Gale River Trail to Galehead Hut

[RGF1]

It is a bit dated 1993 but here is a areail view of the section of the gale river trail.
If you look at the Image to the south of the trail is a logging road that you can walk on I am not 100% sure but A XC or Snowmobie trail now connects to it and crosses the Gale river above or near the bridge in question If so you could easily by pass the river crossing.
A few other hints unbuckle your pack and loosen the shoulder straps. so you can take it off if you do have to cross the river. . Alot of that are is fairly open forest so you might be able ot simply bush wack with little problem and aviod the river crossing.
It might rain Saturday and if the temps go above 55 or so any snow will melt very rapidly .
Try playing around with Terraserver ( there is a thread that you can find it and download the soft ware )

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/im...em,+NH+03574&ALon=-71.6307961&ALat=44.2248124 t
try moving it south and east . also look at the maps as that is possible
here is the topozone map of the area and wher that logging road goes

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat...s=50&size=l&symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

You can probably follow the contour using either a compass or GPS
be safe.

 

[Zimmer]

but A XC or Snowmobie trail now connects to it and crosses the Gale river above or near the bridge in question If so you could easily by pass the river crossing.

RGF, are you sure it's the Gale River trail that the snowmobile trail crosses? There's a snowmobile bridge on the Garfield Trail just above one of the crossings, but I'm not familiar with a snowmobile trail that far up the Gale River trail.

 

[RGF1]

I am not sure i if it is a Snowmobile trail or a XC trail but I am almost certain you can follow one of the unused logging roads . I know Mt Bikers and hores back riders do. I am almost postiive you can then at least bush wack and aviod the stream crossing in question. The area is Timbered alot
as it has easy access to a major road and a estabished road system. I recall getting a permit to tmber hard wood( beech) , out of the area in between the Gale River and Garfiled trails a few years ago . I would not be making a road But I did take a bobcat up into the foest ( so i know you can walk in it with little trouble. ) as my cuts arec very diffrent than a cut for pulp wood. I would not be making a road . When cutting I have to stop alot it is just to grueling ot wrok all the time so I did get a good chance to look around . I thought eith the XC or snowmobile trail went through or near the logging road that runs btween the two trails at least something like it did. . But it isa moot point as they are off and on thier way. i hope they make it back safely me I am off to drop a White pine that much to close ot a house . Now I have another White pine to get rid of i am selling it as camp fire wood. .. I guess if i do meet up with any one and stay in a camp gruond I can bring a truck load of fire wood ! White pine dries out fast enough to burn at a camp fire in a few weeks.

 

[Waumbek]

Blue,
I haven't looked at my Freedom of the Hills, to see what is in there, but I found what I think is a pretty good bit of text here. It is a military site, but I think if you can ignore the part about shouldering your weapon, there is some good stuff. In addition to stuff about how to step and what to do if you swim, there is a progression from individual crossing to team to rope as the crossing conditions warrant.

Thanks for the link, Tramper Al. This is the best and most comprehensive advice I've seen on this subject, and I like the tone too. Cautious but not intimidating. It's good to see that even on a military site, or maybe especially on one, the best advice is that sometimes you just can't cross safely and should go to plan b. I've bookmarked this. I'll read it again before I ford the Wassataquoit (sp?) later this summer. I don't seek out fords. (It's the Way-Back-When lifeguarding, I guess.) My last one was through and around, under and over a beaver-flooded area of the NPT. Kept remembering African Queen . I've forgotten the plot but never the leeches.

 

[DougPaul]

I found what I think is a pretty good bit of text here. It is a military site, but I think if you can ignore the part about shouldering your weapon, there is some good stuff. In addition to stuff about how to step and what to do if you swim, there is a progression from individual crossing to team to rope as the crossing conditions warrant.

Decent reference, except I disagree with one point: the ref says that you may tie into the rope. Everything I have read says don't tie in--just hold on. If you are tied in, the rope can tangle, or if you get swept off your feet, the rope can keep you pinned under water. (A little like flying an upside down kite.) And swimming while tied in would be difficult and dangerous. Your balance will also be much better with the rope in your hand than with the rope tied to your body.

