H
HikerBob
Guest
This was the hike I had planned to do two weeks ago, but could not figure out where to park. I had also hoped to join SherpaK for this hike a few days ago but another commitment kept me from that too. Third times a charm!
The forecast had promised clearing skies and sunshine... yeah, right. On the drive up I hit rain in Vermont and witnessed a distant thunderstorm as I crossed into New Hampshire. "It would pass" I told myself.
I arrived at the Gale River Road junction with Rte 3 a little before dawn. There was barely a trace of snow on the ground and none on the roads. There is an open, gravely area at the left apex of Rte 3 and Trudeau Road as viewed from the Gale River Road. I had seen this last time up but it was covered with snow and I wasn't sure what lay beneath. I parked and prepared for the trip.
I hit the trail just after 7am and started on the road walk to the trail head proper, the road being gated for the winter. The extra 1.6 miles of road walk each way makes for a long day. It was still dark but slowly lightening under grey skies. The temperature as I set out was an unbelievable 48* F!
After a few stops for photographs I reached the trail head at 7:42. Still barely a trace of snow to be seen. Walking into the woods it was more like a fall day than a winter one. The leaves covering the forest floor reinforced this feeling. The first small stream crossing posed no challenge even though it was not fully bridged.
I am always on the lookout for interesting things to photograph and I kept noticing small orange deposits on or near rocks in the trail. It finally dawned on me what this might be and closer inspection seemed to confirm my theory. They were small plastic shavings and my guess is they were from SherpaK's sled from his trip of a few days prior. Sorry Sherp - that wasn't a LNT trip
The trail became, in turn, wetter, muddier, icier and snowier. The ice formed many interesting and beautiful swirls and sculptures.
As I neared the footbridge I noticed what seemed to be parts of an old cast iron stove leaning against a tree. Why they came this far and no further is a mystery to me. I also got my first good views of the river. There was an awful lot of water flowing and the ice cover, although thick, was not complete. I wondered how the crossing further up would be like.
The trail continued up at an easy grade and offered up glimpses of higher ground on either side of the valley and ahead. Clouds still obscured the summits and it looked as if the promised clearing would not be happening any time soon.
Just as on the last hike I found myself following fresh moose tracks. I kept a keen eye out but saw no sign of the beast itself and the tracks veered off into the forest a short way before the tributary crossing.
Both the tributary and main river crossing were completely bridged but were very slick. I opted to don crampons to gain the best traction and hopefully avoid a spill. Apart from the danger of sliding into a gap in the ice cover after a fall, the fall itself would impart quite an impact that might fracture the ice. A dip in the foot or so of seething, frigid water was not part of my plans for the day! As a further precaution I unfastened the chest and waist belts and loosened the shoulder straps of my pack.
Stepping gingerly onto the ice I prodded with poles and lent weight to the leading foot with care. Anything that sounded hollow or creaked or cracked under pressure was avoided. Both the crossings went without incident but once behind me I did start to wonder what affect a day of above freezing temperatures would have on them.
As altitude was gained above the crossings so the snow amounts started to increase. There seemed to be a weak crust over a mushy base. I bare-booted a good ways before finally donning snowshoes once the frequency of breakthroughs got annoying. The shoes added traction and avoided most of the breakthroughs all the way to the ridge.
Conditions changed dramatically on the ridge itself. The temperature went down to the mid twenties and the wind picked up bringing with it some icy pellet precipitation. The trail conditions which had been mildly annoying on the climb became more bothersome along the ridge. I could see SherpaK and Skimoms boot tracks from a few days before on the crusty surface but the warmer temperatures had weakened the crust and even with 25" shoes on I found myself post holing every dozen or so steps, going in six inches or more.
The viewpoint clearing gave me the best view of the day back down the Gale River Valley. At this point I was at about cloud base altitude and the wind had a keen edge. The trees from this point on were very frosted and, no matter what conditions down below indicated, it was very much winter up here.
I reached the hut a few minutes after noon and decided views were not to be had today. After a short rest for food and liquids I headed out for Galehead. South Twin would have to wait for a day with more daylight and clearer skies.
New precipitation and windblown snow had all but obliterated SherpaK and Skimoms tracks and I continued to post hole through the crust despite the snowshoes. I reached what I was sure was the summit but the trail continued on a little further and finally led to a dead end in a small clearing with an almost buried cairn. This, I decided had to be the summit. I took a quick self-portrait and, with nothing but clouds for views, tarried no longer.
