MadRiver
New member
With 6 peaks remaining to complete my winter 48’s, I watched the weather forecast for the last weekend of winter with some level of interpretation, while also being encouraged that I might just finish if the weather gods decided to lob one over the plate. Earlier in the season, Earl and Sue had planned a Southern Presi’s traverse starting at Ammonoosuc and ending at Jackson, yet the weather did not cooperate and we fell short of our goal by only summiting Washington. With the forecast calling for tolerable winds and acceptable temperatures, a Southern Presi was once again in the offering.
Since I only needed Monroe to complete the Southern Presi’s, my plan was to summit and then head down thereby saving my legs for Sunday’s planned ascent of Madison, Adams, and Jefferson. On the hike up the sky was a deep blue without a hint of clouds and my planned singular summit began to give way to plans of including Jefferson. If I could reach Monroe early enough and the winds were down, there would be no good reason not to include Jefferson, thus making Sunday a relatively easier day.
At 11:00am we all reached the summit of Monroe with not a cloud in the sky and only a hint of wind, so we said our goodbyes to Earl and Sue as Farmer Bob and I descended Monroe and headed to the Westside Trail, which would eventually lead to the Gulfside Trail and ultimately Mt. Jefferson. The trip over was peaceful as we slowly hiked the trail with Jefferson looming in the distant. I had only hiked the Westside Trail once before and found it to be a lovely hike. As we made the turn towards Mt. Clay I could see in the distant not only Jefferson, which I hoped to summit that day, but also Madison and Adams that would ultimately complete my Presi’s. After what seemed like an endless parade of false summits, we arrived around 2:15pm. There were several groups on the summit as we arrived and we all took turns taking photos and congratulating each other on a job well done. The hike down via the Jewell trail was uneventful and we arrived at Marshfield Station around 5:00ish. After thanking Farmer Bob for his company, I headed home while thinking about what Sunday might bring.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16627&id=1450265390&l=1096fa23d9
My original plan was to meet KevinMac at the Appalachia parking lot at 6:00am for a car spot and then drive to Lowe’s store and hike up Lowe’s Path to Gray Knob then hike to Jefferson, Adams, and finally Madison and head down Valley Way to my truck. With Jefferson no longer on the table, KevinMac called during my drive home and we altered our plans and decided to meet around 7:00am for the car spot, thereby giving us an extra hour sleep.
I misjudged the drive time and arrived at Appalachia around 6:30am, where I patiently waited for Kevin’s arrival. While I was waiting Tim and Old man arrived, who were also waiting for a car spot from LRiz where they would drive to Marshfield Station and head up to Jefferson before completing Adams and Madison. Their plan didn’t materialize as we found out later from the Mountain Sage formerly known as Rocket21, yet I’m sure they had a good day on the ridge regardless given the weather was even more breathtaking than Saturday’s.
I was sucking wind hiking up Lowe’s Path still a little fatigued from Saturday so we didn’t reach Gray Knob until 11:30am. After a quick lunch I donned my heavier gear anticipation higher winds and dropping temperature, which happened to be the forecast for the day. The caretaker and her friend took one look at me and remarked that I would be dying within ten minutes if I didn’t shed some of that gear. Sure enough, ten minutes above treeline and I was stripped down to my base layer. There was no wind to speak of and the sky was even more beautiful than Saturday as we headed to the snow field just below Adams.
We reached the summit just as a few groups from the north and south converged on the summit. We all remarked just how beautiful the weather was and how winter hiking is so much better than the summer when there are bugs and the summits are packed with hikers. We all took our requisite photos, said our goodbyes, as Kevin and I headed down towards the Madison Hut. A few hikers were milling about when we arrived and we spend about 10 minutes having lunch before leaving our packs behind the hut while we headed to the final summit of the day. The hike up was easy and we had the summit to ourselves for most of our stay until a lone hiker arrived and decided to head down Watson Path to his car at Appalachia. After taking yet another summit photo, we headed down, retrieved our packs, and then hiked down Valley Way to my truck. After dropping Kevin off at the Lowe’s store and getting a root beer for the ride home, my thoughts turned to Tuesday when I would be finally finishing the winter 48’s.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16720&id=1450265390&l=f0cc4a2efe
Tuesday morning was bittersweet. Part of me was elated that my three year journey was finally coming to an end, yet part of me was sad for the very same reason. Some of my hiking friends had expressed interest in accompanying me on my final hike, yet given it was Tuesday I knew that my final hike would be solo, which was ok. I didn’t know how I would feel or react on Middle Tripyramid as I set foot on my final winter summit. Seeing a grown man crying in a kilt would probably seem a tad odd, if not frightening to the casual observer, so maybe it was best that I took this journey alone.
I was the only one there as I arrived at the Livermore parking lot. I positioned my truck to take advantage of the little dirt that was visible to ensure that I would need AAA as Wardsgirl did the weekend prior. I used my microspikes on the groomed ski trail until I reached the cutoff just before the bridge crossing. The snow was beginning to soften up so I donned the snowshoes to make my footing easier. After passing the South Slide turnoff I was beginning to see the North Slide in the distance. I had a momentary pang of regret that I wasn’t going to ascend the slide, yet I promised Susan that I would take the Scaur Ridge Trail for safety reasons.
