TMax
New member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 589
- Reaction score
- 85
Sunday's (Sept. 10) weather report was much improved from Saturday's when I did the FOT48 and hiked the Wildcats so I opted to make the trek up Carrigan on a day I knew I would be able to appreciate the views. It was a pleasant and uneventful hike up. Never saw another soul until I'd been on the summit about 30 minutes. Hung out at the firetower for quite awhile enjoying the views, trying to stay warm and contemplating tagging Vose Spur (it looked so close!). Hikethe115 has burned into my brain the mantra "LEAVE NO STRAGGLERS" so eventually I decided to go for it. I put on long sleeves and buried my hair in a hat to help protect myself from the thick bushes I was about to whack... Well, about 45 minutes later, having covered very little ground and having been a little beat up, I wound up back at the firetower mumbling something like "leaping lizards superwoman...what could you possibly have been thinking???"
I decided instead to make the loop down Desolation to Carrigan Notch and maybe catch Vose Spur from that side. The climb down Desolation is STEEP and had the appearance of late fall with a thick cover of leaves. The going was slow and I really appreciated it when the down stopped and I came out on a nice flat comfortable trail. Shortly after passing where the trail comes in from Stillwater Junction I ran into a couple coming in the opposite direction. They had just climbed Nancy and were looking for "the parking lot." I had a heck of a time convincing the guy that they were headed in the wrong direction. I think he thought I was. I pulled out my map and showed him where they had made their mistake, going in the wrong direction on the Nancy Pond Trail. They were bummed as they hadn't planned on such a long hike! I suggested they walk out with me and I would give them a ride back to their car. I think I made friends for life! Needless to say, by the time I got around to where I contemplated climbing Vose Spur, my motivation for doing so was gone. Oh well, guess I'll just have to go back.
...BTW...who's the yellow sticky bandit??
I decided instead to make the loop down Desolation to Carrigan Notch and maybe catch Vose Spur from that side. The climb down Desolation is STEEP and had the appearance of late fall with a thick cover of leaves. The going was slow and I really appreciated it when the down stopped and I came out on a nice flat comfortable trail. Shortly after passing where the trail comes in from Stillwater Junction I ran into a couple coming in the opposite direction. They had just climbed Nancy and were looking for "the parking lot." I had a heck of a time convincing the guy that they were headed in the wrong direction. I think he thought I was. I pulled out my map and showed him where they had made their mistake, going in the wrong direction on the Nancy Pond Trail. They were bummed as they hadn't planned on such a long hike! I suggested they walk out with me and I would give them a ride back to their car. I think I made friends for life! Needless to say, by the time I got around to where I contemplated climbing Vose Spur, my motivation for doing so was gone. Oh well, guess I'll just have to go back. ...BTW...who's the yellow sticky bandit??