Following my own trail back to the hut and along the ridge I managed to avoid too much more post holing but it was still tougher going than one would expect. At the viewpoint on the ridge I found visibility had dropped considerable, in part due to the now constant icy precipitation, but in the distance there was a patch of brilliant sunshine. What a tease nature is sometimes.
At the top of the steepest part of the drop off the ridge I recalled SherpaK having mentioned in his trip report that he had butt/cheek slid down some stretches. It certainly seemed the way to go so I stashed shoes and poles and strapped everything down tight. With ice ax at the ready for steering and braking I launched myself down.
What a blast! Even though I maintained a conservative speed with constant braking with the ax I descended the steepest section in no time at all and all for virtually zero leg effort. I was ever vigilant for rocks and other obstacles and encountered none. Snowshoes went back on again for the added traction and to avoid the minor post holing on the remaining stretch to the river crossing.
My fears of thawing were unfounded and once again the crossings, with crampons for traction on the ice, went without incident. Beyond the crossings I once again bare-booted along. Poles helped considerably with balance and avoided a few spills on the still icy trail.
I stopped at the footbridge for a final break and snack. As I was packing up to leave a "Hello" from another hiker made me jump. With the roaring of the water I had not heard him approach over the bridge. He was making a late start but intending to camp out before heading on in the morning. He was not carrying snowshoes and I warned him of conditions on the ridge. We chatted a while and then went our separate ways. This would be the only human contact on the trail all day.
The last section out to the trail head flew by. The small stream crossing did show evidence of some thawing but was still no trouble to cross. Once at the trail head there only remained the 1.6 miles of road walk to end the day. It seemed a longer 1.6 miles than it did that morning and I ended the day under similarly gloomy conditions as the day waned.
As I emerged onto Rte 3 and saw my van I noticed something had been attached to it. My first thought was "Ticket!" but as I got nearer I could see it was a shopping bag hooked over the wiper blade. Inside was a note from Poison Ivy and some snacks left by her hiking pal Poetree. What a great surprise - thank you!
So that was my first hike of 2005, my 34th overall and 8th winter NH 4k. A great way to start the new year.
Pics are up and can be found HERE Just need to add a little more blurb to each.
Bob
The forecast had promised clearing skies and sunshine... yeah, right. On the drive up I hit rain in Vermont and witnessed a distant thunderstorm as I crossed into New Hampshire. "It would pass" I told myself.
I arrived at the Gale River Road junction with Rte 3 a little before dawn. There was barely a trace of snow on the ground and none on the roads. There is an open, gravely area at the left apex of Rte 3 and Trudeau Road as viewed from the Gale River Road. I had seen this last time up but it was covered with snow and I wasn't sure what lay beneath. I parked and prepared for the trip.
I hit the trail just after 7am and started on the road walk to the trail head proper, the road being gated for the winter. The extra 1.6 miles of road walk each way makes for a long day. It was still dark but slowly lightening under grey skies. The temperature as I set out was an unbelievable 48* F!
After a few stops for photographs I reached the trail head at 7:42. Still barely a trace of snow to be seen. Walking into the woods it was more like a fall day than a winter one. The leaves covering the forest floor reinforced this feeling. The first small stream crossing posed no challenge even though it was not fully bridged.
I am always on the lookout for interesting things to photograph and I kept noticing small orange deposits on or near rocks in the trail. It finally dawned on me what this might be and closer inspection seemed to confirm my theory. They were small plastic shavings and my guess is they were from SherpaK's sled from his trip of a few days prior. Sorry Sherp - that wasn't a LNT trip
The trail became, in turn, wetter, muddier, icier and snowier. The ice formed many interesting and beautiful swirls and sculptures.
As I neared the footbridge I noticed what seemed to be parts of an old cast iron stove leaning against a tree. Why they came this far and no further is a mystery to me. I also got my first good views of the river. There was an awful lot of water flowing and the ice cover, although thick, was not complete. I wondered how the crossing further up would be like.
The trail continued up at an easy grade and offered up glimpses of higher ground on either side of the valley and ahead. Clouds still obscured the summits and it looked as if the promised clearing would not be happening any time soon.
Just as on the last hike I found myself following fresh moose tracks. I kept a keen eye out but saw no sign of the beast itself and the tracks veered off into the forest a short way before the tributary crossing.
