Hiker Death on Garfield

[egilbe]

I think many people seriously underestimate how much water they should drink, on hot days and normal days. Even if they never get into trouble the lack of water impacts performance, makes you more sore than you need to be, etc. I did the Southern Presidentials yesterday in the heat. I drank about 32 oz of water on the drive up, brought 4L with me on the trail with 2 scoops of CytoMax powder in each bottle and drank every drop. I was reasonably hydrated at the end but would have easily consumed more if I had had it. You see people out there with a 32 oz bottle of Gatorade or a 20 oz bottle of Poland Springs walking around all day. I think a lot of people confuse their fitness level being poor with not being properly hydrated and fed. I can definitely do hikes with minimal food and water but when I take the time to eat and drink properly I always feel better, before and after.

Yea, drank crazy amounts of water yesterday. 2 liters up, 2 liters out. I took a couple gatorade powder packets to mix with the water that I shared with my GF and we cameled up at the spring by Garfield campsite when we refilled our water bottles. We tend to bring too much food on our hikes, but yesterday we ate almost everything: Beef jerky, almonds, raisins, applesauce, gummies, crackers, Kind Bars, dried cranberries, old, stale trail mix that I should have thrown out last year.

 

[Mike P.]

Yea, drank crazy amounts of water yesterday. 2 liters up, 2 liters out.

Hiking over to Gale River on the Garfield Ridge Trail isn't hiking out! Of all the trails I've been on, that one is the one I dislike the most. (I've heard about the Link through the trees over all the roots, There is no need to do that section of the Link so I can update that list)

Garfield Ridge is one of those trails, Wildcat Ridge is another between the peaks but that never bothered me, that has many PUD's and they stay within a line or two on the contour map so it appears to be a gentle trail once you get off Garfield.

 

[ChrisB]

A factor not mentioned is the body's ability to cool itself. No matter how much water one takes if you don't cool your done.

Yup. Many an extremely fit marathoner has been taken down by heat when they ignored their body's signals. A hot day for Boston leaves (young) bodies all over the course.

It's not nice to ignore Mother Nature.

 

[DayTrip]

(I've heard about the Link through the trees over all the roots, There is no need to do that section of the Link so I can update that list)
.

The Link is an awesome trail! The section between Castle Ravine Trail and the Castle Trail is indeed a twisted, gnarly mess as it climbs 1000 ft in a mile or so. Ton of variety on that trail too. Every section is different. Always love to cruise on it at least once a year.

 

[egilbe]

Hiking over to Gale River on the Garfield Ridge Trail isn't hiking out! Of all the trails I've been on, that one is the one I dislike the most. (I've heard about the Link through the trees over all the roots, There is no need to do that section of the Link so I can update that list)

Garfield Ridge is one of those trails, Wildcat Ridge is another between the peaks but that never bothered me, that has many PUD's and they stay within a line or two on the contour map so it appears to be a gentle trail once you get off Garfield.

A couple years ago we were section hiking the AT from Crawford Notch to Kinsman Notch, peakbagging along the way and we stayed at Guyot campsite. The next day we did the Bonds, South Twin, Galehead and ate our dinner outside the hut. We challenged ourselves to hike over to Garfield Tentsite. I died walking up the waterfall that was GRT. I just remember taking one step at a time, forcing myself to continue. I think most of it was a blur. Saturday, I kept thinking to myself, I don't remember it being this bad. The PUDs were killing me. I would have sworn it was basically flat between Galehead and Garfield.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Galehead <--> Garfield has several PUDs, which cross near (but not over) the Garfield Ridge Peaks (East/West), which have 200' cols.

Lafayette <--> South Twin is by far the hardest / most demoralizing stretch of the Pemi Loop (IMO).

