Double Bow
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- Apr 29, 2005
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With a car loaded up for a long, and ambitous weekend, I left my house shortly after 5am on Friday with the goal of climbing Boundary Peak, COP Snow and East Kennebago that day before attending a conferance (and hopefully climbing the Baldpates) on Saturday and then climbing Elephant and Cupsuptic Snow on Sunday. This was to be a mad dash at peakbagging some NEHH peaks. My reason for this was both because I wanted to make the most of being in the area and because, due to numerous factors, I may not have the opportunity to go up there again for quite awhile. I was determined that, regardless of weather, my plans for Fri and Sun would not waiver.
So Friday morning found me starting on my long journey up to Woburn, QC to hit Boundary Peak. Since I knew I would be driving A LOT this weekend, I brought with me my hitherto unplayed 11hr audiobook version of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, a book I've read before and really enjoy. The drive up has very pleasant. I enjoyed going through Pittsburg and passing the Conneticut Lakes. It's a very beautiful area. Fulfilling a longtime goal of crossing into Canada directly from NH was very special. I laughed as I got to the Canadian border and found no one at the gate and I smiled broadly as I came over the hill and saw the land of my forefathers spread out before me in the valley below complete with a splash of sunlight. I had been to Canada before but, never like this.
The directions I followed to get to the gravel pit were good but, they didn't mention an important turn. Fortunately, I had alternate directions which, after not seeing the gravel pit when I had expected to, I checked and they directed me to it. There, I parked and an ATVer pulled up next to me and tried talking to me but, like with the people at the park office, I couldn't understand him. Embaressed, I said "Je no parlevous Francais". "Ah", was his response. I found a slightly different way up to the ridge. I went up an old woods road to a herd path to just bushwhacking up pretty open woods and came out at the famed "Dining Room Table" near the 446th monument .
I was amazed as I traveled back and forth on the ridge digging it all, taking it all in. The blind and salt licks and everything just blew my mind. I went all over the place. The "determined peakbagger" had taken a backseat to the "cool stuff explorer" in me. It was otherworldly up there. I checked out the blinds, side trails, all kinds of stuff forgetting to take many pictures in my misty amazement. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. It was when I saw a line of orange blaze tape going across the swath to warn ATVers not to go down a steep pitch that I knew my day was best spent here and to hell with the other peaks. "COP Snow should be done on a clear day" and "It'll be too late by the time you get to East Kennebago" I told myself. So, I followed the swath beyond the 450th monument past a very wet area and up and down some very steep slopes to a point where the swath seemed to drop off into a misty obvilion.
I headed back but I didn't go exactly the way I came. I started off from the same area of the ridge but wound up exploring more on my way down following a very old logging road and coming across a moose in the process who decided not to be sociable and trotted away. I also came out to a cool beaver pond and I dug that too for awhile. Eventually, I left the woods and went back to my car and drove to the Andover Guest House where I had a bunk waiting for me. The drive was frustratingly dark, rainy and slow with my having to turn around a couple times but by the time I got there I hadn't slept in so long I got too tired to curse and fuss and went off to sleep...
Saturday was full of rain and so I stuck around for more of the conferrance than I originally planned. I did manage to get out and visit the three major falls in Grafton Notch though and man, were they flowing! I hung around and was just digging those falls for a long time in the pouring rain. I got some good pics too! On the way back to the conferrance, my "check engine" light came on. That night, I had dinner with Arghman who was also going to be spending the night at the Andover Guest House.
Sunday, I was expecting company for the day's hike and I hung around for 1hr 15min after our meeting time waiting. Finally, I decided to leave and hoped that they wouldn't be arriving just after I left (I got a message once back home that they had cancelled due to the excessive rain). I headed up toward Elephant on South Arm Rd and had gone past the AT when I came to a barrier that Arm Highway Dept set up. The road was flowing! I spent some time trying to figure out if I could go around the barrier and through the water. I noticed it being about 6" deep and getting deeper futher on. I figured I'd play it safe and turned around.
Instead of going to Cupsuptic Snow, I went for East Kennebago where the driving directions to the trailhead once again had missing information. There were many more forks than described and the distances had all kinds of errors. I thought I was on the right route but, I didn't find the right landmarks. I got out followed an old road to where it ended up high but decided to turn around and go back. The road had been an enjoyable walk but, I wasn't in the mood to bushwhack. I just wanted to go home. I was tired of the rain and worried about the car breaking down on a logging road not near anything since the "check engine" light was still on.
Back I drove through beautiful woods where the leaves were vibrant yellow and orange. Somewhere along the way, the "check engine" light turned off. Inspired by the audiobook, I randomly stopped at the home of any old friend and his wife in Portland and was greeted with smiles and glimpses of the sun.
