sapblatt
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- Oct 22, 2004
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Hooked up with Marty at his house at 3:15 am for the trek north to hike Mount Garfield. After seeing a very unusual site in Georgetown (would not have been unusual in Times Square, but it strange in this normally bucolic suburb) we were on our way.
Just as Marty was commenting that we he saw freezing rain on the radar north of Concord, we hit it about 30 seconds later - cool. Not too much of a problem - nothing to make you skid of the road...quick break in Lincoln and at Beaver Brook (quick hello to Rols, Chris and Andy) and we were at the trailhead (or should I say - a trail head?) way ahead of schedule. We were waiting for new Grandpa
, LarryD to meet us at 6:30 and we geared up. Larry did not show (which really makes no sense - who would not want to hike with us? - no actually, Larry is just 110 % reliable) so after about 6:45 we hit the road.
You would think we had never done this before, but truth be told, between Marty and me we had hiked Garfield about a half dozen times. Well, the camp sites did not ring a bell, nor did the Littleton Water Supply sign off to the right. All of a sudden, I felt like Chazz Palminteri at the end of "The Usual Suspects" - as it all comes together, light dawns on Marblehead. I was so asleep at the trailhead I forgot about the other end of the Gale River Road and Marty and I trekked up the long way - if you could have seen my expression when I saw the sign to the right - "Gale River Trail."!!!!
Finally at 8am we are on the Garfield Trail. Conditions down low were spring like - ground was not frozen - no snow or ice until the water crossings. The crossings were easy - required only a little thought (probably less thought than is needed to pick the right end of the Gale River Road to start your hike on!) We continued up at a good pace. Snow cover increased a bit and around 3000 to 3500 feet it was pretty significant. Stabilicers were worn all day which just made it faster and easier. Snow depths off trail were quite deep - I would guess about a foot. The trail was well packed down.
We finally ran into Grandpa (LarryD) as he was descending a few minutes below the junction. He had a good laugh at our route start. For some unexplainable reason, Larry decided to hike back up to the junction and wait there for us while Marty and I summited.
Marty and I donned some heavier jackets and hats, and I put on gloves for the first time and we headed up the interesting section before the summit. The wind was picking up, it was snowing, or freezing raining a bit and a lot colder than it was. I only noticed one patch ice before the summit ledges and frankly, I thought this section was easier with snow pack than in the summer - just a smoother ride. The ascent took about 10 minutes and this was a touch and go summit. Winds were in the 25-30 mph range by our guesstimate and the views were few. I did get one interesting view when I went to the front right of the summit foundation and for about 4 seconds the Pemi opened up beneath me - it was a bit alarming to see how fast the clouds beneath me were moving. Marty and I went to touch the summit and book back down to Larry who was waiting for us.
The trip down was quick and uneventful - very glad to have the proper (read: shorter) road walk on the way back...the early mistake turned this into nearly a 15 mile day and my legs paid the price. All in all a great day with two great guys!
Just as Marty was commenting that we he saw freezing rain on the radar north of Concord, we hit it about 30 seconds later - cool. Not too much of a problem - nothing to make you skid of the road...quick break in Lincoln and at Beaver Brook (quick hello to Rols, Chris and Andy) and we were at the trailhead (or should I say - a trail head?) way ahead of schedule. We were waiting for new Grandpa
, LarryD to meet us at 6:30 and we geared up. Larry did not show (which really makes no sense - who would not want to hike with us? - no actually, Larry is just 110 % reliable) so after about 6:45 we hit the road. You would think we had never done this before, but truth be told, between Marty and me we had hiked Garfield about a half dozen times. Well, the camp sites did not ring a bell, nor did the Littleton Water Supply sign off to the right. All of a sudden, I felt like Chazz Palminteri at the end of "The Usual Suspects" - as it all comes together, light dawns on Marblehead. I was so asleep at the trailhead I forgot about the other end of the Gale River Road and Marty and I trekked up the long way - if you could have seen my expression when I saw the sign to the right - "Gale River Trail."!!!!
Finally at 8am we are on the Garfield Trail. Conditions down low were spring like - ground was not frozen - no snow or ice until the water crossings. The crossings were easy - required only a little thought (probably less thought than is needed to pick the right end of the Gale River Road to start your hike on!) We continued up at a good pace. Snow cover increased a bit and around 3000 to 3500 feet it was pretty significant. Stabilicers were worn all day which just made it faster and easier. Snow depths off trail were quite deep - I would guess about a foot. The trail was well packed down.
We finally ran into Grandpa (LarryD) as he was descending a few minutes below the junction. He had a good laugh at our route start. For some unexplainable reason, Larry decided to hike back up to the junction and wait there for us while Marty and I summited.
Marty and I donned some heavier jackets and hats, and I put on gloves for the first time and we headed up the interesting section before the summit. The wind was picking up, it was snowing, or freezing raining a bit and a lot colder than it was. I only noticed one patch ice before the summit ledges and frankly, I thought this section was easier with snow pack than in the summer - just a smoother ride. The ascent took about 10 minutes and this was a touch and go summit. Winds were in the 25-30 mph range by our guesstimate and the views were few. I did get one interesting view when I went to the front right of the summit foundation and for about 4 seconds the Pemi opened up beneath me - it was a bit alarming to see how fast the clouds beneath me were moving. Marty and I went to touch the summit and book back down to Larry who was waiting for us.
The trip down was quick and uneventful - very glad to have the proper (read: shorter) road walk on the way back...the early mistake turned this into nearly a 15 mile day and my legs paid the price. All in all a great day with two great guys!
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