BIGEarl
Well-known member
November 3, 2012: Carrigain
Trails: Signal Ridge Trail
Summits: Carrigain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
For the eighth time this year (7 hikes to Carrigain, 1 hike to Vose Spur), Sue and I were parked in the lot at the end of Sawyer River Road on Route 302 taking care of final prep before heading out Sawyer River Road to hike Signal Ridge Trail. The road was recently re-opened after having been closed since last year when TS Irene came through. After Sandy went through the road was once again listed as closed. I made a final status check a day before and it still showed closed. We just pulled into the lot and grabbed our gear. As we were making the turn onto Sawyer River Road I happened to look to the right and saw the gate was chained open. Nice! We returned to the truck and drove to the actual trailhead lot. We were pretty early but ours was not the first vehicle in the lot.
We knew from the past couple weeks the conditions were going to be wet and muddy. We were also expecting some significant blow-down damage along the way. We started out the first new section of trail and found only one step-over blow-down that needs to be taken care of and little mud. That was a nice surprise. We hit the old trail route and were on a solid, mature trail.
At the second section of relocated trail things went downhill. Suddenly we found mud, lots of mud, and running water. I’m sure some of the tread way problems will improve over time but there are a couple places that most likely will always be messy. Time will tell.
After clearing the second new section and returning to the old trail route we were again hiking a mature trail. The water level on Whiteface Brook seemed much lower than expected. Once we made it to Carrigain Brook we found the same condition. The problems we expected to find at the stream crossing due to high water weren’t there. Poles are very helpful in this crossing but making our way from the left bank to the right bank with dry feet is relatively easy. Soon after the crossing we made our way through the third section of relocated trail and started the climb to Signal Ridge.
As we started the climb the wind also started to become apparent in the lower hardwoods. I was looking forward to gaining some elevation and climbing into the conifers where we would have some shelter from the wind. Very soon after starting our climb we started into the thick conifers and the wind was little more than background noise. We had clear sailing all of the way to Signal Ridge. Except for a little more running water than usual and one small tree that came down (another step-over), the trail came through the storm in great shape. A couple hundred feet below Signal Ridge we started into a light covering of snow and slippery trail conditions. The higher we climbed, the whiter things became. Once we reached Signal Ridge we found a solid dusting of snow. We also found a pretty solid wind coming across the ridge. Before stepping into the exposed section of trail we added a layer of wind protection.
The low clouds prevented us from enjoying distance views from Signal Ridge, but the wind would have kept us moving even in clear conditions. Once we hit the open trail we simply kept hiking across the ridge headed for the sheltered conditions that waited on the far side.
Back in the conifers we enjoyed more clear hiking conditions to the summit. The footing was still pretty slippery but with careful foot placement, everything is fine. We cruised past the site of the Fire Warden’s cabin and on to the summit.
The summit tower was covered in rime and a very respectable level of wind was coming through. We had no interest in climbing the tower and got our summit pictures at ground level. Soon we made the u-turn and headed back down. It didn’t take long to get back across Signal Ridge, and then down to the elevation of bare ground. Soon we adjusted layers for the milder conditions of the lower elevations. From there to the trailhead lot was an easy walk with no problems along the way.
Originally, our plans for the day included a much larger hike. Consequently, we started the hike earlier than necessary. On the way out we passed a steady stream of hikers on the climb. Most of them asked about wind conditions. By early afternoon we were back at the trailhead lot packing our things in the truck.
We headed to Crawford Notch for a quick stop at the Highland Center. Once we cleared the notch the weather made a huge change. We were once again in the sleet and rain we ran from earlier in the day. The weather history seems to indicate conditions were difficult all day. I think we made a good decision to head for Carrigain. We’re getting close to the time of year when a little extra thought is needed in target selection.
C’mon winter!
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Signal Ridge Trail
Summits: Carrigain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
For the eighth time this year (7 hikes to Carrigain, 1 hike to Vose Spur), Sue and I were parked in the lot at the end of Sawyer River Road on Route 302 taking care of final prep before heading out Sawyer River Road to hike Signal Ridge Trail. The road was recently re-opened after having been closed since last year when TS Irene came through. After Sandy went through the road was once again listed as closed. I made a final status check a day before and it still showed closed. We just pulled into the lot and grabbed our gear. As we were making the turn onto Sawyer River Road I happened to look to the right and saw the gate was chained open. Nice! We returned to the truck and drove to the actual trailhead lot. We were pretty early but ours was not the first vehicle in the lot.
We knew from the past couple weeks the conditions were going to be wet and muddy. We were also expecting some significant blow-down damage along the way. We started out the first new section of trail and found only one step-over blow-down that needs to be taken care of and little mud. That was a nice surprise. We hit the old trail route and were on a solid, mature trail.
At the second section of relocated trail things went downhill. Suddenly we found mud, lots of mud, and running water. I’m sure some of the tread way problems will improve over time but there are a couple places that most likely will always be messy. Time will tell.
After clearing the second new section and returning to the old trail route we were again hiking a mature trail. The water level on Whiteface Brook seemed much lower than expected. Once we made it to Carrigain Brook we found the same condition. The problems we expected to find at the stream crossing due to high water weren’t there. Poles are very helpful in this crossing but making our way from the left bank to the right bank with dry feet is relatively easy. Soon after the crossing we made our way through the third section of relocated trail and started the climb to Signal Ridge.
As we started the climb the wind also started to become apparent in the lower hardwoods. I was looking forward to gaining some elevation and climbing into the conifers where we would have some shelter from the wind. Very soon after starting our climb we started into the thick conifers and the wind was little more than background noise. We had clear sailing all of the way to Signal Ridge. Except for a little more running water than usual and one small tree that came down (another step-over), the trail came through the storm in great shape. A couple hundred feet below Signal Ridge we started into a light covering of snow and slippery trail conditions. The higher we climbed, the whiter things became. Once we reached Signal Ridge we found a solid dusting of snow. We also found a pretty solid wind coming across the ridge. Before stepping into the exposed section of trail we added a layer of wind protection.
The low clouds prevented us from enjoying distance views from Signal Ridge, but the wind would have kept us moving even in clear conditions. Once we hit the open trail we simply kept hiking across the ridge headed for the sheltered conditions that waited on the far side.
Back in the conifers we enjoyed more clear hiking conditions to the summit. The footing was still pretty slippery but with careful foot placement, everything is fine. We cruised past the site of the Fire Warden’s cabin and on to the summit.
The summit tower was covered in rime and a very respectable level of wind was coming through. We had no interest in climbing the tower and got our summit pictures at ground level. Soon we made the u-turn and headed back down. It didn’t take long to get back across Signal Ridge, and then down to the elevation of bare ground. Soon we adjusted layers for the milder conditions of the lower elevations. From there to the trailhead lot was an easy walk with no problems along the way.
Originally, our plans for the day included a much larger hike. Consequently, we started the hike earlier than necessary. On the way out we passed a steady stream of hikers on the climb. Most of them asked about wind conditions. By early afternoon we were back at the trailhead lot packing our things in the truck.
We headed to Crawford Notch for a quick stop at the Highland Center. Once we cleared the notch the weather made a huge change. We were once again in the sleet and rain we ran from earlier in the day. The weather history seems to indicate conditions were difficult all day. I think we made a good decision to head for Carrigain. We’re getting close to the time of year when a little extra thought is needed in target selection.
C’mon winter!
Pictures will follow.
