sapblatt
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- Oct 22, 2004
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Third time is the charm – this is the third time I have planned to hike the Castle Trail and the first time there was not a monsoon on the day. This proved to be a beautiful day and the trail proved to be one not to do in the rain – glad I waited. LarryD and Cathy (Mrs. LarryD) kindly invited me to their place in Conway so I would not have to be driving up at 2:30am – it was real nice getting up for a hike at 5am – not 2am! Larry and I took two cars over to Bowman so we could spot one at Appalachia to open up more options if we wanted them.
The day began with a delicious chocolate chip muffin that was also glazed with icing – just the solid start one needs for a day in the mountains. We were cutting across Dolly Copp/Pinkham B Road around 6:15 when we got to see a beautiful. Female moose near the side of the road. She was being a bit unpredictable so we both stopped and waited for her to get into the woods. Much bigger than a horse! We continued on to drop the car and get over to Bowman where it was a brisk 49 degrees when we hit the trail at about 6:30am.
The Castle Trail sucks you in nicely with very gentle, basically flat walking for the first 1.3 miles until the Israel Ridge Junction. The only drawback in this area is that the trail is very overgrown with brush – not really a factor is staying on the trail, as the foot bed is well worn and hard to lose. The river crossing took just a little thought, and was pretty much doable on the rocks – not too much trouble at all. After the Israel Junction it begins to climb a bit more but still moderately. A gigantic boulder is passed on the way to the Link. We finally made it to that junction and took a break along with two very large Gray Jays (that were not the least bit shy) and a very small wren that was hanging around. The trail sign was re worked to read “The Dink” – no doubt someone’s opinion of that rough and wild trail! After fueling up we started into the climbing!
The first obstacle is a large slab that was probably about 30-40 feet long and on just enough of an angle to be a pain. The rock was rough which helped, and the right side was how I did it by holding onto trees and routes. After this you are quickly at the Castles which provided a lot of fun scrambling and a little frustration at times trying to find the trail as the paint blazes were very faint when the existed at all. I feel like this is the best I have ever done scrambling and I think it is because I decided to pack away the trekking poles after the Link junction – they just get in the way. Larry and I both had a little trouble at more a couple of spots due to the fact that we are not seven feet tall. The views are spectacular and constant – up towards Jefferson, over to the Caps Ridge, back to Mount Bowman and the best of all – down into Castle Ravine – I will be going there soon!
After the Castles the trail moderates a bit as it works up towards the Cornice. At times it really does not seem like a trail as there are no blazes in this area and most of the cairns are about 10-18 inches high and blend into the other rocks. I found that the section of this trail above the Cornice was a lot easier than the same area on the Caps Ridge Trail. I did find the scrambling on the Castles to be a bit tougher as well. Our quick pace on the lower portions was long behind us and we finally got to the summit around noontime – about 5 ½ hours, close to six! We had lunch an enjoyed the incredible views and weather – there was no wind. We did not see any people all day until the summit and then only a few more all day on the way down. The clouds provided interesting cover and light and everything looked so nice today. I can hike without rain after all!
We descended down the Jefferson Loop to the Gulfside towards Edmand’s Col. This is a rather slow, rock hopping descent. It would be a lot more scenic if you did not need to look at your feet constantly! We finally made it to the col and talked to a few hikers who were heading to Jefferson and we proceeded down the Randolph Path towards the Israel Ridge Path to get us back to Bowman. The views down Castle Ravine and over to the Castles are excellent. We kept going down the Israel Ridge Path and found it a bit slow going on the upper parts as were pretty beat by now. We took a quick detour to the Perch, just to see it (and because the sign said “100 yards” – which was a lie) – the last RMC facility that I have not seen…I was a bit amazed to see a lot of toilet paper in the woods within 50 yards of the privy. This is in addition to a bit of trash in the area…I understand how people do not want to pack out toilet paper, but this was really uncalled for at this location.
Further down we crossed Cascade Brook and then a very confusing junction with the Link where the Israel Ridge Path could have used one extra sign. We also went down three big ladders and 2-3 small ladders. The small ones were in spots that really did not need them, but at this point I was glad to have them. Finally we met the Castle Ravine Trail and shortly after crossed the river(s) and met back to the Castle Rail – I am now officially out of water. I did not bring my filter and did not want to use iodine so I just stuck it out for the final half hour.
We were back at the car at 6:30 for a nice even 12-hour day. Back to Appalachia for our customary post-hike beer and I was on my way south exhausted. Another great hike with Larry – sheer torture – and I cannot wait to do it again!
One final note – on the way south on I-93, about ½ mile north of the Kanc I bat (I think) flew into my windshield (it was about 7:30pm.) After I saw it go behind me in the mirror I looked back ahead of me and slammed my breaks as I saw a bear running across I-93 from east to west! It was not too big – I would guess less than 200 pounds. It was only about 50 feet in front of me when I saw him cross. Lastly, it was nice meeting a group of four hikers from the NY area - when we saw the last person go by we saw the "VFTT" patch and I asked - it was askus3 - nice to meet all of you during your vacation to the Whites.