Tim

 

[skiguy]

Very nice profile. Garfield to Lafayette is no cake walk either as far as PUD’s

 

[peakbagger]

To continue on with the profile discussion drift, I was corresponding recently with an AT section hiker who ended a hike at the Franconia Parkway, he is planning two weeks north bound starting about now, he was asking me if there were any similar steep stretches similar to Beaver Brook or up South Kinsman north to the RT 17 in Maine (his intended end point). I started to reply with the various steep stretches and finally told him that I was sorry to break it to him but every day of his trip north had similar stretches unless he does a real short day between Zealand and Crawford Notch. Arguably I should have also mentioned US RT 2 to Gentian Pond but figure by then he will have figured it out. At the last minute his buddies dropped out so his spouse who is working on a dissertation will become his ground crew so he will break it up into multiple overnights.

Its pretty legendary that north bound AT thruhikers put in some long daily miles from the Maine junction on the AT near Killington to Glencliff and convince themselves that they can keep those daily mileages in the whites, they usually end up at Beaver Brook shelter or the campsite at the base of South Kinsman that evening wondering why they didnt make Kinsman Pond Shelter like they planned. They frequently end up getting a ride to the hostel in Woodstock at the Parkway the next day and hitting the store to resupply after they readjust their itinerary to shorten daily mileages. Some end up doing the same thing at Crawford Notch. Nothing like it down south except for a roughly 500 foot vertical down climb from Dragons Tooth, the climb up out of Lehigh Gap in PA, the drop down to Duncannon and the drop into Delaware Water gap (they all have switchbacks but are all steep and bony (think Webster Cliff trail up or down into Crawford. Its amusing to read shelter logs north of these stretches where everyone is complaining on how steep the trail is and how the AT should never have been allowed to be built that way. I just chuckle and say to myself that they got a surprise coming.

 

[maineguy]

I had to look up PUD. Funny. How about PBC for pointless brook crossings? Why does the North Twin trail cross the Little River the first two times? There is a fine bypass herd path which avoids them. I know, probably an old tote road or such, but no excuse not to just reroute the trail and save everyone the hassle. And, don't even get me started on Downes Brook Trail.

 

[peakbagger]

Gale River trail used to be similar to Downes Brook trail. Hut guests would occasionally be unable to do the crossings of the Gale River. They relocated the trail so there is no need to cross the Gale River anymore. Unfortunately, they didn't haul in gravel so the the new trail is decided boggy in many spots leading to a widened muddy trail. Sure at some point step stones and turnpiking or wooden walks can be built but that requires a lot of time and resources. The old logging railroad and logging roads which became trails are generally built to last with drainage and mineral soils either hauled in or they dug down to existing mineral soils. These routes are usually well graded and hardened. Sadly the reroutes usually are far less well built as there isnt a profit motive to pay to build them to last.

The quality of construction of those old logging railroad and even the dugways is very impressive. Take a walk on the old Owls head railroad spur, it was only used for a few years but with the exception of no trestles over the streams its better built that most regular trails despite no maintenance for 90 years. The trestles at Franconia Brook and Lincoln Brook must have been very impressive. On the Franconia Brook side, the trestle had to be over 300 feet long and 60 to 80 feet high. The Lincoln Brook end was probably 200 feet long and 50 to 70 feet high. There are couple of other deep ravines it crosses.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Why does the North Twin trail cross the Little River the first two times? There is a fine bypass herd path which avoids them.

Fine is relative. It goes up and down and has seriously rooty and eroded sections with steep and narrow sidehilling. Putting the hiker on the far side also obfuscates the Firewarden's Trail.

Tim

 

[Mike P.]

Galehead <--> Garfield has several PUDs, which cross near (but not over) the Garfield Ridge Peaks (East/West), which have 200' cols.

Lafayette <--> South Twin is by far the hardest / most demoralizing stretch of the Pemi Loop (IMO).

Tim

That would depend on which direction you do the loop. My first time I planned an early start and stayed up north but I should have planned a night after too. I was okay with the idea of coming out in the dark, say, 10:00 or so. Driving back to CT after that was out. I went back in the fall in the other direction and I stopped at Galehead. In both trips they were the two times I hiked on the Frost trail, BTW it's very nice.

