Neil
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2004
- Messages
- 3,434
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- 487
First TR here in a while!
I finally made it back to the Whites. Took me 4h30 to drive to Barnes Field where I set up a tent. Then I took the Pinkham B shortcut road back to Rte 2 and geared up for a hike I've been wanting to do for years: Castellated Ridge to Jefferson. The upper elevations where totally socked in and snow clad. The forecast called for afternoon sun and it was 11am. I carried spikes and wore Tingleys (rubber overboots) over runners. The trail climbed through the woods and at about 4000' it got very "interesting" very fast. The fresh snow was slick, the wind was blowing and the trail was very craggy. My base layer was soaked under the rain jacket I put on because of the water pouring down off the trees as the sun hit the snow. I wore thin mitts under shells. Eventually, I was far too cold out in the open with the wind sawing away at my core temperature so I stopped and slipped into something way more comfortable and kept moving. I thought to myself that this wasn't anything like the Adirondacks. I was liking it while feeling intimidated. Spikes on for a while now, I stepped carefully and mindfully of the descent. I wanted to able to trust each footprint and use it on the way down.
At one point a thick, dark cloud rolled through and totally killed my visibility for a few minutes, which was sobering in spite of having my footprints and some cairns to take me down. I watched the time having decided to turn around at 3:30. I wanted to be below tree-line well before dark. I made it up at 3 for a four-hour ascent. Everywhere I looked it was white so now I know where these mountains get their name from.
The careful descent went well except I stepped into a hole and wrenched my knee. (No pain until the next morning and then a fair amount.)
I got out at sunset and was soon back in camp reading quietly and sipping beer while my supper heated.
On day two I met Dunbar at the Great Gulf parking area at 6:30 and my knee was now pretty sore so instead of playing around on Washington's steeper gullies we opted to try my knee out on the Osgood Trail to Madison. The knee seemed OK as long as I avoided tweaking it so we then headed up Mt. Adams via Star Lake and the very impressive Star Lake trail that I once hiked 12 years ago. We descended the same trail and I found it to be brutal, always being extra careful and mindful of my knee (pretty sure today by the pain that I tweaked a meniscus when I fell). Then we took the Buttress Trail (that Dunbar maintains) down to the Great Gulf Trail and that too involved traversing a huge pile of big rocks. But, what an awesome bluebird day of hiking we had! Long walk out along Peabody Brook for a 12 hour day. I repeated the reading and eating routine at my campsite and decided not to hike on day three.
Pictures
I finally made it back to the Whites. Took me 4h30 to drive to Barnes Field where I set up a tent. Then I took the Pinkham B shortcut road back to Rte 2 and geared up for a hike I've been wanting to do for years: Castellated Ridge to Jefferson. The upper elevations where totally socked in and snow clad. The forecast called for afternoon sun and it was 11am. I carried spikes and wore Tingleys (rubber overboots) over runners. The trail climbed through the woods and at about 4000' it got very "interesting" very fast. The fresh snow was slick, the wind was blowing and the trail was very craggy. My base layer was soaked under the rain jacket I put on because of the water pouring down off the trees as the sun hit the snow. I wore thin mitts under shells. Eventually, I was far too cold out in the open with the wind sawing away at my core temperature so I stopped and slipped into something way more comfortable and kept moving. I thought to myself that this wasn't anything like the Adirondacks. I was liking it while feeling intimidated. Spikes on for a while now, I stepped carefully and mindfully of the descent. I wanted to able to trust each footprint and use it on the way down.
At one point a thick, dark cloud rolled through and totally killed my visibility for a few minutes, which was sobering in spite of having my footprints and some cairns to take me down. I watched the time having decided to turn around at 3:30. I wanted to be below tree-line well before dark. I made it up at 3 for a four-hour ascent. Everywhere I looked it was white so now I know where these mountains get their name from.
The careful descent went well except I stepped into a hole and wrenched my knee. (No pain until the next morning and then a fair amount.)
I got out at sunset and was soon back in camp reading quietly and sipping beer while my supper heated.
On day two I met Dunbar at the Great Gulf parking area at 6:30 and my knee was now pretty sore so instead of playing around on Washington's steeper gullies we opted to try my knee out on the Osgood Trail to Madison. The knee seemed OK as long as I avoided tweaking it so we then headed up Mt. Adams via Star Lake and the very impressive Star Lake trail that I once hiked 12 years ago. We descended the same trail and I found it to be brutal, always being extra careful and mindful of my knee (pretty sure today by the pain that I tweaked a meniscus when I fell). Then we took the Buttress Trail (that Dunbar maintains) down to the Great Gulf Trail and that too involved traversing a huge pile of big rocks. But, what an awesome bluebird day of hiking we had! Long walk out along Peabody Brook for a 12 hour day. I repeated the reading and eating routine at my campsite and decided not to hike on day three.
Pictures
