Barbarossa
Active member
It was good to have the trail to myself. Traffic was crazy. In N. Woodstock at 5:30 some nut in a bear suit ran across the road in front of me a car driving in the opposite direction. The way he threaded the needle it had to be a football player. Seriously, I have never seen a bear so closely. Good thing the brakes worked.
I chose the Benton trail because it has 3000' elevation gain. It was a good choice, I thought. It was still well before dawn when I made the water crossing, so I was extra cautious. I didn't to miss any steps. The lower slopes were covered with maple and a few beach. I couldn't see much color heading up, but coming down there were some late trees hanging on, more beech than maple. The area had a golden carpet of new fallen leaves, which had a pretty glow, even on a cloudy day.
After attaining the ridge, the trail had a high-altitude feel because I was surrounded by spruce, as all the birch leaves were down. It was a cool illusion, though I didn't try to convince myself that I was 'almost there'.
The overlook mentioned in the guide was really spectacular. Little Tunnel Ravine had a real remote feel to it. At that point the cloud deck was about 4000', judging by where the Kinsmans got obscured. As I pressed on, I ran into a fine, frozen mist falling. It made a soft, tinkling sound as the 'storm' hit.
It was brisk up top, just enough to hurry me along, but nothing too serious. I even saw some blue patches as the clouds raced past.
Heading down, the footing was good, and not too steep. Always a bonus for aging or ailing joints!
Overall, it was a good climb. I was also thrilled to see a bear, even if it was a townie.
I chose the Benton trail because it has 3000' elevation gain. It was a good choice, I thought. It was still well before dawn when I made the water crossing, so I was extra cautious. I didn't to miss any steps. The lower slopes were covered with maple and a few beach. I couldn't see much color heading up, but coming down there were some late trees hanging on, more beech than maple. The area had a golden carpet of new fallen leaves, which had a pretty glow, even on a cloudy day.
After attaining the ridge, the trail had a high-altitude feel because I was surrounded by spruce, as all the birch leaves were down. It was a cool illusion, though I didn't try to convince myself that I was 'almost there'.
The overlook mentioned in the guide was really spectacular. Little Tunnel Ravine had a real remote feel to it. At that point the cloud deck was about 4000', judging by where the Kinsmans got obscured. As I pressed on, I ran into a fine, frozen mist falling. It made a soft, tinkling sound as the 'storm' hit.
It was brisk up top, just enough to hurry me along, but nothing too serious. I even saw some blue patches as the clouds raced past.
Heading down, the footing was good, and not too steep. Always a bonus for aging or ailing joints!
Overall, it was a good climb. I was also thrilled to see a bear, even if it was a townie.
