Raven
Well-known member
Trails: Beaver Brook Trail for 2.3 miles approximately before going off trail to summit of Blue. Also used 0.4 miles of Asquam Ridge Trail to near the high point of Jim before heading briefly off trail. Very briefly.
Conditions: Beaver Brook Trail was in good shape on the ascent. On the descent, the Asquam Ridge trail, in the 0.4 I was on turned into a complete stream. Beaver Brook was fine on the steeps, although great care had to be taken to avoid a slip.
Special equipment: rain gear was essential. Definite conditions for hypothermia with cold wind and temps in the fifties I would guess. Eye protection a plus while off trail. Pants would have been a really goood idea on the route I picked up and down Blue. Next time.
Comments: a thunderstorm with heavy rain came in fast while I was on the summit of Blue shortening my stay to maybe 20 minutes and forcing a quick descent back through thick spruce to the trail. I was enjoying the mossy solitude but prefer to not be off trail in heavy rain. It slowed enough for me to head up for a quick summit of Mount Jim but no way I was heading up the Moose. On the descent, I realized I had missed quite the display. While I had been hit with some torrential rains at 4500', everything below about 3800 feet had received a fair amount of hail. It looked like crushed ice all over the forest floor. Beautiful but apparently not seen at elevation. The cascades were absolutely stunning on the way down with all the water and looked more like spring. They were intense. Got a great compliment from a thru-hiker I passed on the way up Beaver Brook who thought I was either in really good shape or must have been a slack-packing thru-hiker too. I warmly welcomed him to New Hampshire....where I am not really considered all that fast.
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Conditions: Beaver Brook Trail was in good shape on the ascent. On the descent, the Asquam Ridge trail, in the 0.4 I was on turned into a complete stream. Beaver Brook was fine on the steeps, although great care had to be taken to avoid a slip.
Special equipment: rain gear was essential. Definite conditions for hypothermia with cold wind and temps in the fifties I would guess. Eye protection a plus while off trail. Pants would have been a really goood idea on the route I picked up and down Blue. Next time.
Comments: a thunderstorm with heavy rain came in fast while I was on the summit of Blue shortening my stay to maybe 20 minutes and forcing a quick descent back through thick spruce to the trail. I was enjoying the mossy solitude but prefer to not be off trail in heavy rain. It slowed enough for me to head up for a quick summit of Mount Jim but no way I was heading up the Moose. On the descent, I realized I had missed quite the display. While I had been hit with some torrential rains at 4500', everything below about 3800 feet had received a fair amount of hail. It looked like crushed ice all over the forest floor. Beautiful but apparently not seen at elevation. The cascades were absolutely stunning on the way down with all the water and looked more like spring. They were intense. Got a great compliment from a thru-hiker I passed on the way up Beaver Brook who thought I was either in really good shape or must have been a slack-packing thru-hiker too. I warmly welcomed him to New Hampshire....where I am not really considered all that fast.
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