Bombadil
Active member
CCW Pemi Loop, 7.2.11
This past Saturday my friend Carmen and I decided to shoot for a Pemi Loop. It would be the first loop for both of us and since it would be a large jump up in mileage from the longest day hike either of us had done, we were hoping for about a 14h finish including West Bond. We started down Lincoln Woods at 5:45 am and along the way discussed which direction to take and I was able to talk Carmen into going for the CCW route to get the long and boring section up to Bondcliff done while it was early in the day so the miles would slip by unnoticed. We hadn't hiked together in a few months so we had lots of catching up to do and before we knew it we were up on Bondcliff just after 8:45 am. We hadn't bothered to refuel much along the way so we took a few minutes at both Bond and West Bond to recharge and take some photos (It was my 3rd time to the Bonds in the last 3+ months but it was my first time getting the views).
We picked up the pace and made what felt like good time up South Twin and made the much anticipated left hand turn towards Garfield. Our time to Garfield was a little slower than we would have liked but wasn't much outside what we had hoped for. We crossed paths with Chris Dailey who was doing a CW loop as well as another group of 3 doing the same route a little ways behind him.
On Garfield we took our longest break of the day but still we both bonked heading up Lafayette. I think it was a combination of the heat and the elevation already under our belts but it took a disappointing 2 hours from Garfield to Lafayette. The crowds weren't too bad up on the ridge but we did manage to see some golfers teeing off up on the summit of Lafayette--that was a first. As expected with Lafayette under out belts we made good time heading over to Flume in < 2h, passing only a handful of hikers enjoying the gorgeous sunny weather. We made pretty good time down Osseo which instantly became one of my favorite trails for its good footing and easy grade. When all was said and done we wrapped up just a tad later than we had hoped, coming in at about 14h 25 min (including W Bond). We were pretty satisfied with that time since we only ran/trotted 3-4 miles out of the hike, so hopefully next time with a little more running we can add in Galehead and N. Twin in roughly the same time. Not much more can be said other than it was an awesome hike, we met a bunch of great people and saw some familiar faces, and I can't wait for the next loop!
Pat
pcushing21 at yahoo.com
pics:
Bondcliff from Bond
Bondcliff from W. Bond
South Twin; clouds lifting off the presis
Carmen en route up Lafayette
In need of some espresso GU on Lafayette
Golfer on Lafayette
obligatory Franconia Ridge shot
Bonds from Flume
This past Saturday my friend Carmen and I decided to shoot for a Pemi Loop. It would be the first loop for both of us and since it would be a large jump up in mileage from the longest day hike either of us had done, we were hoping for about a 14h finish including West Bond. We started down Lincoln Woods at 5:45 am and along the way discussed which direction to take and I was able to talk Carmen into going for the CCW route to get the long and boring section up to Bondcliff done while it was early in the day so the miles would slip by unnoticed. We hadn't hiked together in a few months so we had lots of catching up to do and before we knew it we were up on Bondcliff just after 8:45 am. We hadn't bothered to refuel much along the way so we took a few minutes at both Bond and West Bond to recharge and take some photos (It was my 3rd time to the Bonds in the last 3+ months but it was my first time getting the views).
We picked up the pace and made what felt like good time up South Twin and made the much anticipated left hand turn towards Garfield. Our time to Garfield was a little slower than we would have liked but wasn't much outside what we had hoped for. We crossed paths with Chris Dailey who was doing a CW loop as well as another group of 3 doing the same route a little ways behind him.
On Garfield we took our longest break of the day but still we both bonked heading up Lafayette. I think it was a combination of the heat and the elevation already under our belts but it took a disappointing 2 hours from Garfield to Lafayette. The crowds weren't too bad up on the ridge but we did manage to see some golfers teeing off up on the summit of Lafayette--that was a first. As expected with Lafayette under out belts we made good time heading over to Flume in < 2h, passing only a handful of hikers enjoying the gorgeous sunny weather. We made pretty good time down Osseo which instantly became one of my favorite trails for its good footing and easy grade. When all was said and done we wrapped up just a tad later than we had hoped, coming in at about 14h 25 min (including W Bond). We were pretty satisfied with that time since we only ran/trotted 3-4 miles out of the hike, so hopefully next time with a little more running we can add in Galehead and N. Twin in roughly the same time. Not much more can be said other than it was an awesome hike, we met a bunch of great people and saw some familiar faces, and I can't wait for the next loop!
Pat
pcushing21 at yahoo.com
pics:
Bondcliff from Bond
Bondcliff from W. Bond
South Twin; clouds lifting off the presis
Carmen en route up Lafayette
In need of some espresso GU on Lafayette
Golfer on Lafayette
obligatory Franconia Ridge shot
Bonds from Flume
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