Klutz
New member
Our last trip took us up Sandwich Dome, in the Sandwich mountain wilderness. That mountain is listed on one map as 3980 feet high, and alternately 3997 feet. We klimbed up onto the high peak and my husband waved his arm up. He can reach 7 feet high. That did not count for climbing a 4000 footer, though. This weekend would be our first 4k mountain in N.H.
The day started off just fine for us. Our local forecast called for 72 degrees at the coast, 76 inland. We were to be inland, alright, way inland. We ventured north a couple hours to the parking lot at the bottom of the Webster-Jackson trail that leads to Mt Jackson. We arrived at the parking lot at 9:00 AM
We had packed before leaving, so it was basically strap on the packs, grab the dog and go once we hit the parking lot. We were excited and probably pacing ourselves too fast. We were winded quickly and still being excited kept going. Did I mention that this was our second real outing of the year? We finally slowed our pace just slightly and caught our second wind.
We did not go out to Elephant Head spur, instead reserving that for our return trip, if we felt like it. We did go to Bugle cliff, which gives a nice little view very quickly after only a short hike. We moved along back on the main trail. I was dressed in only running shorts and a T-shirt. It was …. chipper, to say the least, and after a half hour or so, I started to sweat, mainly between my pack and my back. That was the plan, to dress as lightly as I could, to stave off the sweating for as long as possible.
On the way up, we met with the usual various other folks who love the out doors. It is always refreshing to share memories with those of similar interests. Reaching the summit took some 2 hours and 15 minutes. We immediately took off our sweaty T-shirts and hung them in the stiff, cool breeze to dry out. We bundled up in fleece and gore-tex rain gear (to break the wind). It was sunny and clear. The views from the top were 360 degrees. The foliage has only begun to turn, and it is still so pretty. The wind had quite a bite to it, so we were thankful for the extra clothing. We took some pictures. Washington was very visible from here, and we could plainly see the black smoke from the cog railroad as the cog ascended the mountain.
We had our lunch at the top, interspersed with picture taking. Everyone was handing their cameras around as others, complete strangers, took their pictures. The camaraderie amongst hikers is so contagious. While eating, the Canadian jays flew over. We knew what they wanted! They wanted to perch on our hands while we fed them. Of course we let them! They sure seemed to like our goldfish and the peanuts that others had. After relaxing and drying our clothes, we pack up and head over to Webster Mountain, where we have a different view, but none the less spectacular. From here we see down the ravine that Rt. 302m passes through. Another straight line thru the trees way down there is the railroad line. More hungry Canadian Jays appear, and they are even friendlier than on Jackson.
Soon we head down. Our knees are starting to ache. We break out our Leki’s and that takes much of the strain off our knees. On the way down, it more about being careful not to stumble, and to be extra careful around wet areas. We come upon a very nice pool at the bottom of a waterfall. On a warmer day, it would be an opportunity to swim in some cold mountain water. We are moving along to get back to Bartlett, at Attitash Ski area, as we want to pick up our ski passes for the upcoming season. That and the knees that are now complaining, convince us not to linger long, but to move along.
We did sign the releases for our ski passes, and made it back at a reasonable hour. We’re looking at our schedule and trying to figure out when and how we can squeeze in another hike soon!!!!
The day started off just fine for us. Our local forecast called for 72 degrees at the coast, 76 inland. We were to be inland, alright, way inland. We ventured north a couple hours to the parking lot at the bottom of the Webster-Jackson trail that leads to Mt Jackson. We arrived at the parking lot at 9:00 AM
We had packed before leaving, so it was basically strap on the packs, grab the dog and go once we hit the parking lot. We were excited and probably pacing ourselves too fast. We were winded quickly and still being excited kept going. Did I mention that this was our second real outing of the year? We finally slowed our pace just slightly and caught our second wind.
We did not go out to Elephant Head spur, instead reserving that for our return trip, if we felt like it. We did go to Bugle cliff, which gives a nice little view very quickly after only a short hike. We moved along back on the main trail. I was dressed in only running shorts and a T-shirt. It was …. chipper, to say the least, and after a half hour or so, I started to sweat, mainly between my pack and my back. That was the plan, to dress as lightly as I could, to stave off the sweating for as long as possible.
On the way up, we met with the usual various other folks who love the out doors. It is always refreshing to share memories with those of similar interests. Reaching the summit took some 2 hours and 15 minutes. We immediately took off our sweaty T-shirts and hung them in the stiff, cool breeze to dry out. We bundled up in fleece and gore-tex rain gear (to break the wind). It was sunny and clear. The views from the top were 360 degrees. The foliage has only begun to turn, and it is still so pretty. The wind had quite a bite to it, so we were thankful for the extra clothing. We took some pictures. Washington was very visible from here, and we could plainly see the black smoke from the cog railroad as the cog ascended the mountain.
We had our lunch at the top, interspersed with picture taking. Everyone was handing their cameras around as others, complete strangers, took their pictures. The camaraderie amongst hikers is so contagious. While eating, the Canadian jays flew over. We knew what they wanted! They wanted to perch on our hands while we fed them. Of course we let them! They sure seemed to like our goldfish and the peanuts that others had. After relaxing and drying our clothes, we pack up and head over to Webster Mountain, where we have a different view, but none the less spectacular. From here we see down the ravine that Rt. 302m passes through. Another straight line thru the trees way down there is the railroad line. More hungry Canadian Jays appear, and they are even friendlier than on Jackson.
Soon we head down. Our knees are starting to ache. We break out our Leki’s and that takes much of the strain off our knees. On the way down, it more about being careful not to stumble, and to be extra careful around wet areas. We come upon a very nice pool at the bottom of a waterfall. On a warmer day, it would be an opportunity to swim in some cold mountain water. We are moving along to get back to Bartlett, at Attitash Ski area, as we want to pick up our ski passes for the upcoming season. That and the knees that are now complaining, convince us not to linger long, but to move along.
We did sign the releases for our ski passes, and made it back at a reasonable hour. We’re looking at our schedule and trying to figure out when and how we can squeeze in another hike soon!!!!
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