PICTURES
The day began with a delicious chocolate chip muffin that was also glazed with icing – just the solid start one needs for a day in the mountains. We were cutting across Dolly Copp/Pinkham B Road around 6:15 when we got to see a beautiful. Female moose near the side of the road. She was being a bit unpredictable so we both stopped and waited for her to get into the woods. Much bigger than a horse! We continued on to drop the car and get over to Bowman where it was a brisk 49 degrees when we hit the trail at about 6:30am.
The Castle Trail sucks you in nicely with very gentle, basically flat walking for the first 1.3 miles until the Israel Ridge Junction. The only drawback in this area is that the trail is very overgrown with brush – not really a factor is staying on the trail, as the foot bed is well worn and hard to lose. The river crossing took just a little thought, and was pretty much doable on the rocks – not too much trouble at all. After the Israel Junction it begins to climb a bit more but still moderately. A gigantic boulder is passed on the way to the Link. We finally made it to that junction and took a break along with two very large Gray Jays (that were not the least bit shy) and a very small wren that was hanging around. The trail sign was re worked to read “The Dink” – no doubt someone’s opinion of that rough and wild trail! After fueling up we started into the climbing!
The first obstacle is a large slab that was probably about 30-40 feet long and on just enough of an angle to be a pain. The rock was rough which helped, and the right side was how I did it by holding onto trees and routes. After this you are quickly at the Castles which provided a lot of fun scrambling and a little frustration at times trying to find the trail as the paint blazes were very faint when the existed at all. I feel like this is the best I have ever done scrambling and I think it is because I decided to pack away the trekking poles after the Link junction – they just get in the way. Larry and I both had a little trouble at more a couple of spots due to the fact that we are not seven feet tall. The views are spectacular and constant – up towards Jefferson, over to the Caps Ridge, back to Mount Bowman and the best of all – down into Castle Ravine – I will be going there soon!
After the Castles the trail moderates a bit as it works up towards the Cornice. At times it really does not seem like a trail as there are no blazes in this area and most of the cairns are about 10-18 inches high and blend into the other rocks. I found that the section of this trail above the Cornice was a lot easier than the same area on the Caps Ridge Trail. I did find the scrambling on the Castles to be a bit tougher as well. Our quick pace on the lower portions was long behind us and we finally got to the summit around noontime – about 5 ½ hours, close to six! We had lunch an enjoyed the incredible views and weather – there was no wind. We did not see any people all day until the summit and then only a few more all day on the way down. The clouds provided interesting cover and light and everything looked so nice today. I can hike without rain after all!
We descended down the Jefferson Loop to the Gulfside towards Edmand’s Col. This is a rather slow, rock hopping descent. It would be a lot more scenic if you did not need to look at your feet constantly! We finally made it to the col and talked to a few hikers who were heading to Jefferson and we proceeded down the Randolph Path towards the Israel Ridge Path to get us back to Bowman. The views down Castle Ravine and over to the Castles are excellent. We kept going down the Israel Ridge Path and found it a bit slow going on the upper parts as were pretty beat by now. We took a quick detour to the Perch, just to see it (and because the sign said “100 yards” – which was a lie) – the last RMC facility that I have not seen…I was a bit amazed to see a lot of toilet paper in the woods within 50 yards of the privy. This is in addition to a bit of trash in the area…I understand how people do not want to pack out toilet paper, but this was really uncalled for at this location.
Further down we crossed Cascade Brook and then a very confusing junction with the Link where the Israel Ridge Path could have used one extra sign. We also went down three big ladders and 2-3 small ladders. The small ones were in spots that really did not need them, but at this point I was glad to have them. Finally we met the Castle Ravine Trail and shortly after crossed the river(s) and met back to the Castle Rail – I am now officially out of water. I did not bring my filter and did not want to use iodine so I just stuck it out for the final half hour.
We were back at the car at 6:30 for a nice even 12-hour day. Back to Appalachia for our customary post-hike beer and I was on my way south exhausted. Another great hike with Larry – sheer torture – and I cannot wait to do it again!
One final note – on the way south on I-93, about ½ mile north of the Kanc I bat (I think) flew into my windshield (it was about 7:30pm.) After I saw it go behind me in the mirror I looked back ahead of me and slammed my breaks as I saw a bear running across I-93 from east to west! It was not too big – I would guess less than 200 pounds. It was only about 50 feet in front of me when I saw him cross. Lastly, it was nice meeting a group of four hikers from the NY area - when we saw the last person go by we saw the "VFTT" patch and I asked - it was askus3 - nice to meet all of you during your vacation to the Whites.
PICTURES
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