sli74
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Here I sit at work, still exhausted but VERY happy after a successful Carter Hut trip. Since the Gourmet Hut Trip to Greenleaf last May was such a hit, I decided back in October to have a winter version. Since Zealand Hut, my first choice for the trip, was filled up for President’s Day Weekend, I booked 25 spots at Carter Notch Hut and sent out my usual mass email inviting those on my email list on the trip. After 2 or so months we had an initial group of 15 signed up for the trip. After a posting on VFTT recruiting others, our numbers steadily grew to a total of 22 hikers. Of the 22 signed up we had 2 newbies and 20 intermediate to experienced winter hikers on the trip. We had most all of the Northeast states represented (and in the last day or two even added a Kanadian 
).
After a bunch of emails taking polls, I decided on Indian food one night and Thai food the next. With the Hut being so centrally located to 5 coveted peaks on the “list”, the hiking plans soon fell together also. The winter has been so unusually warm that we were a little thrown off by the reports of the incoming cold temps. We had 2 members of our team drop out before the trip began, one for work related reasons and one because of the brutally cold temps predicted for the weekend. The remaining 20 plus a last minute addition for a total of 21 showed up at the trailhead between 8-9 am on Saturday morning.
I will now post my version of the trip in this report and others will add their more exciting versions, I am sure . . .
I had a more than usual busy, hectic and stressful week at work that forced me to keep my Friday night plans loose and undecided. I spent Friday driving up to Woodstock to stay at a friend’s cabin where I reorganized the 80+ pounds of groceries into even 4 or 5 pound sections. To add to the stress, the lights promptly went out early during my organization forcing me to organize in the dark. The lights of course came back on soon after I finished all the packing. We worked late into the night and after only 4 hours of sleep Brian and I made our way through blowing snow and icy roads to the 19-mile brook trailhead, where we found shizzmac gearing up.
We got there at 7:45 am and for the next hour and a half or more I greeted and handed out bags of food to each person making the trip up to the Hut. Unfortunately, one of our members arrived after driving for HOURS with a car problem that he needed to attend to and thus had to make the obviously difficult decision to drop out of the trip and possibly meet us the next day. Now our group was down to 20 hikers. Most of the groups arrived by 9 am and left with their full packs and their hiking plans in mind. Brian and I finally left the parking lot at about 10:15 am.
On our way up we ran into a couple of hikers descending and I immediately recognized them from their avatars as Unfrozencaveman and BigEarl. After chatting with them a bit and getting the weather report and a heads up about the possibility of losing some of my group to weather fears, we pushed on. At our nice leisurely pace, we reached the Hut, sometime after 2 pm. I didn’t get a look at the time because as we made our way up to the Hut, 2 of our group were geared up for their descent back to the cars. The temps at this time were hovering around 0 degrees and dropping like a lead ball. I was REALLY sad to see them go and I was obviously too late to help change their minds so after a difficult goodbye, they headed down and we went up to our bunks. Now we were down to 18 in our group.
After changing into dry clothes, which let me tell you is NO easy feat at below zero temps, I came down to the Hut ready to begin cooking our dinner for the night. There was still a group out on the Wildcats and we anxiously awaited their return as we chopped, diced, sliced and fried over the stove. They arrived back in time for dinner
I cannot put into words what a wonderful experience cooking the dinners were this weekend. To have so very many helpers is really how cooking dinner should be every night. I cooked up Paneer and Vegetable Vindaloo Masala for the vegetarians, Chicken and Vegetable and Paneer Korma for the 1 person who couldn’t handle spicy food and Chicken/Paneer/Vegetable Vindaloo Masala for the rest of the crew. I also made an Indian soup, Lima Bean Sambhar and basmathi rice and bread called naan. Even with my careful shopping this time around, I cooked enough food for about 25 people and more. With all the help I got, I was able to pull together this huge meal in 2 hours (which is amazing as those who cook Indian food know).