Both the tributary and main river crossing were completely bridged but were very slick. I opted to don crampons to gain the best traction and hopefully avoid a spill. Apart from the danger of sliding into a gap in the ice cover after a fall, the fall itself would impart quite an impact that might fracture the ice. A dip in the foot or so of seething, frigid water was not part of my plans for the day! As a further precaution I unfastened the chest and waist belts and loosened the shoulder straps of my pack.
Stepping gingerly onto the ice I prodded with poles and lent weight to the leading foot with care. Anything that sounded hollow or creaked or cracked under pressure was avoided. Both the crossings went without incident but once behind me I did start to wonder what affect a day of above freezing temperatures would have on them.
As altitude was gained above the crossings so the snow amounts started to increase. There seemed to be a weak crust over a mushy base. I bare-booted a good ways before finally donning snowshoes once the frequency of breakthroughs got annoying. The shoes added traction and avoided most of the breakthroughs all the way to the ridge.
Conditions changed dramatically on the ridge itself. The temperature went down to the mid twenties and the wind picked up bringing with it some icy pellet precipitation. The trail conditions which had been mildly annoying on the climb became more bothersome along the ridge. I could see SherpaK and Skimoms boot tracks from a few days before on the crusty surface but the warmer temperatures had weakened the crust and even with 25" shoes on I found myself post holing every dozen or so steps, going in six inches or more.
The viewpoint clearing gave me the best view of the day back down the Gale River Valley. At this point I was at about cloud base altitude and the wind had a keen edge. The trees from this point on were very frosted and, no matter what conditions down below indicated, it was very much winter up here.
I reached the hut a few minutes after noon and decided views were not to be had today. After a short rest for food and liquids I headed out for Galehead. South Twin would have to wait for a day with more daylight and clearer skies.
New precipitation and windblown snow had all but obliterated SherpaK and Skimoms tracks and I continued to post hole through the crust despite the snowshoes. I reached what I was sure was the summit but the trail continued on a little further and finally led to a dead end in a small clearing with an almost buried cairn. This, I decided had to be the summit. I took a quick self-portrait and, with nothing but clouds for views, tarried no longer.
Following my own trail back to the hut and along the ridge I managed to avoid too much more post holing but it was still tougher going than one would expect. At the viewpoint on the ridge I found visibility had dropped considerable, in part due to the now constant icy precipitation, but in the distance there was a patch of brilliant sunshine. What a tease nature is sometimes.
At the top of the steepest part of the drop off the ridge I recalled SherpaK having mentioned in his trip report that he had butt/cheek slid down some stretches. It certainly seemed the way to go so I stashed shoes and poles and strapped everything down tight. With ice ax at the ready for steering and braking I launched myself down.
What a blast! Even though I maintained a conservative speed with constant braking with the ax I descended the steepest section in no time at all and all for virtually zero leg effort. I was ever vigilant for rocks and other obstacles and encountered none. Snowshoes went back on again for the added traction and to avoid the minor post holing on the remaining stretch to the river crossing.
My fears of thawing were unfounded and once again the crossings, with crampons for traction on the ice, went without incident. Beyond the crossings I once again bare-booted along. Poles helped considerably with balance and avoided a few spills on the still icy trail.
I stopped at the footbridge for a final break and snack. As I was packing up to leave a "Hello" from another hiker made me jump. With the roaring of the water I had not heard him approach over the bridge. He was making a late start but intending to camp out before heading on in the morning. He was not carrying snowshoes and I warned him of conditions on the ridge. We chatted a while and then went our separate ways. This would be the only human contact on the trail all day.
The last section out to the trail head flew by. The small stream crossing did show evidence of some thawing but was still no trouble to cross. Once at the trail head there only remained the 1.6 miles of road walk to end the day. It seemed a longer 1.6 miles than it did that morning and I ended the day under similarly gloomy conditions as the day waned.
As I emerged onto Rte 3 and saw my van I noticed something had been attached to it. My first thought was "Ticket!" but as I got nearer I could see it was a shopping bag hooked over the wiper blade. Inside was a note from Poison Ivy and some snacks left by her hiking pal Poetree. What a great surprise - thank you!
So that was my first hike of 2005, my 34th overall and 8th winter NH 4k. A great way to start the new year.
Pics are up and can be found HERE Just need to add a little more blurb to each.
Bob
