PETCH
New member
Mt. Carrigain via Signal Ridge Trail up and back, 07/11/2009. All the way and half way......
Participants: Petch and Crazy Bob
Trail Conditions: Wet and muddy down low. All stream crossings possible by rock hopping- 1 to 2inches of water above rocks. The rest of trail in pretty good shape with some mud in spots as to be expected.
Equipment: Poles helpful during water crossings. Bugs are starting to show themselves- bug dope a good idea to bring along.
Comments: Crazy Bob and I decided to try to hook up with Bobby who was finishing his 48th. We had some time constraints, so we left at 8am and figured we'd see Bobby at the top or along the way. We made it to the first trail junction in 1/2 hour (1.7 miles). Not too bad for a couple hacks. All right, Crazy Bob is more of an athlete, but I'm a hack- it is what it is. 50ft up the Carrigain Notch trail was a caravan of tents. Some campers had set up shop right smack dab in the middle of the trail?
wtf? I think we were the first hikers they saw that morning and they appear to quickly tear down camp and walk off with the tents......it takes all kinds, I digress. We went across the water crossings with little issue and started climbing. We stopped for a break and another hiker (didn't get his name) came up behind us. He was hiking at a pretty good clip and mentioned he had done the 48's more than twice. The three of us continued the climb at warp speed, but eventually I felt like I was going to cough up a lung, and motioned to the other 2 guys (as I was falling to the ground from exhaustion), to go on without me. Crazy Bob was nice enough to hang back while I inhaled some supplemental oxygen. This is a real neat trail and you could tell the views from the top were going to be awesome as we crested signal ridge. The views across Carrigain notch to Mt Lowell were superb. We got to the top in 3 hours flat. We hung around enjoying the 360 degree views watching for Bobby and company to come into view. We stayed as long as we could and after I popped a couple Aleve, we started the descent. We ran into Peakbagger (NH), and another VFTTer and then ran into Bobby and congratulated him on his accomplishment. This is his 48th, and it's my 24th (half way). Crazy Bob is a couple behind me, but is bound to overtake me shortly. We ran into several other hikers including a lady hiker wearing a pair of Teva's! My feet would be hamburger if I tried that. We then ran into Kevinmac who got a very late start. Got back down to the truck in 2 3/4 hours. I find caffeine keeps me from walking downhill like a stumbling drunk and helps me make better foot placement decisions. I still managed to dislocate my left knee cap once, but just once.
Consumption note: D&D medium coffee, multigrain bagel sand(sausage,egg,cheese), 3 power bars, 1 protein bar, 3 liters water, 1 liter gatorade, 1 sugar free Red Bull (watching my figure), 2 PB&J sandwiches. No Little Debbie snacks this trip.......
10 miles, 5 3/4 hours hiking time, 1 hr of lounging at the top enjoying the incredible views.
Congrats again, Bobby!
Pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/mpetcher
Note: Crazy Bob had the digital SLR, so all the good pix are from him.......
Participants: Petch and Crazy Bob
Trail Conditions: Wet and muddy down low. All stream crossings possible by rock hopping- 1 to 2inches of water above rocks. The rest of trail in pretty good shape with some mud in spots as to be expected.
Equipment: Poles helpful during water crossings. Bugs are starting to show themselves- bug dope a good idea to bring along.
Comments: Crazy Bob and I decided to try to hook up with Bobby who was finishing his 48th. We had some time constraints, so we left at 8am and figured we'd see Bobby at the top or along the way. We made it to the first trail junction in 1/2 hour (1.7 miles). Not too bad for a couple hacks. All right, Crazy Bob is more of an athlete, but I'm a hack- it is what it is. 50ft up the Carrigain Notch trail was a caravan of tents. Some campers had set up shop right smack dab in the middle of the trail?
wtf? I think we were the first hikers they saw that morning and they appear to quickly tear down camp and walk off with the tents......it takes all kinds, I digress. We went across the water crossings with little issue and started climbing. We stopped for a break and another hiker (didn't get his name) came up behind us. He was hiking at a pretty good clip and mentioned he had done the 48's more than twice. The three of us continued the climb at warp speed, but eventually I felt like I was going to cough up a lung, and motioned to the other 2 guys (as I was falling to the ground from exhaustion), to go on without me. Crazy Bob was nice enough to hang back while I inhaled some supplemental oxygen. This is a real neat trail and you could tell the views from the top were going to be awesome as we crested signal ridge. The views across Carrigain notch to Mt Lowell were superb. We got to the top in 3 hours flat. We hung around enjoying the 360 degree views watching for Bobby and company to come into view. We stayed as long as we could and after I popped a couple Aleve, we started the descent. We ran into Peakbagger (NH), and another VFTTer and then ran into Bobby and congratulated him on his accomplishment. This is his 48th, and it's my 24th (half way). Crazy Bob is a couple behind me, but is bound to overtake me shortly. We ran into several other hikers including a lady hiker wearing a pair of Teva's! My feet would be hamburger if I tried that. We then ran into Kevinmac who got a very late start. Got back down to the truck in 2 3/4 hours. I find caffeine keeps me from walking downhill like a stumbling drunk and helps me make better foot placement decisions. I still managed to dislocate my left knee cap once, but just once.Consumption note: D&D medium coffee, multigrain bagel sand(sausage,egg,cheese), 3 power bars, 1 protein bar, 3 liters water, 1 liter gatorade, 1 sugar free Red Bull (watching my figure), 2 PB&J sandwiches. No Little Debbie snacks this trip.......
10 miles, 5 3/4 hours hiking time, 1 hr of lounging at the top enjoying the incredible views.
Congrats again, Bobby!
Pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/mpetcher
Note: Crazy Bob had the digital SLR, so all the good pix are from him.......
