BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 14, 2009: Waumbek
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
The day’s plan was to hike Waumbek early and then hike Cannon in the afternoon. Each hike is relatively short with a drive time from Nashua that is greater than the hike time of either. Together, they make a good day. An early start on Waumbek should have us finished with Cannon before dark. It seemed like a good plan.
Sue and I met at the Exit 6 Park & Ride at 4:30am to head north. Sue suggested that she could drive and we piled my stuff into her car. As planned we made it to the Starr King trailhead area roughly 6:45am and parked at the end of the plowed road. We were the first hikers for the day. While sitting in the car we watched a couple deer that were crossing from east to west at the actual trailhead parking area. Nice start to the day. Even with more cloud cover than forecast, I remember thinking; it’s going to be a good day.
We wasted no time in getting our gear out and setting off for Waumbek. We hiked from the end of the road on snowshoes and never removed them until we returned. The lower part of the Starr King Trail was also evidently being used as a snowmobile trail but the snow machines soon turned east and followed another wood road that seemed to run parallel to Route 2. From there, the lower trail had a dusting of roughly 1 inch of loose powder. The trail was is good shape. We worked our way toward the summit of Starr King passing first through the very large open section below the spruce. Frequently, we passed deer runs where high traffic was evident and many of the tracks were very fresh. There must be an area nearby where a number of deer have yarded-up for the winter.
By the time we reached the turn into the spruce the fresh snow had increased to four to six inches and we were also finding occasional drifts. Even with the increased snow and drifting the trail was easy to follow to the summit of Starr King – the corridor passing through the spruce is very obvious. Without a single blowdown we made it to Starr King but were not treated to any views due to cloud cover and fog. Perhaps by the time we return the sun and wind will clear things out a little.
From Starr King to Waumbek the trail conditions were quite different. Almost immediately after passing the old fireplace the trail disappeared. The section between the peaks isn’t blazed as well as some trails and a greater amount of attention is needed. We worked our way along always searching for the next blaze. Generally we had little trouble but there were a couple small side-trips. The snow in the col is deeper with more significant drifting. At one point we stopped and Sue commented on the speed of the cloud movement overhead – and not very far overhead. I recalled the time we started a Presidential Traverse and found the same conditions when approaching the Madison Hut. On that day we only completed Madison and bailed roughly half-way between Madison and Adams due to the high wind – then we headed off to hike Tom, Field, and Willey as a salvage operation for the day. I’ll bet the higher peaks were getting hit with a good amount of wind on this day. We were under the wind for most of the hike with only a moderate breeze above 3000 feet.
Before long we were on the final pitch to the summit of Waumbek. When we reached the summit area we found the summit cairn completely buried in snow. Across from the summit cairn is the tree where a trail info sign is mounted and nearby another sign is mounted marking the end of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. We knew we were on the summit of Waumbek. After a few summit pictures we made the u-turn to hike back out the way we came in.
Somewhere between Waumbek and Starr King we met the first other hikers for the day. A group of six plus a dog; all were hiking the same hike as us. We stopped to visit briefly but were soon back to our project for the day. We reached Starr King and were able to get a couple pictures but the views that are available from this area weren’t open as they should have been based on the forecast. From here it is roughly an hour back to the trailhead. Along the way we met eight more hikers with the final pair including Wardsgirl and possibly Ward (?). We chatted for a couple minutes and continued.
A little past noon at the trailhead we quickly packed and took off for Cannon and our afternoon entertainment. The clouds were broken with patches of beautiful blue sky. While driving to Cannon we could clearly see some of the peaks to the east of Franconia Ridge but Lafayette and Lincoln were hidden by clouds. After making our way through Twin Mountain we made a quick stop at Beaver Brook to use the facilities – and then back to the drive to Cannon.
We were traveling with the general flow of traffic on Route 3, a short distance west of Trudeau Road (Five Corners) when we hit an icy stretch while rounding a sweeping left-hand turn. Actually, the full turn had a strip of ice/black ice in a couple zones making this section of road treacherous. The rear of the car jumped out and started to come around. There was complete silence in the car as Sue focused in all directions to make a save. The road seemed to have moderate banking through the turn and the car slid across the on-coming lane as it continued to spin. Toward the end of the turn the front of the car made contact with the snow bank at the side of the road. This snapped the car around and pulled it into the snow bank as we continued along. Eventually, after making an additional full turn the car stopped with the front pointed into the snow bank, the back sticking into traffic on the east-bound side. Roughly a third of the car was in the snow bank, including the drive wheels.