Doug

 

[Lovetohike]

Blue:
I guess I'll throw in how I think I would do it. Like you said, I'd find a spot where it looked o.k. to attempt a crossing. Then I'd position someone with a throw rope 20-30 feet or so down stream. Then I'd strap on the tevas, have a pole in each hand and give it the old college try. A slow steady pace across will usually work better than stopping and starting repeatedly. Once I got safely across, I'd assess if it was necessary to set up a line across the river for people to hang onto.

In the unlikely event that you somehow fell in and started going downstream, you already got very good advice on this. The main thing is to get on your back with your feet downstream in front of you, and try not to panic. If you can grab the throw rope, great, if not then just gradually work your way towards the shore. You may have to ditch your poles in order to do this. Don't try to stand up in a fast current, wait till you get into slow water or a pool. Once you're out, change clothes immediately and eat something to raise your blood sugar. You can get hypothermic very quickly.

As the leader, you'll probably be more nervous watching each person make their way across than when you did it yourself!

Can't wait to hear how it works out!

 

[Sherpa John]

Everyone on each trip made the crossings fine. In the Am, a wooden plank spanned the river. In the afternoon... the old bridge was spanning the river again but repairs are still needed.

The 2nd river crossing provd more challenging.

 

[Blue]

A big thank you to everyone who helped us out with our crossing! Information
about the bridge, the conditions, safety and river crossing - were extremely valuable to us.

The purpose of this weekend was for training, so in the parking lot at the trail head, I did a section on river crossing safety, including:
-what to do if you fall in
-a demo of a throw rope
-crossing 5 people together as a team
-how to cross safely (unbuckled, downstream angle, etc)

We did fine and were thrilled at the end to find the bridge had been placed
in a position where it could be crossed. (which made us happy in a downpour)
pictures soon.

 

[RoySwkr]

Presumably because this site once had a bridge, the AMC is blowing the difficulty out of proportion to similar streams that were never bridged (i.e., the next crossing upstream).

Decent reference, except I disagree with one point: the ref says that you may tie into the rope. Everything I have read says don't tie in--just hold on.

It depends whether you are by yourself or with a well-organized group. Suppose you get knocked off your feet or your foot gets trapped. If you let go of the rope, you are taking a chance that you can safely swim to shore before you bash your head on something or get trapped underwater in a debris pile. If you are tied in, the group ashore can haul you in (SOP for tunnel diving in Vietnam) or someone can come along the rope to extract you.

 

[DougPaul]

It depends whether you are by yourself or with a well-organized group. Suppose you get knocked off your feet or your foot gets trapped. If you let go of the rope, you are taking a chance that you can safely swim to shore before you bash your head on something or get trapped underwater in a debris pile. If you are tied in, the group ashore can haul you in (SOP for tunnel diving in Vietnam) or someone can come along the rope to extract you.

We are talking about river crossing here, not intentional underwater work. This discussion is also irrelevant unless there is a significant current. The current can hold you down and the rope can prevent you from washing out. And even if you have intellegent rope handlers who release the rope at the right time, the rope will tend to be swept around rocks etc and snag. The forces on a body held by a rope in fast current can easliy be hundreds of pounds. If you hold onto the rope, then you can release with no chance of the rope interfering with your escape.

Don't know if you have any white water experience (I do)--it is pretty easy (and relatively safe) to swim a drop (rapid) if done properly. And there is a technique for swimming out of the current safely. Some boaters do it for fun.

Doug

 

[Artex]

Blue, I think I may have run into you and your group shortly before the hut. I chatted with one of them a bit and she mentioned something about training, just as you did. If that was your party, everyone looked to be in good spirits. Glad you all had fun.

 

[Blue]

We did have a good time. One of us took an ice/rock fall on the upper section
of the GR Trail and bruised her side, but we made it out safely (even though it was on the wet side).

As for rope, I did read something that said unless you really know what you're doing with a rope in a river, you probably shouldn't use one. I had the throw rope out just in case, but left another rope in one of our packs.

Here are the pictures. A lot of us wanted a "here I am crossing the river" photos to send to the folks at home, so that's why there are so many pics.

