Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day to finish my 48... & it was made all the more special by the great group of friends who agreed to come with me! My pictures are
here
It poured on and off during as Dave and I drove the four hours to New Hampshire Saturday morning, but the weather forecasters kept saying it would be a beautiful day, so I was hopeful they‘d be right. We arrived at the Signal Ridge trailhead to find skies clearing and HarryK packing the supplies needed to make a “beer run” to the summit. Soon after, HikerBob and Karen pulled in, bearing the smiley-faced balloon (here after known as “Guy Smiley”) that I attached to my pack, hoping to make it lighter for the 10-mile roundtrip hike. It was fun to have, especially on the way down because I got to tell everyone on the trail that I was finishing the 48. Alpinista arrived minutes later and by 9:15 a.m. we were heading up the trail.
We briefly discussed just bushwhack around the first stream crossing but decided to just try it. Whiteface Brook was rushing fairly quickly due to the overnight rains. Harry and Dave made it across without too much trouble but the shorter-legged of the group had difficulty making the rock hop. Harry dutifully attempted to make it easier for us by tossing some large rocks into the stream as additional steps, but the water was going so fast it was a little scary. Though Alpinista made it across there, HikerBob, Karen & I made the crossing a little upstream. Just after crossing, a tree branch snapped the string holding Guy Smiley to my pack and the balloon floated up into a tree. Dave managed to reach it with his trekking poles and we reattached it to the pack. Fortunately, all of the other brook crossings were much easier and some of the areas that were rushing with water the last time HikerBob was in the area were completely dry.
The first 1.7 miles of the hike were flat and easy, but beautiful as we passed through tunnels of orange and yellow leaves in some gorgeous displays of fall foliage. At the junction with the Carrigain Notch Trail, SteveHiker and his friend Rich caught up with us as we were chatting and preparing for steep climb up to the summit. Hiker Bob & Karen requested that we have the summit festivities even if they hadn’t arrived because they weren’t sure they would go all the way to the top or not.
The trail heads pretty steeply uphill from the junction through a gorgeous stand of birch trees. I had been told this portion of the trail was “unrelenting” and it was tougher than I expected. Our group began to split up a bit as we made our way up at varying speeds up the slope. Blue skies would occasionally appear overhead and then get swallowed again by the clouds. Every once in a while we’d get a quick peak through the trees at the sides of nearby Mt. Lowell.
Lisa & I arrived at the first viewpoint, just below Signal Ridge, to find Harry, Steve and Rich waiting for us. We decided that would be a good place to regroup because it was out of the chilly wind. As Dave came around the corner, we could instantly see he wasn’t feeling well -- he hadn’t eaten anything all day, was tired and had banged his knee on a rock . As we walked up to Signal Ridge and he saw the tower about a half-mile ahead, he decided it would be better to head back down. I took some of the weight out his pack and he headed back down, after assuring me he was tired but fine.
Lisa and & made it up to the summit and climbed up to the observation deck… to join Harry, Steve and Rich. I couldn’t believe that I had finally made it to my final peak! HarryK broke out the great La Fin Du 48 beer (which I had a heck of a time getting open) and a summit sign he made for the occasion and we took the requisite pictures. Although the skies were a little cloudy, we got a taste of the views, particularly in the direction of the Presidentials. Every once in a while, the mists would rush back over it. At 2, we decided it was time to head back down, with HarryK saying his goodbyes -- he planned to race home in order to attend a concert in Montreal (and we all want to know if you made it to the concert sans speeding ticket!)
Lisa & I arrived back at Signal Ridge to find Bob and Karen. They decided to stop at the ridge since it had the benefit of the views. There, they pulled out their comfy camp chairs and even saw me make it to the summit -- or rather they saw Guy Smiley as I climbed up the stairs and sat on the deck!
The four of us headed back down the trail together, retracing our steps and finding the going much easier on the way down. We stopped at the smiley face that SteveHiker made out of rocks (it originally said RPI) and Bob & Lisa rearranged them to read VFTT. It was pretty smooth sailing heading down the trail and we found the water levels at the brook crossings had receded enough so they didn’t cause us trouble (though Lisa waded across the toughest one rather than bothering with the rock hopping. It started to rain fairly close to the end of the hike and we all stopped to put on rain gear, so it promptly stopped. It was 5:30 p.m. when we made it out of the woods, officially ending my quest for the 48!
We finished off the hike with some rum that Lisa brought and Bob provided me with a set of pictures he brought in case the views were clouded over -- that way I could see what it looked like from the summit. (Thanks so much and they are on my mantle now with Guy Smiley still hovering over them!) Dave was feeling much better after some food and a nap so we all headed to Truant’s for dinner.
This year has been a grand adventure…I started my 48 in July 2002 and hiked 38 this year… (though four of those were repeats.) I just want to say one more time how thankful I am for VFTT… it means so much to know there are other people who there who share my love of hiking! Thanks to Dave, Harry, Lisa, Bob, Karen, Steve & Rich for making the hike so special!
--Ivy
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