail, across Cliff’s Bridge, and right past the turn for the Skyland Trail. A few hundred yards after missing the turn we came upon another hiker taking a brief rest and asked if he knew where the Skyland Trail Junction was. He explained we missed it back near the bridge. So, back up the trail we hiked. It turned out to be a very well marked trail junction where we must have both been completely focused on the footing and not the surroundings. Back on track we were off for Rimrock. This trail had some evidence of traffic, but nothing recent. We made our way to Rimrock and found more terrific views. Just before stepping into the open area of Rimrock I nearly went down due to the ice and started seriously thinking about my Stabilicers. Soon after leaving Rimrock I pulled them out.
Next target, Orange Mountain (aka Mount Gilman). We continued on the Skyland Trail for the one mile hike to Orange Mountain. This section had a good amount of snow with a crust that generally supported us well. There were only a couple occasions where it gave way. It was getting to be late in the afternoon. We arrived at the summit, grabbed a few quick pictures and continued on our way out via the Vistamont Trail.
We followed the Vistamont Trail to Grand Junction passing the Clark Trail along the way. There were a few places on this trail where I would have preferred crampons, but surprisingly, the Stabilicers did the job. We managed to get down from Orange Mountain without any real problems – just a couple tricky places, and made it to Grand Junction by late afternoon. From here we headed off on the Holt Trail back to the Cardigan Lodge, and closed the loop.
Next stop, Dunkin Donuts in Bristol for Jennifer’s post-hike coffee.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Trails: Back 80 Trail, Elwell Trail, Mowglis Trail, West Ridge Trail, Skyland Trail, Vistamont Trail, Cathedral Trail, Holt Trail
Cardigan came as a result of an alarming development – (in this case, alarm clock). Our “Plan A” for the day was to hike Franconia Ridge from Lincoln through Flume. Our “Plan B” was Passaconaway and Whiteface. Both required an early start. The intentions were to head north at 6:00am for a meeting at 8:00am with MadRiver at the northbound Basin lot, drop the car, and he would drive us to the OBP/Falling Waters trailhead lot for our hike. At 6:30am Jennifer and I were on the phone discussing the available options. We both wanted a hike and realized our first choices slept late. The chosen fallback was Cardigan. Earlier we hiked Cardigan with Jennifer’s brother and had a very enjoyable day. That day was overcast and we were unable to enjoy the views. Today was clear and warm. Plus, we knew there were a number of other trail choices on Cardigan and decided to see some new terrain. Everything worked out great!
Starting a hike at 10:30am is a little late for both of us but that’s the hand we were dealt. After arriving at the AMC Cardigan Lodge we quickly geared-up and headed for the trails. We decided to take the “long way” to Cardigan’s summit, and beyond.
The first section of the day’s hike was spent on the Back 80 Trail. This is an easy walk in the woods with a very mild elevation gain, enjoying great spring conditions. There were patches of snow and ice, easily passed, and very little mud. We followed the Back 80 Trail from the Holt Trail to the junction with the Elwell Trail. Evidently, this is not a particularly popular trail in the winter. We saw no evidence of traffic, except for some moose and turkey tracks. There are a couple ski trail crossings where old ski tracks were visible. The Back 80 Trail passes through some large sections of hardwood with really nice views. Bright sun, warm temperatures, and no wind made for a pleasant start to the hike.
When we reached the Elwell Trail the work started. The trail starts to climb at a pretty good rate and a significant amount of ice was encountered. We were able to work around it without added traction aids. The thought of pulling out the Stabilicers came up once but we continued barebooting. The amount of moose activity in the area seemed to suggest this is a place where they yarded up for the winter. Lot’s of postholes for the next 1.5 to 2 miles. Some were very fresh and seemed to indicate we were moving some animals around though we never actually saw any. We also put up two grouse soon after changing to the Mowglis Trail.
The Moglis Trail is a moderate climb passing by the Crag Shelter. We made a quick rest stop at the shelter and enjoyed a snack. Above the Crag Shelter we started to encounter more sections of open ledge. There were a number of really nice viewing locations to the north and east. As we came closer to Firescrew the ledge areas became more open and exposed. Still there was no wind and the conditions were great. Also, at Firescrew we came upon the first human tracks of the day. The views were terrific and we got quite a few pictures of Kinsman Ridge, Franconia Ridge, the Bonds, The Presidentials, and more. After a few minutes we headed off for the Cardigan tower.
Roughly fifty yards below the tower we encountered a couple hikers and their dog in a sheltered place enjoying the day. We exchanged greetings and continued to the tower for some refreshments, a brief rest, and more pictures. Soon after reaching the tower, the wind started to come up and we decided to continue on our way.
Our next target was Rimrock. A short distance below the summit we started to encounter more ice, we were getting a little tired, and Jennifer decided to pull out her Stabilicers. We headed off on the West Ridge Trail, across Cliff’s Bridge, and right past the turn for the Skyland Trail. A few hundred yards after missing the turn we came upon another hiker taking a brief rest and asked if he knew where the Skyland Trail Junction was. He explained we missed it back near the bridge. So, back up the trail we hiked. It turned out to be a very well marked trail junction where we must have both been completely focused on the footing and not the surroundings. Back on track we were off for Rimrock. This trail had some evidence of traffic, but nothing recent. We made our way to Rimrock and found more terrific views. Just before stepping into the open area of Rimrock I nearly went down due to the ice and started seriously thinking about my Stabilicers. Soon after leaving Rimrock I pulled them out.
Next target, Orange Mountain (aka Mount Gilman). We continued on the Skyland Trail for the one mile hike to Orange Mountain. This section had a good amount of snow with a crust that generally supported us well. There were only a couple occasions where it gave way. It was getting to be late in the afternoon. We arrived at the summit, grabbed a few quick pictures and continued on our way out via the Vistamont Trail.
We followed the Vistamont Trail to Grand Junction passing the Clark Trail along the way. There were a few places on this trail where I would have preferred crampons, but surprisingly, the Stabilicers did the job. We managed to get down from Orange Mountain without any real problems – just a couple tricky places, and made it to Grand Junction by late afternoon. From here we headed off on the Holt Trail back to the Cardigan Lodge, and closed the loop.
Next stop, Dunkin Donuts in Bristol for Jennifer’s post-hike coffee.
BIGEarl's Pictures
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