SpencerVT
Member
I brought enough safety gear and supplies to survive a nuclear firestorm and headed out to go for an ascent of Lost Pond Mountain. My bag was so heavy it felt like I was carrying a Sumo wrestler holding a pallet of roofing shingles. But better to be over-prepared than under.
I left the Adirondack Loj and was on Indian Pass trail by 8am. The weather was gray, dreary and foreboding. Like sitting at a bar alone at 9 o'clock in the morning after your fiance left you at the altar in Vegas and Elvis charged you anyways.
To compound the dread and sorrowful atmosphere I was masochistically catapulting myself into, the Indian Pass trail was even worse than usual due to the book of Deuteronomy deluge that douched the snow from the woods and pulverized the route. Stream and brook crossing infrastructure was strewn like a Boxing coach's toothpicks all over the landscape. More trail erosion from the tectonics of water will probably render the Indian Pass trail an EPA superfund site, LOL
Nonetheless, I lumbered like a lonely Yeti out to about Scott clearing where I was thankfully safely able to hop scotch the Indian Pass Brook. Then the bushwhack began.
If there were a soundtrack to this climb it would be the line from Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt:
"I will let you down, I will make you hurt."
The mountain kept singing it to me. Over and over and over again.
Cliffs, conifers that were like pushing through the velcro on a shoe the size of the Titanic, snow, and despair.
At long last I reached the summit and was afforded the reward of some sweet views that Lost Pond Peak is known for.
I mostly retraced my steps on the way out since following my snowshoe tracks makes for easier navigating. Despite the wild weather, Lost Pond still had 2'-4' feet of snow. Thankfully, the thaw/freeze cycle made the snow buoy me so I virtually never sank in and stayed above it the whole time. Jesus walking on water conditions.
I stumbled back through the wreckage of the Indian Pass trail and emerged at the Loj like the dude from Shawshank Redemption after breaking out of prison through an active sewer pipe - The only difference is - this hike was less pleasant.
It was awesome.
It took 9 hours and 27 mins.
"I will let you down, I will make you hurt":
What the hell is this? The NH Flume Gorge??!
Just gross:
At the summit, next to Golden Corral:
I left the Adirondack Loj and was on Indian Pass trail by 8am. The weather was gray, dreary and foreboding. Like sitting at a bar alone at 9 o'clock in the morning after your fiance left you at the altar in Vegas and Elvis charged you anyways.
To compound the dread and sorrowful atmosphere I was masochistically catapulting myself into, the Indian Pass trail was even worse than usual due to the book of Deuteronomy deluge that douched the snow from the woods and pulverized the route. Stream and brook crossing infrastructure was strewn like a Boxing coach's toothpicks all over the landscape. More trail erosion from the tectonics of water will probably render the Indian Pass trail an EPA superfund site, LOL
Nonetheless, I lumbered like a lonely Yeti out to about Scott clearing where I was thankfully safely able to hop scotch the Indian Pass Brook. Then the bushwhack began.
If there were a soundtrack to this climb it would be the line from Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt:
"I will let you down, I will make you hurt."
The mountain kept singing it to me. Over and over and over again.
Cliffs, conifers that were like pushing through the velcro on a shoe the size of the Titanic, snow, and despair.
At long last I reached the summit and was afforded the reward of some sweet views that Lost Pond Peak is known for.
I mostly retraced my steps on the way out since following my snowshoe tracks makes for easier navigating. Despite the wild weather, Lost Pond still had 2'-4' feet of snow. Thankfully, the thaw/freeze cycle made the snow buoy me so I virtually never sank in and stayed above it the whole time. Jesus walking on water conditions.
I stumbled back through the wreckage of the Indian Pass trail and emerged at the Loj like the dude from Shawshank Redemption after breaking out of prison through an active sewer pipe - The only difference is - this hike was less pleasant.
It was awesome.
It took 9 hours and 27 mins.
"I will let you down, I will make you hurt":
What the hell is this? The NH Flume Gorge??!
Just gross:
At the summit, next to Golden Corral:
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