 

[sli74]

GREAT pictures Liza

Looks like you guys had a fun time. Bunchberry and I ran into each other Friday afternoon on the subway and chatted about your river crossing, glad to see it all went well.

sli74

 

[sapblatt]

WMNF Update Bridge Report

This was updated today...

WMNF Bridge Report

 

[bunchberry]

I was that "one of us" that Blue refers to in her post above...yes, the upper section of the trail is quite slippery with intermittent ice sections that can look deceptively like snow. But the hike was nevertheless wonderful, and I truly enjoyed the river crossings--that second one that Sherpa John (sorry to hear you wrestled with a tree!) refers to was indeed quite challenging. Our group ended up plowing right through the river in our rain pants, gaiters and boots linking arms with at least one other person to withstand the current, since we were on our way out and didn't mind getting more soaked than we already were. And on the first crossing with the washed out bridge, we were able to easily cross the river on the large part of the bridge that someone had put back into the river, and we noticed that the plank that we had crossed the day before as we headed up the trail was completely covered with water due to all of the rain. And Artex, yes, you did run into our group, I spoke to you briefly up there...and I enjoyed your trip report!

 

[RoySwkr]

... And even if you have intellegent rope handlers who release the rope at the right time, the rope will tend to be swept around rocks etc and snag.

Yes, the rope handlers should know what they are doing, just like a rock climbing belayer should know what they are doing. That is probably why most hiking books do not recommend tying in while a military field manual does.

Whether you like it or not, sometime it is better to tie in so others can
rescue you rather than relying on yourself only. I remember once when my partner was trapped in a backroller from a dam and we could have had him out in seconds if he had a rope on, instead of minutes and flipping another canoe in the attempt.

Don't know if you have any white water experience (I do)

Class 4 in the days of aluminum canoes, including Hudson Gorge with
camping gear. Over the years I've extracted a lot of pinned boats from rocks including one that tore in half. More significant to this discussion, I've done a lot of headwaters running (such as Gale R starting from Rte.3 and the Saco from above Dry River) in small rocky rivers with steep gradients.

--it is pretty easy (and relatively safe) to swim a drop (rapid) if done properly. And there is a technique for swimming out of the current safely.

Sure, in a typical whitewater river with rapids followed by calm stretches, and if there is water enough to swim. The idea of keeping your feet up and swimming is great on a river with mostly waves if you are wearing a helmet and PFD over your wet suit so you float high, but the typical hiker has none of the above. Note that most brook crossings in the Whites are on rivers far too rough for boating, and if the water is high enough that you are worried about more than getting wet, far too rough for swimming.

The Gale River drops maybe 300 feet in .8 miles between the 2 crossings
on the trail (or nearly 400 feet per mile) as compared to the whitewater
run on the East Branch of the Pemi from Rte.112 to Lincoln which drops
about 80 feet per mile. On a rocky brook, you may simply be pulverized to
unconsciousness or death long before you reach a calm spot if you try to
float it out rather than grabbing a rock or tree. Mountain streams are
also more likely to have fallen trees which become deadly strainers than
whitewater rivers. Swimming is very hazardous and hence you should do what you can to get out quickly.

 

[DougPaul]

I suppose that I shouldn't be insulted that a guy who thinks he knows more than the US Army thinks he knows more than me.

Let's keep this discussion focused on the issues and not sink to the level of personal insults.

That is probably why most hiking books do not recommend tying in while a military field manual does.

Military techniques are often intended to be used under combat conditions and therefore the factors used to choose them often differ from the factors used to choose recreational techniques--for instance a military technique may factor in the risk due to flying bullets. The military may also find higher casualty rates acceptable than do recreational users.

Whether you like it or not, sometime it is better to tie in

We obviously will continue to disagree on this particular issue.

I suggest than anyone further interested in whether or not to tie into a rope during river crossings research it independently of either Roy or myself.

Roy--Let's agree to disagree and drop the subject.

Doug

 

[Waumbek]

Good discussion, Doug, Roy, and others. You've brought out the various sides clearly and comprehensively. Still not sure what I'd do under the circumstances other than try hard(er) to avoid them. There's a lot of collective knowledge here. Thanks.

 

[sapblatt]

Gale River Crossing

If any of you want to hold my hand Saturday morning on this crossing I would love the company!