A person that watched everything as it developed was already on the phone with the police and they were on the way. We tried to alert other drivers of the problem from each direction. One vehicle coming from the same direction also hit the ice and started to spin but the driver was able to catch it bringing the vehicle under control.
With the help of the police officer, and the other gentleman that watched the accident, we were able to get the car out of the snow bank and moved to the westbound side of the road. The paperwork was completed, a flat tire was changed out for a donut, we made a quick inspection for anything that would be unsafe if we drove off, and we left. Immediately we could feel vibrations in the vehicle. We stopped at one of the turnouts along the road to do a more complete check. All of the wheels (except the donut) were packed with ice. I’m sure this threw the wheels way out of balance. One by one we cleared the snow from each wheel, removed the packed snow and ice in the radiator, and secured a couple more loose pieces that were not initially seen. Back on the road the vibrations were gone, and so was the great enthusiasm for the day that we were enjoying before the spin.
We continued to Cannon. In the lot we discussed hiking or simply heading back. Without knowing if other problems might show up on the drive south the decision was eventually made to leave Cannon for another day. As Sue pulled out of the parking space there was a new scraping noise that we had not previously heard. We drove circles in the lot and finally stopped to investigate. There was additional front-end damage that forced the left bodywork into the front tire. With the wheels turned there was contact. We pulled this area back out and were off.
Usually, the only time Sue drives 45mph is while passing through on her way to something above 60mph, or heading back to 0mph. With the flashers on we hung out at 45mph all of the way south. Along the way Sue commented – “If you combine all of my previous driving time, more cars have passed me today.” I believe her.
It’s unfortunate that our day didn’t go as planned. The silver lining part; nobody was hurt, the car will be fixed, Cannon isn’t going anywhere, and the hike to Waumbek was a good one.
Sorry Sue. As we have said many times – hiking together is always an adventure. Next time will be better.
Pictures will follow
I’ve posted some pictures from the day. Sue and I each had a camera but never got any pictures of the accident – just as well.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
The day’s plan was to hike Waumbek early and then hike Cannon in the afternoon. Each hike is relatively short with a drive time from Nashua that is greater than the hike time of either. Together, they make a good day. An early start on Waumbek should have us finished with Cannon before dark. It seemed like a good plan.
Sue and I met at the Exit 6 Park & Ride at 4:30am to head north. Sue suggested that she could drive and we piled my stuff into her car. As planned we made it to the Starr King trailhead area roughly 6:45am and parked at the end of the plowed road. We were the first hikers for the day. While sitting in the car we watched a couple deer that were crossing from east to west at the actual trailhead parking area. Nice start to the day. Even with more cloud cover than forecast, I remember thinking; it’s going to be a good day.
We wasted no time in getting our gear out and setting off for Waumbek. We hiked from the end of the road on snowshoes and never removed them until we returned. The lower part of the Starr King Trail was also evidently being used as a snowmobile trail but the snow machines soon turned east and followed another wood road that seemed to run parallel to Route 2. From there, the lower trail had a dusting of roughly 1 inch of loose powder. The trail was is good shape. We worked our way toward the summit of Starr King passing first through the very large open section below the spruce. Frequently, we passed deer runs where high traffic was evident and many of the tracks were very fresh. There must be an area nearby where a number of deer have yarded-up for the winter.
By the time we reached the turn into the spruce the fresh snow had increased to four to six inches and we were also finding occasional drifts. Even with the increased snow and drifting the trail was easy to follow to the summit of Starr King – the corridor passing through the spruce is very obvious. Without a single blowdown we made it to Starr King but were not treated to any views due to cloud cover and fog. Perhaps by the time we return the sun and wind will clear things out a little.
From Starr King to Waumbek the trail conditions were quite different. Almost immediately after passing the old fireplace the trail disappeared. The section between the peaks isn’t blazed as well as some trails and a greater amount of attention is needed. We worked our way along always searching for the next blaze. Generally we had little trouble but there were a couple small side-trips. The snow in the col is deeper with more significant drifting. At one point we stopped and Sue commented on the speed of the cloud movement overhead – and not very far overhead. I recalled the time we started a Presidential Traverse and found the same conditions when approaching the Madison Hut. On that day we only completed Madison and bailed roughly half-way between Madison and Adams due to the high wind – then we headed off to hike Tom, Field, and Willey as a salvage operation for the day. I’ll bet the higher peaks were getting hit with a good amount of wind on this day. We were under the wind for most of the hike with only a moderate breeze above 3000 feet.