After eating our dinner, those who didn’t get a chance to help with the preparation of the meal, helped with the clean up and they are to be Thanked even more than those of us who prepared the food. I got to sit back and relax in the Hut, which was now a cozy 60 degrees. We shared our food with others in other groups and eventually prepared for the cold night we would spend in our sleeping bags in the unheated bunkhouses. The predicted temps were frigid and the morning reading confirmed that with the ambient temps falling to minus 15 and the wind chills bottoming out at minus 35 . . . someone correct me if the numbers are wrong.
I slept like a baby in my new Western Mountaineering Puma which my special someone gave me for Christmas so I could stop my 3 year drool fest over that bag. I had to unzip and vent the bag because I was too warm during the night.
The morning brought another crazy cold and windy day. The braver (crazier) souls ventured into the cold to bag their respective peaks. Brian had left his wind pants at home and we didn’t want to risk his freezing to death of the trails so we stayed inside warm and well fed and wimps. Almost all of us got out for some length of time during the day even if that didn’t involve any peaks. Bob and Geri were the hearty souls who made the longest treks and still arrived back in time for dinner.
Once again at 4 pm, I began the cooking process for the evening. This night we had Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles, prepared either vegetarian (just broccoli) or not (Chicken and Shrimp) and both spicy and not to accommodate the food wimp in our group . . . we also had a yummy Tom Yum Soup with baby corn, water chestnuts and straw mushrooms. The meal was thankfully a success. Once again, having helpers makes all the difference. We ate to our hearts content, shared our food once again with others in the Hut and spent the evening playing cards and chess and did I hear an out loud reading of a Dr. Seuss book?
The temps had moderated for the second night and I believe we all had a comfortable night of sleep. The next morning, everyone packed up and left at their own paces depending on individual plans. I know of at least 2 people who hiked down early, drove to another trailhead and hiked other peaks (WOW) !!! And most of the rest hiked down for their long drives home. And Brian and I climbed with our HUGE packs up and over Carter Dome before heading back to the car.
I underestimated the difficulty of climbing up ICE and ICE and ICE with 50 plus pound packs . . . ouch !!! We left the Hut at about 10 am, in crampons and kept the crampons on the entire way to the car, where we arrived at just before 6 pm, barely making it without the need for headlamps.
After some organization of the spices left near my car and on top of my car we grabbed a bite to eat at Pizza hut and made it home by midnight. What a weekend. I cannot Thank the great group enough for making the weekend such a success. I had a FABULOUS time and though I didn’t get all 5 peaks, I got the only one I “needed” and had a GREAT time doing it. So, who’s up for another one in May?
sli74
).After a bunch of emails taking polls, I decided on Indian food one night and Thai food the next. With the Hut being so centrally located to 5 coveted peaks on the “list”, the hiking plans soon fell together also. The winter has been so unusually warm that we were a little thrown off by the reports of the incoming cold temps. We had 2 members of our team drop out before the trip began, one for work related reasons and one because of the brutally cold temps predicted for the weekend. The remaining 20 plus a last minute addition for a total of 21 showed up at the trailhead between 8-9 am on Saturday morning.
I will now post my version of the trip in this report and others will add their more exciting versions, I am sure . . .
I had a more than usual busy, hectic and stressful week at work that forced me to keep my Friday night plans loose and undecided. I spent Friday driving up to Woodstock to stay at a friend’s cabin where I reorganized the 80+ pounds of groceries into even 4 or 5 pound sections. To add to the stress, the lights promptly went out early during my organization forcing me to organize in the dark. The lights of course came back on soon after I finished all the packing. We worked late into the night and after only 4 hours of sleep Brian and I made our way through blowing snow and icy roads to the 19-mile brook trailhead, where we found shizzmac gearing up.
We got there at 7:45 am and for the next hour and a half or more I greeted and handed out bags of food to each person making the trip up to the Hut. Unfortunately, one of our members arrived after driving for HOURS with a car problem that he needed to attend to and thus had to make the obviously difficult decision to drop out of the trip and possibly meet us the next day. Now our group was down to 20 hikers. Most of the groups arrived by 9 am and left with their full packs and their hiking plans in mind. Brian and I finally left the parking lot at about 10:15 am.