I had never take the Scaur Ridge Trail before and found it to be an enjoyable hike. I could see the North Slide during most of the hike and I tried to see if there were any tracks heading up or not. After making the turn onto the Pine Bend Brook Trail and maybe a hundred yards before reaching the North Tripyramid summit I ran into Wolfgang from VFTT. We had a nice chat and after a few minutes I was standing on my second to last summit of my winter 48’s. The North summit is joyless, yet I found myself walking around going to each compass direction to ensure that I hit the “correct” summit for fear someone would post saying my left foot missed the true summit by inches, so the summit didn’t count.
After leaving the summit I could see the Middle Tripyramid looming in the distance with its pointy peak standing alone between the North and South peaks and part of me was surprised that I didn’t have more of an emotional reaction to actually seeing the end of my journey being within reach, barring some Divine intervention like a heart attack or some other natural calamity, that is. Yet there it was just within reach and no crying, no introspection, no nothing. Maybe once I reached the actual summit the floodgates of emotion would release and I would turn into a sniveling puddle of humanity. One could always hope.
Fifteen minutes later there I was standing on the telltale rock shelf that marks the Middle Tripyramid’s summit and I was finally standing on the last summit of my three year journey alone, yet I was surprised that I still didn’t feel the level of emotion that one would expect. I tried to give a high five to a Gray Jay that was perched nearby, but he was having none of it. I felt somewhat like Chevy Chase standing in front of the Grand Canyon, though his thoughts were of Christy Brinkley, so it was understandable if his emotions were somewhat complacent, I however, had no excuse. I got a cell signal so I called Susan and she congratulated me on my finish and we chatted for a few minutes before I took my final view of the surround mountains off in the distance covered in snow.
The hike out was uneventful. I did see some winter campers setting up their tents in an opening by the South Slide cutoff and I had a momentary thought of saying hello, yet one thing that I have learned this past winter is that some people have a difficult time processing the kilt, so not wanting to reprise the role of Ned Beatty in Deliverance, I thought it best to keep going. The only other person I saw on the way out was a pretty girl xc skiing who giggled as she skied by. At 5:00pm I found myself back at my truck where the morning ice had given way to a small lake. I took of my snowshoes, threw my pack in the bed, and headed home feeling happy that I finally completed my winter 48’s, yet sad as well now that my quest was over.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16977&id=1450265390&l=a78b84e794
My journey in a lot of ways has not ended. I will still continue to hike and explore trails that I haven’t previously done, while helping friends completed their lists, so in some ways I am starting a new journey, and that is what hiking is all about, for me at least.
I would like to thank everyone who has hiked with me these past three years. Without your friendship, encouragement, and support I could not have completed this journey. Thank you so much!
Since I only needed Monroe to complete the Southern Presi’s, my plan was to summit and then head down thereby saving my legs for Sunday’s planned ascent of Madison, Adams, and Jefferson. On the hike up the sky was a deep blue without a hint of clouds and my planned singular summit began to give way to plans of including Jefferson. If I could reach Monroe early enough and the winds were down, there would be no good reason not to include Jefferson, thus making Sunday a relatively easier day.
At 11:00am we all reached the summit of Monroe with not a cloud in the sky and only a hint of wind, so we said our goodbyes to Earl and Sue as Farmer Bob and I descended Monroe and headed to the Westside Trail, which would eventually lead to the Gulfside Trail and ultimately Mt. Jefferson. The trip over was peaceful as we slowly hiked the trail with Jefferson looming in the distant. I had only hiked the Westside Trail once before and found it to be a lovely hike. As we made the turn towards Mt. Clay I could see in the distant not only Jefferson, which I hoped to summit that day, but also Madison and Adams that would ultimately complete my Presi’s. After what seemed like an endless parade of false summits, we arrived around 2:15pm. There were several groups on the summit as we arrived and we all took turns taking photos and congratulating each other on a job well done. The hike down via the Jewell trail was uneventful and we arrived at Marshfield Station around 5:00ish. After thanking Farmer Bob for his company, I headed home while thinking about what Sunday might bring.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16627&id=1450265390&l=1096fa23d9
My original plan was to meet KevinMac at the Appalachia parking lot at 6:00am for a car spot and then drive to Lowe’s store and hike up Lowe’s Path to Gray Knob then hike to Jefferson, Adams, and finally Madison and head down Valley Way to my truck. With Jefferson no longer on the table, KevinMac called during my drive home and we altered our plans and decided to meet around 7:00am for the car spot, thereby giving us an extra hour sleep.
I misjudged the drive time and arrived at Appalachia around 6:30am, where I patiently waited for Kevin’s arrival. While I was waiting Tim and Old man arrived, who were also waiting for a car spot from LRiz where they would drive to Marshfield Station and head up to Jefferson before completing Adams and Madison. Their plan didn’t materialize as we found out later from the Mountain Sage formerly known as Rocket21, yet I’m sure they had a good day on the ridge regardless given the weather was even more breathtaking than Saturday’s.