 

[skiguy]

Putting the hiker on the far side also obfuscates the Firewarden's Trail.

Tim

There was a time long, long ago in a faraway galaxy know as "The Seven Dwarfs" when the region was obfuscated and only spoken of in soft low voices. Then came the Internet with its many well informed avenues. The legend of the Little River has been let out of the Genie's Bottle.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

That would depend on which direction you do the loop.

What would depend? The 200' cols? no. PUDs? no. Both are there either direction. The hardest part (IMO)? no, IMO still hard either way. Please clarify.

There was a time long, long ago in a faraway galaxy know as "The Seven Dwarfs" when the region was obfuscated and only spoken of in soft low voices. Then came the Internet with its many well informed avenues. The legend of the Little River has been let out of the Genie's Bottle.

True, BUT, the trail moved after the FWT was decomissioned and before the internet.

Tim

 

[skiguy]

What would depend? The 200' cols? no. PUDs? no. Both are there either direction. The hardest part (IMO)? no, IMO still hard either way. Please clarify.



True, BUT, the trail moved after the FWT was decomissioned and before the internet.

Tim

Maybe I am misinterpreting your use of intent for the word "obfuscates". All I am saying is that the decommissioned Little River Trail was in use before the Internet at a much lower level. Boards like this and the Internet in general have brought these decommissioned areas more into the limelight. Therefore my use of the word " obfuscated " farcically infers IMO that the North Twin trail staying mostly on the West side of the river does very little to obfuscate the Fire Wardens Trail. Maybe we are on different pages as far as what we are trying to communicate but IMO The Fire Warden trail is in fine shape and if not better shape than a lot of trails in The Whites. There was a time where it was very little known and mostly maintained by BC Skiers. Another result of the increased information and human traffic IMO is a big part of the parking issues that are now occurring at the end of Little River Road. As I have mentioned here before I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. Back in the pre internet days info aka "Beta" about places like The Seven Dwarfs was passed around in small circles via word of mouth. For example even the 100 highest list back in the late 70's early 80's you needed to know the right folks to get "Beta". Even written info at the time was passed around with a Gentlemans Handshake agreement on where the info spread. Many a time only after being informally interviewed via a group hike with the right folks. Times change and I am OK with it. There was a time when loose lips was not considered good ethic. The saying went "If I tell you that then I'll have to kill you".

 

[maineguy]

Fine is relative. It goes up and down and has seriously rooty and eroded sections with steep and narrow sidehilling. Putting the hiker on the far side also obfuscates the Firewarden's Trail.

Tim

True. I certainly wouldn't want to hike on any seriously rooty and eroded sections of trail while hiking in the White Mts

 

[peakbagger]

If s beyond seriously rooty and rocky, the actual old railbed washed out when an overflow channel formed just north of a stream crossing. The herd path that formed is just a way around the washout.

 

[CaptCaper]

Yup. Many an extremely fit marathoner has been taken down by heat when they ignored their body's signals. A hot day for Boston leaves (young) bodies all over the course.

It's not nice to ignore Mother Nature.

Comes on quick like Hypothermia. No MD here but In humid conditions ones body struggles with it's function of evaporating the sweat.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

As I have mentioned here before I'm a bit of a curmudgeon.

I never noticed

Tim

 

[jniehof]

Gale River trail used to be similar to Downes Brook trail. Hut guests would occasionally be unable to do the crossings of the Gale River. They relocated the trail so there is no need to cross the Gale River anymore. Unfortunately, they didn't haul in gravel so the the new trail is decided boggy in many spots leading to a widened muddy trail. Sure at some point step stones and turnpiking or wooden walks can be built but that requires a lot of time and resources.

There's a fair bit of work on that relo now. I'm sure there are still some spots that get some mud but there's quite a bit of treadway hardening of various sorts. I was pretty surprised coming down it this weekend.