On our way up we ran into a couple of hikers descending and I immediately recognized them from their avatars as Unfrozencaveman and BigEarl. After chatting with them a bit and getting the weather report and a heads up about the possibility of losing some of my group to weather fears, we pushed on. At our nice leisurely pace, we reached the Hut, sometime after 2 pm. I didn’t get a look at the time because as we made our way up to the Hut, 2 of our group were geared up for their descent back to the cars. The temps at this time were hovering around 0 degrees and dropping like a lead ball. I was REALLY sad to see them go and I was obviously too late to help change their minds so after a difficult goodbye, they headed down and we went up to our bunks. Now we were down to 18 in our group.
After changing into dry clothes, which let me tell you is NO easy feat at below zero temps, I came down to the Hut ready to begin cooking our dinner for the night. There was still a group out on the Wildcats and we anxiously awaited their return as we chopped, diced, sliced and fried over the stove. They arrived back in time for dinner
I cannot put into words what a wonderful experience cooking the dinners were this weekend. To have so very many helpers is really how cooking dinner should be every night. I cooked up Paneer and Vegetable Vindaloo Masala for the vegetarians, Chicken and Vegetable and Paneer Korma for the 1 person who couldn’t handle spicy food and Chicken/Paneer/Vegetable Vindaloo Masala for the rest of the crew. I also made an Indian soup, Lima Bean Sambhar and basmathi rice and bread called naan. Even with my careful shopping this time around, I cooked enough food for about 25 people and more. With all the help I got, I was able to pull together this huge meal in 2 hours (which is amazing as those who cook Indian food know).
After eating our dinner, those who didn’t get a chance to help with the preparation of the meal, helped with the clean up and they are to be Thanked even more than those of us who prepared the food. I got to sit back and relax in the Hut, which was now a cozy 60 degrees. We shared our food with others in other groups and eventually prepared for the cold night we would spend in our sleeping bags in the unheated bunkhouses. The predicted temps were frigid and the morning reading confirmed that with the ambient temps falling to minus 15 and the wind chills bottoming out at minus 35 . . . someone correct me if the numbers are wrong.
I slept like a baby in my new Western Mountaineering Puma which my special someone gave me for Christmas so I could stop my 3 year drool fest over that bag. I had to unzip and vent the bag because I was too warm during the night.
The morning brought another crazy cold and windy day. The braver (crazier) souls ventured into the cold to bag their respective peaks. Brian had left his wind pants at home and we didn’t want to risk his freezing to death of the trails so we stayed inside warm and well fed and wimps. Almost all of us got out for some length of time during the day even if that didn’t involve any peaks. Bob and Geri were the hearty souls who made the longest treks and still arrived back in time for dinner.
Once again at 4 pm, I began the cooking process for the evening. This night we had Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles, prepared either vegetarian (just broccoli) or not (Chicken and Shrimp) and both spicy and not to accommodate the food wimp in our group
. . . we also had a yummy Tom Yum Soup with baby corn, water chestnuts and straw mushrooms. The meal was thankfully a success. Once again, having helpers makes all the difference. We ate to our hearts content, shared our food once again with others in the Hut and spent the evening playing cards and chess and did I hear an out loud reading of a Dr. Seuss book?The temps had moderated for the second night and I believe we all had a comfortable night of sleep. The next morning, everyone packed up and left at their own paces depending on individual plans. I know of at least 2 people who hiked down early, drove to another trailhead and hiked other peaks (WOW) !!! And most of the rest hiked down for their long drives home. And Brian and I climbed with our HUGE packs up and over Carter Dome before heading back to the car.
I underestimated the difficulty of climbing up ICE and ICE and ICE with 50 plus pound packs . . . ouch !!! We left the Hut at about 10 am, in crampons and kept the crampons on the entire way to the car, where we arrived at just before 6 pm, barely making it without the need for headlamps.
After some organization of the spices left near my car and on top of my car
we grabbed a bite to eat at Pizza hut and made it home by midnight. What a weekend. I cannot Thank the great group enough for making the weekend such a success. I had a FABULOUS time and though I didn’t get all 5 peaks, I got the only one I “needed” and had a GREAT time doing it. So, who’s up for another one in May?sli74
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