Participants: Stev-O, MtnPa, Juniper
This hike was something that Stev-O had been wanting to do for a long time. He had a picture of the slide taken from Peak Above the Nubble and some info from a TR by Craig from last summer. I was in NH with no hiking plans and was very excited to join the adventure.
We headed out on the North Twin trail about 9:30. Just across the first crossing of the Little River we headed into the woods in a NW direction. After a straightforward walk in fairly open woods we came to a section of an old logging road running north-south. At this point we weren't certain whether we were north or south of the drainage we were seeking that would lead us to the base of the slide. We headed north for a while following a very well-defined herd path. This was definitely bear territory - berries galore and scat here and there. We went about three tenths of a mile and realized that we needed to turn around.
We backtracked to where we started on the road and continued north, still following a clear track. When we hit the first serious stream we figured we had found the drainage we were seeking. We headed back into the woods heading west and keeping the sound of water within earshot. The going was not difficult, but not as open as described in last summer's TR. Our goal was to start looking for the bottom of the slide at about 2600'. After bushwhacking for quite a while, we angled slightly north and started seeing flagging and other signs of traffic in the area (probably people heading for PAtN??). The going was much easier through this section, almost like hiking on a trail. Somewhere between 2600 or 2700' we cut towards the stream and discovered to our delight that we had hit the very bottom of the slide!
We dropped into the rocky bottom of the slide and began the long approach. The boulders in this area were bright red in color and very cool. There was water running here and there. It was easy rock hopping up to the point where we hit the wet slabby bottom section of the ascent. The spur slide off to the left that Craig also climbed last summer was shimmering with wetness and terrifying! We had a snack break and began our climb.
The slabs were pretty wet, so we focused on finding a dry route up. Ominous clouds kept lingering above us, and we were nervous about how dodgy our situation could become if it started to rain before we got above the slabs. We reached some chunky ledges that were almost more difficult than the slabs because of the shortage of secure hand and foot holds. After a while of careful climbing we reached the more scree-y (that a word?) upper section of the slide. We had to be careful to stay clear of each other as we made our way up the loose rocky slope.
At last we were at the top of the slide with fantastic views to the north and east. After a quick snack and beer break, we put on long pants and glasses and headed into the bush in a southeasterly direction. The going was not as bad as any of us expected. The biggest danger was postholing into the deep layers of rotting blowdown below a plush layer of moss. We slowly made our way and finally emerged right at the viewpoint on North Twin. There were no visitors there to surprise, so we had the place to ourselves. After a short break we headed down the N. Twin trail and back to the cars.
A fantastic day out. Many thanks to my companions for having me along for the adventure!
pics here: N. Twin Slide
This hike was something that Stev-O had been wanting to do for a long time. He had a picture of the slide taken from Peak Above the Nubble and some info from a TR by Craig from last summer. I was in NH with no hiking plans and was very excited to join the adventure.
We headed out on the North Twin trail about 9:30. Just across the first crossing of the Little River we headed into the woods in a NW direction. After a straightforward walk in fairly open woods we came to a section of an old logging road running north-south. At this point we weren't certain whether we were north or south of the drainage we were seeking that would lead us to the base of the slide. We headed north for a while following a very well-defined herd path. This was definitely bear territory - berries galore and scat here and there. We went about three tenths of a mile and realized that we needed to turn around.
We backtracked to where we started on the road and continued north, still following a clear track. When we hit the first serious stream we figured we had found the drainage we were seeking. We headed back into the woods heading west and keeping the sound of water within earshot. The going was not difficult, but not as open as described in last summer's TR. Our goal was to start looking for the bottom of the slide at about 2600'. After bushwhacking for quite a while, we angled slightly north and started seeing flagging and other signs of traffic in the area (probably people heading for PAtN??). The going was much easier through this section, almost like hiking on a trail. Somewhere between 2600 or 2700' we cut towards the stream and discovered to our delight that we had hit the very bottom of the slide!
We dropped into the rocky bottom of the slide and began the long approach. The boulders in this area were bright red in color and very cool. There was water running here and there. It was easy rock hopping up to the point where we hit the wet slabby bottom section of the ascent. The spur slide off to the left that Craig also climbed last summer was shimmering with wetness and terrifying! We had a snack break and began our climb.
The slabs were pretty wet, so we focused on finding a dry route up. Ominous clouds kept lingering above us, and we were nervous about how dodgy our situation could become if it started to rain before we got above the slabs. We reached some chunky ledges that were almost more difficult than the slabs because of the shortage of secure hand and foot holds. After a while of careful climbing we reached the more scree-y (that a word?) upper section of the slide. We had to be careful to stay clear of each other as we made our way up the loose rocky slope.
At last we were at the top of the slide with fantastic views to the north and east. After a quick snack and beer break, we put on long pants and glasses and headed into the bush in a southeasterly direction. The going was not as bad as any of us expected. The biggest danger was postholing into the deep layers of rotting blowdown below a plush layer of moss. We slowly made our way and finally emerged right at the viewpoint on North Twin. There were no visitors there to surprise, so we had the place to ourselves. After a short break we headed down the N. Twin trail and back to the cars.
A fantastic day out. Many thanks to my companions for having me along for the adventure!
pics here: N. Twin Slide
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