After spotting my car at the Garfield Trailhead near Five Corners, Cath Goodwin and I left her car at the Seven Dwarfs Motel near the head of Little River Road (we always pay the owner $3) and began hiking at 9 am. All three crossings of the Little River are now well frozen over. After bare booting up to about 3000 ft, we snowshoed the rest of the way. We reached N Twin at about 12:30 pm, S Twin about 1:10 pm (just off the summit out of the wind, we stopped for a short moment of silence for Kenneth Holmes), Galehead hut about 1:35 pm, Galehead summit and back to the hut by about 2:30 pm, East Garfield Ridge Peak (3590 ft) about 3:15 pm (easy buchwhack), Garfield Ridge Trail / Garfield Trail Jct about 5:15 pm, Garfield summit 5:30 pm, Garfield trailhead at about 7:30 pm, so 10 hr, 30 min total. We skipped West Garfield Ridge Peak (3667 ft) for sake of time. One tricky spot of snow-covered water ice on steepest pitch below tent platforms on GRT (crampons would have been useful if we had them, but snowshoes and ski poles worked). Temperatures hovered around 0 F all day/evening long; wind gusts up to 20-25 mph on summits.
That is 45 NH 4s completed since 26 December 2003 for me, so three to go (see Frodo and Stinkyfeet threads). Cath is well on her way to her 4th winter of 48 NH 4s since 1994/95.
That is 45 NH 4s completed since 26 December 2003 for me, so three to go (see Frodo and Stinkyfeet threads). Cath is well on her way to her 4th winter of 48 NH 4s since 1994/95.