I was sucking wind hiking up Lowe’s Path still a little fatigued from Saturday so we didn’t reach Gray Knob until 11:30am. After a quick lunch I donned my heavier gear anticipation higher winds and dropping temperature, which happened to be the forecast for the day. The caretaker and her friend took one look at me and remarked that I would be dying within ten minutes if I didn’t shed some of that gear. Sure enough, ten minutes above treeline and I was stripped down to my base layer. There was no wind to speak of and the sky was even more beautiful than Saturday as we headed to the snow field just below Adams.
We reached the summit just as a few groups from the north and south converged on the summit. We all remarked just how beautiful the weather was and how winter hiking is so much better than the summer when there are bugs and the summits are packed with hikers. We all took our requisite photos, said our goodbyes, as Kevin and I headed down towards the Madison Hut. A few hikers were milling about when we arrived and we spend about 10 minutes having lunch before leaving our packs behind the hut while we headed to the final summit of the day. The hike up was easy and we had the summit to ourselves for most of our stay until a lone hiker arrived and decided to head down Watson Path to his car at Appalachia. After taking yet another summit photo, we headed down, retrieved our packs, and then hiked down Valley Way to my truck. After dropping Kevin off at the Lowe’s store and getting a root beer for the ride home, my thoughts turned to Tuesday when I would be finally finishing the winter 48’s.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16720&id=1450265390&l=f0cc4a2efe
Tuesday morning was bittersweet. Part of me was elated that my three year journey was finally coming to an end, yet part of me was sad for the very same reason. Some of my hiking friends had expressed interest in accompanying me on my final hike, yet given it was Tuesday I knew that my final hike would be solo, which was ok. I didn’t know how I would feel or react on Middle Tripyramid as I set foot on my final winter summit. Seeing a grown man crying in a kilt would probably seem a tad odd, if not frightening to the casual observer, so maybe it was best that I took this journey alone.
I was the only one there as I arrived at the Livermore parking lot. I positioned my truck to take advantage of the little dirt that was visible to ensure that I would need AAA as Wardsgirl did the weekend prior. I used my microspikes on the groomed ski trail until I reached the cutoff just before the bridge crossing. The snow was beginning to soften up so I donned the snowshoes to make my footing easier. After passing the South Slide turnoff I was beginning to see the North Slide in the distance. I had a momentary pang of regret that I wasn’t going to ascend the slide, yet I promised Susan that I would take the Scaur Ridge Trail for safety reasons.
I had never take the Scaur Ridge Trail before and found it to be an enjoyable hike. I could see the North Slide during most of the hike and I tried to see if there were any tracks heading up or not. After making the turn onto the Pine Bend Brook Trail and maybe a hundred yards before reaching the North Tripyramid summit I ran into Wolfgang from VFTT. We had a nice chat and after a few minutes I was standing on my second to last summit of my winter 48’s. The North summit is joyless, yet I found myself walking around going to each compass direction to ensure that I hit the “correct” summit for fear someone would post saying my left foot missed the true summit by inches, so the summit didn’t count.
After leaving the summit I could see the Middle Tripyramid looming in the distance with its pointy peak standing alone between the North and South peaks and part of me was surprised that I didn’t have more of an emotional reaction to actually seeing the end of my journey being within reach, barring some Divine intervention like a heart attack or some other natural calamity, that is. Yet there it was just within reach and no crying, no introspection, no nothing. Maybe once I reached the actual summit the floodgates of emotion would release and I would turn into a sniveling puddle of humanity. One could always hope.
Fifteen minutes later there I was standing on the telltale rock shelf that marks the Middle Tripyramid’s summit and I was finally standing on the last summit of my three year journey alone, yet I was surprised that I still didn’t feel the level of emotion that one would expect. I tried to give a high five to a Gray Jay that was perched nearby, but he was having none of it. I felt somewhat like Chevy Chase standing in front of the Grand Canyon, though his thoughts were of Christy Brinkley, so it was understandable if his emotions were somewhat complacent, I however, had no excuse. I got a cell signal so I called Susan and she congratulated me on my finish and we chatted for a few minutes before I took my final view of the surround mountains off in the distance covered in snow.
The hike out was uneventful. I did see some winter campers setting up their tents in an opening by the South Slide cutoff and I had a momentary thought of saying hello, yet one thing that I have learned this past winter is that some people have a difficult time processing the kilt, so not wanting to reprise the role of Ned Beatty in Deliverance, I thought it best to keep going. The only other person I saw on the way out was a pretty girl xc skiing who giggled as she skied by. At 5:00pm I found myself back at my truck where the morning ice had given way to a small lake. I took of my snowshoes, threw my pack in the bed, and headed home feeling happy that I finally completed my winter 48’s, yet sad as well now that my quest was over.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16977&id=1450265390&l=a78b84e794
My journey in a lot of ways has not ended. I will still continue to hike and explore trails that I haven’t previously done, while helping friends completed their lists, so in some ways I am starting a new journey, and that is what hiking is all about, for me at least.
I would like to thank everyone who has hiked with me these past three years. Without your friendship, encouragement, and support I could not have completed this journey. Thank you so much!
