Pack Monadnock 3-11-06

[grouseking]

Today was a series of minor disappointments, but in the end, the hike was fantastic.

I was gung ho about hiking up Monadnock via the Pumpelly Trail but when we arrived at the trailhead (well what I think was the trailhead...I didn't see a sign) the winds were ridiculously strong, and the trail was extremely muddy. I decided that I didn't really want to fight thru deep mud in cold woods and then run into potential iceflows on the trail. I was with my friends, so I didn't bring my only pair of crampons, figuring I would hold back if anything serious arose. And I did. I'm sure the day ended up being great up on Monadnock, but those winds were really cranking and I don't like ice. Minor disappointment number one........

So I chose a different hike...a shorter but scenic route ( so I've heard). The plan was to do Pack Monadnock from Miller State Park and then go over to North Pack and hang out on the ledges over there for awhile. That trip would have ended up being something like 7.5 miles, so a little shorter than the 9 mile trip up Monadnock and back. Conditions on the Wapack trail varied greatly depending on the density of the forest. Down low in the hardwoods and mixed spruce, there was little snow or ice and it made for easy climbing. Towards 2,000 feet, up in the spruce, there were several ice flows that made the trail quite difficult to travel. If I had yak trax, I'm sure it would have been a piece of cake, but I didn't, so I struggled, as did Zack and Aaron.

Despite the trail conditions, the forest up there was beautiful. We made it up to the summit in about 45 minutes and were greeted to 30 mph winds. But the views were absolutely spectacular! From Boston to the White Mtns, we could see 100 miles easy. I took tons of photos and then contemplated the trip over to North Pack. Soon I realized that the trail is a high ridge that stays in the spruce most of the time which led me to believe there would be more ice. The last thing I wanted to do was hike over 2 miles with the potential for nasty falls, so I did what I thought was smart and decided to cut the hike short. Minor disappointment 2

Instead of taking the Wapack trail down, I suggested the Marlon Davis trail, which looked like a more south facing path. There was no snow on it, and it was completely protected from the wind. Mud was deep, and the trail was ugly and quite boring, but good company helped make it a nice walk down. We arrived at the bottom 30 minutes after we started hiking down, so we made fairly good time. So a 9 mile hike turned into a 7.5 mile hike which then turned into a 2.8 mile hike . Ehh, what are you going to do? It was a fun day, and I usually don't get to hike with my best friends, so that is what counts. Plus, I got home early enough to take another walk in Chester because it was such a pristine afternoon.

Here are pics of Pack Monadnock. pics

grouseking

 

[Roxi]

Today was a series of minor disappointments, but in the end, the hike was fantastic.

I was gung ho about hiking up Monadnock via the Pumpelly Trail but when we arrived at the trailhead (well what I think was the trailhead...I didn't see a sign) the winds were ridiculously strong, and the trail was extremely muddy. I decided that I didn't really want to fight thru deep mud in cold woods and then run into potential iceflows on the trail. I was with my friends, so I didn't bring my only pair of crampons, figuring I would hold back if anything serious arose. And I did. I'm sure the day ended up being great up on Monadnock, but those winds were really cranking and I don't like ice. Minor disappointment number one........
grouseking

I'm sorry to hear that you decided against going up Monadnock. The trailhead to Pumpelly is hard to see and I didn't see a sign there either yesterday. I just happen to know where it is. While there was a little mud, it really wasn't bad, although the icefall up the steep part was very challenging to the point that a couple I met on the trail and I decided to go down the Dublin Trail instead (which was still icy, but shorter and not as steep) and then walk the dirt road back to the cars. Ended up being 9 miles RT anyway. It was windy, even in the forest, but none of us could believe the warm temps! It did not feel like early March, and no bugs made for a really nice hike. The views were gorgeous and the crowd at the top seemed less than usual. I'm sorry your plans changed, but glad you got a chance to get out and enjoy even a short hike. North Pack from Greenfield is nice too, especially going up Ted's Trail.

 

[Quietman]

I actually like the Davis trail. It traverses through different forest zones, crosses a nice stream in a small valley, climbs up a short but steep rocky section, and I rarely see any other hikers. Very peaceful, and only 4 miles from my front door!

And, no state park fee.

 

[grouseking]

I'm sorry to hear that you decided against going up Monadnock. The trailhead to Pumpelly is hard to see and I didn't see a sign there either yesterday. I just happen to know where it is. While there was a little mud, it really wasn't bad, although the icefall up the steep part was very challenging to the point that a couple I met on the trail and I decided to go down the Dublin Trail instead (which was still icy, but shorter and not as steep) and then walk the dirt road back to the cars. Ended up being 9 miles RT anyway. It was windy, even in the forest, but none of us could believe the warm temps! It did not feel like early March, and no bugs made for a really nice hike. The views were gorgeous and the crowd at the top seemed less than usual. I'm sorry your plans changed, but glad you got a chance to get out and enjoy even a short hike. North Pack from Greenfield is nice too, especially going up Ted's Trail.

I really wanted North Pack, but you can't always get what you want. My friends were sick of driving and not climbing, so Pack was just fine, and it was a nice quick summit. If my friends had some sort of traction, then we definitely would have gone up the Pumpelly, but o well!

grouse