So, I didn't get all those peaks bagged and it doesn't matter. There will be other days someday for all of that. I'll gladly revisit that surreal boundary swath too.
In the end, I saw some friends, viewed interesting scenery, learned truly that nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old , and revisited certain corners of my mind.
Here are pics
So Friday morning found me starting on my long journey up to Woburn, QC to hit Boundary Peak. Since I knew I would be driving A LOT this weekend, I brought with me my hitherto unplayed 11hr audiobook version of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, a book I've read before and really enjoy. The drive up has very pleasant. I enjoyed going through Pittsburg and passing the Conneticut Lakes. It's a very beautiful area. Fulfilling a longtime goal of crossing into Canada directly from NH was very special. I laughed as I got to the Canadian border and found no one at the gate and I smiled broadly as I came over the hill and saw the land of my forefathers spread out before me in the valley below complete with a splash of sunlight. I had been to Canada before but, never like this.
The directions I followed to get to the gravel pit were good but, they didn't mention an important turn. Fortunately, I had alternate directions which, after not seeing the gravel pit when I had expected to, I checked and they directed me to it. There, I parked and an ATVer pulled up next to me and tried talking to me but, like with the people at the park office, I couldn't understand him. Embaressed, I said "Je no parlevous Francais". "Ah", was his response. I found a slightly different way up to the ridge. I went up an old woods road to a herd path to just bushwhacking up pretty open woods and came out at the famed "Dining Room Table" near the 446th monument .
I was amazed as I traveled back and forth on the ridge digging it all, taking it all in. The blind and salt licks and everything just blew my mind. I went all over the place. The "determined peakbagger" had taken a backseat to the "cool stuff explorer" in me. It was otherworldly up there. I checked out the blinds, side trails, all kinds of stuff forgetting to take many pictures in my misty amazement. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. It was when I saw a line of orange blaze tape going across the swath to warn ATVers not to go down a steep pitch that I knew my day was best spent here and to hell with the other peaks. "COP Snow should be done on a clear day" and "It'll be too late by the time you get to East Kennebago" I told myself. So, I followed the swath beyond the 450th monument past a very wet area and up and down some very steep slopes to a point where the swath seemed to drop off into a misty obvilion.
I headed back but I didn't go exactly the way I came. I started off from the same area of the ridge but wound up exploring more on my way down following a very old logging road and coming across a moose in the process who decided not to be sociable and trotted away. I also came out to a cool beaver pond and I dug that too for awhile. Eventually, I left the woods and went back to my car and drove to the Andover Guest House where I had a bunk waiting for me. The drive was frustratingly dark, rainy and slow with my having to turn around a couple times but by the time I got there I hadn't slept in so long I got too tired to curse and fuss and went off to sleep...
Saturday was full of rain and so I stuck around for more of the conferrance than I originally planned. I did manage to get out and visit the three major falls in Grafton Notch though and man, were they flowing! I hung around and was just digging those falls for a long time in the pouring rain. I got some good pics too! On the way back to the conferrance, my "check engine" light came on. That night, I had dinner with Arghman who was also going to be spending the night at the Andover Guest House.
Sunday, I was expecting company for the day's hike and I hung around for 1hr 15min after our meeting time waiting. Finally, I decided to leave and hoped that they wouldn't be arriving just after I left (I got a message once back home that they had cancelled due to the excessive rain). I headed up toward Elephant on South Arm Rd and had gone past the AT when I came to a barrier that Arm Highway Dept set up. The road was flowing! I spent some time trying to figure out if I could go around the barrier and through the water. I noticed it being about 6" deep and getting deeper futher on. I figured I'd play it safe and turned around.
Instead of going to Cupsuptic Snow, I went for East Kennebago where the driving directions to the trailhead once again had missing information. There were many more forks than described and the distances had all kinds of errors. I thought I was on the right route but, I didn't find the right landmarks. I got out followed an old road to where it ended up high but decided to turn around and go back. The road had been an enjoyable walk but, I wasn't in the mood to bushwhack. I just wanted to go home. I was tired of the rain and worried about the car breaking down on a logging road not near anything since the "check engine" light was still on.
Back I drove through beautiful woods where the leaves were vibrant yellow and orange. Somewhere along the way, the "check engine" light turned off. Inspired by the audiobook, I randomly stopped at the home of any old friend and his wife in Portland and was greeted with smiles and glimpses of the sun.
So, I didn't get all those peaks bagged and it doesn't matter. There will be other days someday for all of that. I'll gladly revisit that surreal boundary swath too.
In the end, I saw some friends, viewed interesting scenery, learned truly that nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old , and revisited certain corners of my mind.
Here are pics
