MarkL
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
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The AMC book says take Haystack Rd. ~2.5 miles in to t/h, but the road was gated. After looking and asking around, I was told that the No Trespassing sign at the end of Little River Rd. wasn't aimed at hikers, it's just to keep people away from the water tank. I wanted to confirm that with someone, but nobody was a the police station nearby, and I didn't see anyone else around. I thought of asking at the coffee shop (Northern Bean?) at the jct. of Rt. 3 and Little R. Rd, but was suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of letting others know that my car would be unattended all day at the end of the road.[edit; I just learned from MichaelJ that my info was wrong: the No Trespassing sign is indeed intended for hikers too. Inquire at the 7Dwarves Motel about parking.]
The first mile was a bushwhack along the E. side of Little R to get to the t/h at the end of Haystack Rd. At times the slope was so steep that I stayed pretty far from the river just to be on level ground. Eventually I saw good walking terrain closer to the R, so I went down the steep slope. It took about an hour to get to the t/h.
Trail was well packed and the tread was easy to see despite the day's snow. The previous person(s) opted for a bushwhack betw the first and second crossings, and there again their tracks were usually easy to see. The ice bridges looked like they might be navigable, but here and there I could see ice sheets hanging in the air that might have looked fine to someone crossing from the other side. It wasn't worth it even in daylight, and it would be dark on the way out.
Overall, there was very little blowdown, and the tread was visible most of the way to S. Twin. Somewhere on the way to N. Twin, the tread was no longer visible, but the way was still fairly obvious.
Summit of [(edit)South] Twin was mostly bare rock, very little ice.
Despite a forecast of up to 8" of snow, very little fell on the way up. There was some refrozen precip a good deal of the day, some periods of no precip, and some sleet near the summits. On the way out it snowed, and in very few spots my tracks had drifted completely over. Surprisingly, those spots were mostly lower down.
There was enough snow and wind to blow over tracks, but based on Wednesday's hike and the amount of snow on my car Thurs AM, but the additional depth would add little to trail breaking difficulty.
Snowshoes required. Crampons not used.
Galehead was part of the plan, but with a late start (10AM), summiting N. Twin by head lamp, having left a note on the dash saying I'd be back ~9PM, and the additional ~1,400' vertical r/t, I knew this wasn't the day to go for it. I got back to the car at 10:50PM.
About halfway or more from the t/h to the end of Little River Rd, I lost my tracks. I navigated based on the need to stay away from the river's steep bank, but keep it within earshot, and keep heading N or NNW. I had gone in by going around the gate before the water tank, but came out on an old road parallel to and just above(~50')/east of it. If I were to do it again, I'd take that old road in.
The first mile was a bushwhack along the E. side of Little R to get to the t/h at the end of Haystack Rd. At times the slope was so steep that I stayed pretty far from the river just to be on level ground. Eventually I saw good walking terrain closer to the R, so I went down the steep slope. It took about an hour to get to the t/h.
Trail was well packed and the tread was easy to see despite the day's snow. The previous person(s) opted for a bushwhack betw the first and second crossings, and there again their tracks were usually easy to see. The ice bridges looked like they might be navigable, but here and there I could see ice sheets hanging in the air that might have looked fine to someone crossing from the other side. It wasn't worth it even in daylight, and it would be dark on the way out.
Overall, there was very little blowdown, and the tread was visible most of the way to S. Twin. Somewhere on the way to N. Twin, the tread was no longer visible, but the way was still fairly obvious.
Summit of [(edit)South] Twin was mostly bare rock, very little ice.
Despite a forecast of up to 8" of snow, very little fell on the way up. There was some refrozen precip a good deal of the day, some periods of no precip, and some sleet near the summits. On the way out it snowed, and in very few spots my tracks had drifted completely over. Surprisingly, those spots were mostly lower down.
There was enough snow and wind to blow over tracks, but based on Wednesday's hike and the amount of snow on my car Thurs AM, but the additional depth would add little to trail breaking difficulty.
Snowshoes required. Crampons not used.
Galehead was part of the plan, but with a late start (10AM), summiting N. Twin by head lamp, having left a note on the dash saying I'd be back ~9PM, and the additional ~1,400' vertical r/t, I knew this wasn't the day to go for it. I got back to the car at 10:50PM.
About halfway or more from the t/h to the end of Little River Rd, I lost my tracks. I navigated based on the need to stay away from the river's steep bank, but keep it within earshot, and keep heading N or NNW. I had gone in by going around the gate before the water tank, but came out on an old road parallel to and just above(~50')/east of it. If I were to do it again, I'd take that old road in.
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