AMF
New member
Another installment in my August northeast rambles that began when my daughter enrolled in UNH. This year’s plan was to spend a few nights in the Pemi before heading over to the ADK’s to meet some other folks for a few days climbing. Like all well-made plans, they can quickly go astray, but that’s often the best part.
Leaving Durham NH on Saturday for the White Mtns I was quickly waylaid by the Dover Irish festival. Managed to get back on the road by 2 pm, with plans to check into a CG for the night & hit the trail early Sunday. Two facts were brought to my attention as I approached Conway – a) being a Saturday most CG’s were full & b) WMNF CG’s have become unbelievably expensive – up to $20 for a site with pump water & pit tirlet!!! In the Monongahela NF, $8 bucks gets a walk in site with running water & showers! With prices like that, I quickly altered course for the Kearsarge Hobbit Hole, where $5 more gets you a shower, swimming pool, & good breakfast.
Anyway, Sunday dawned grey with forecasts for “passing showers”. Headed over to Lincoln Woods, & as I started up the Wilderness Trail the passing showers started. Turning up Bondcliff Trail the passing showers still hadn’t passed, & the trails were more like streams… not wanting to set camp in the rain, I decided on backtracking to Franconia Stream & heading up that. A mile up Franconia the “showers” still hadn’t passed, so I bagged the idea & headed out to bite the bullet & get a pay CG. Nice 12 mile hike with full pack in the rain.
Monday again dawned grey… figured on a couple of day hikes before heading to the ADK’s on Wed. Hiked up Osceola from Greeley Pond trailhead on the Kanc, with the grey gradually giving way to rain. Continued up, with some fine views of grey to be had. The slide looked interesting, & would have been fun if it were dry. But with two days hiking in the rain, I figured I could miss another so headed south to Brattleboro VT for the solace of a good used book store & McNeills pub. After drying out at a nearby ski lodge, & checking the weather (rain, floods) I called my climbing friend & altered course for the Gunks.
With some spare time now on hand, I took a leisurely drive south thru the Taconics as I steered for New Paltz. Took in another good used book store in Bennington, then a short hike north on the Taconic Trail from Petersburgh Gap (through intermittent rain, of course). This was my first time hiking in the Taconics, & I found it a beautiful trail. Made a brief stop in Austerlitz NY as the light (but not the rain) began to fade to see Steepletop, the home of Edna St Vincent Millay before turning west to the Hudson.
Wednesday dawned (surprise!) grey & muggy, but fortunately the night’s rain had ended. With the rock too wet for climbing, my climbing partner & I took a hike to see Stony Kill Falls on the back side of Minnewaska SP. Apparently all the rain I had been thru never occurred down here, as the falls were but a trickle. We hiked the streambed upstream thru alternating pools and bare ledge in a beautiful little canyon, only turning back when the intermittent rain became persistent.
Thursday dawned (finally!) clear & cooler, ushering in three of the finest days of climbing I have experienced all year, but that’s another story. And the gas? Filled up at $2.39 when I left on Friday 8/26; saw a high of $3.75 on my way back on 9/3!
Leaving Durham NH on Saturday for the White Mtns I was quickly waylaid by the Dover Irish festival. Managed to get back on the road by 2 pm, with plans to check into a CG for the night & hit the trail early Sunday. Two facts were brought to my attention as I approached Conway – a) being a Saturday most CG’s were full & b) WMNF CG’s have become unbelievably expensive – up to $20 for a site with pump water & pit tirlet!!! In the Monongahela NF, $8 bucks gets a walk in site with running water & showers! With prices like that, I quickly altered course for the Kearsarge Hobbit Hole, where $5 more gets you a shower, swimming pool, & good breakfast.
Anyway, Sunday dawned grey with forecasts for “passing showers”. Headed over to Lincoln Woods, & as I started up the Wilderness Trail the passing showers started. Turning up Bondcliff Trail the passing showers still hadn’t passed, & the trails were more like streams… not wanting to set camp in the rain, I decided on backtracking to Franconia Stream & heading up that. A mile up Franconia the “showers” still hadn’t passed, so I bagged the idea & headed out to bite the bullet & get a pay CG. Nice 12 mile hike with full pack in the rain.
Monday again dawned grey… figured on a couple of day hikes before heading to the ADK’s on Wed. Hiked up Osceola from Greeley Pond trailhead on the Kanc, with the grey gradually giving way to rain. Continued up, with some fine views of grey to be had. The slide looked interesting, & would have been fun if it were dry. But with two days hiking in the rain, I figured I could miss another so headed south to Brattleboro VT for the solace of a good used book store & McNeills pub. After drying out at a nearby ski lodge, & checking the weather (rain, floods) I called my climbing friend & altered course for the Gunks.
With some spare time now on hand, I took a leisurely drive south thru the Taconics as I steered for New Paltz. Took in another good used book store in Bennington, then a short hike north on the Taconic Trail from Petersburgh Gap (through intermittent rain, of course). This was my first time hiking in the Taconics, & I found it a beautiful trail. Made a brief stop in Austerlitz NY as the light (but not the rain) began to fade to see Steepletop, the home of Edna St Vincent Millay before turning west to the Hudson.
Wednesday dawned (surprise!) grey & muggy, but fortunately the night’s rain had ended. With the rock too wet for climbing, my climbing partner & I took a hike to see Stony Kill Falls on the back side of Minnewaska SP. Apparently all the rain I had been thru never occurred down here, as the falls were but a trickle. We hiked the streambed upstream thru alternating pools and bare ledge in a beautiful little canyon, only turning back when the intermittent rain became persistent.
Thursday dawned (finally!) clear & cooler, ushering in three of the finest days of climbing I have experienced all year, but that’s another story. And the gas? Filled up at $2.39 when I left on Friday 8/26; saw a high of $3.75 on my way back on 9/3!