Before long we were on the final pitch to the summit of Waumbek. When we reached the summit area we found the summit cairn completely buried in snow. Across from the summit cairn is the tree where a trail info sign is mounted and nearby another sign is mounted marking the end of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. We knew we were on the summit of Waumbek. After a few summit pictures we made the u-turn to hike back out the way we came in.
Somewhere between Waumbek and Starr King we met the first other hikers for the day. A group of six plus a dog; all were hiking the same hike as us. We stopped to visit briefly but were soon back to our project for the day. We reached Starr King and were able to get a couple pictures but the views that are available from this area weren’t open as they should have been based on the forecast. From here it is roughly an hour back to the trailhead. Along the way we met eight more hikers with the final pair including Wardsgirl and possibly Ward (?). We chatted for a couple minutes and continued.
A little past noon at the trailhead we quickly packed and took off for Cannon and our afternoon entertainment. The clouds were broken with patches of beautiful blue sky. While driving to Cannon we could clearly see some of the peaks to the east of Franconia Ridge but Lafayette and Lincoln were hidden by clouds. After making our way through Twin Mountain we made a quick stop at Beaver Brook to use the facilities – and then back to the drive to Cannon.
We were traveling with the general flow of traffic on Route 3, a short distance west of Trudeau Road (Five Corners) when we hit an icy stretch while rounding a sweeping left-hand turn. Actually, the full turn had a strip of ice/black ice in a couple zones making this section of road treacherous. The rear of the car jumped out and started to come around. There was complete silence in the car as Sue focused in all directions to make a save. The road seemed to have moderate banking through the turn and the car slid across the on-coming lane as it continued to spin. Toward the end of the turn the front of the car made contact with the snow bank at the side of the road. This snapped the car around and pulled it into the snow bank as we continued along. Eventually, after making an additional full turn the car stopped with the front pointed into the snow bank, the back sticking into traffic on the east-bound side. Roughly a third of the car was in the snow bank, including the drive wheels.
A person that watched everything as it developed was already on the phone with the police and they were on the way. We tried to alert other drivers of the problem from each direction. One vehicle coming from the same direction also hit the ice and started to spin but the driver was able to catch it bringing the vehicle under control.
With the help of the police officer, and the other gentleman that watched the accident, we were able to get the car out of the snow bank and moved to the westbound side of the road. The paperwork was completed, a flat tire was changed out for a donut, we made a quick inspection for anything that would be unsafe if we drove off, and we left. Immediately we could feel vibrations in the vehicle. We stopped at one of the turnouts along the road to do a more complete check. All of the wheels (except the donut) were packed with ice. I’m sure this threw the wheels way out of balance. One by one we cleared the snow from each wheel, removed the packed snow and ice in the radiator, and secured a couple more loose pieces that were not initially seen. Back on the road the vibrations were gone, and so was the great enthusiasm for the day that we were enjoying before the spin.
We continued to Cannon. In the lot we discussed hiking or simply heading back. Without knowing if other problems might show up on the drive south the decision was eventually made to leave Cannon for another day. As Sue pulled out of the parking space there was a new scraping noise that we had not previously heard. We drove circles in the lot and finally stopped to investigate. There was additional front-end damage that forced the left bodywork into the front tire. With the wheels turned there was contact. We pulled this area back out and were off.
Usually, the only time Sue drives 45mph is while passing through on her way to something above 60mph, or heading back to 0mph. With the flashers on we hung out at 45mph all of the way south. Along the way Sue commented – “If you combine all of my previous driving time, more cars have passed me today.” I believe her.
It’s unfortunate that our day didn’t go as planned. The silver lining part; nobody was hurt, the car will be fixed, Cannon isn’t going anywhere, and the hike to Waumbek was a good one.
Sorry Sue. As we have said many times – hiking together is always an adventure. Next time will be better.
Pictures will follow
I’ve posted some pictures from the day. Sue and I each had a camera but never got any pictures of the accident – just as well.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Last edited:
