Neil
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2004
- Messages
- 3,434
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- 487
Spot Messenger Track
I was supposed to be underway at 6:30 and planned on exiting the St. Huberts parking lot like I was shot out of a gun but my carefully laid plans got shot to bits. Thus, I signed out at 8:30 and walked up the road without hurrying. I had many options bouncing around in my head but beginning with Sawteeth was a firm plan and Haystack was a highly preferred option. However, it was windy and snowing and the summit forecast for Marcy predicted 50-60 mph winds with a temperature around 0F. I therefore kept all my balls up in the air and juggled the options. The most far-fetched option was Saw-Panther Gorge-Feldspar-L. Arnold-Indian Falls-Phelps Trail-Snowbird trail and back out over Saw. Tom said if I did that I could count Sawteeth twice.
I remained in microspikes all the way down my 2-day old trail to Shanty Brook and that was the perfect option. It was blowing pretty hard on the Sawteeth Ridge but I could just discern my trail. Lower down there was no problem but I recorded a tracklog in case it snowed a lot more and I returned up the same trail in the dark. In open hardwoods if the discs are covered in snow it can be dicey finding one's way.
I kept pondering my options and at the Bartlett Ridge-Snowbird junction went left. The snow got deep and I switched to snowshoes. I was making good time and past the junction at 1:20. Mental calculations put me on Haystack at 3:30. My worst case scenario was quite acceptable. If unable or unwilling to summit and or traverse Hay I would turn around. I already had a tracklog in my now off and stowed gps, just in case. The ascent to Bartlett Ridge went smoothly in snowshoes thanks to good crust under a foot of fluff. Boghollow and I had hardened it 2 weeks earlier and our tracks could be just barely made out from time to time. They were felt and appreciated however.
At the final junction before the ¾ mile trail to the summit I checked the time which looked good and ate and drank a bit. I was borderline chilly, especially my hands but I knew the stiff climb would help. Under the new snow was a firm crust and I was able to ascend at a rate of 25 feet/minute (wrist altimeter on loan from randomscooter). I didn't warm up much and as the exposed portion loomed forbiddingly into view I pondered whether to stop and change into dry everything and get even chillier or whether to push on through. I assessed the wind direction in this fashion: turning and facing downhill resulted in a blast of wind in my face, turning back uphill and it was hitting my pack. Decision made: I would mostly have the wind at my back except for a few moments when it would hit my left side. At the summit I would sit in the lee of the west wind, switch mitts and put on a face mask and thicker balaclava and goggles.
I remained in my MSR's and there were several patches of hard ice on both sides of the summit but using tiny snow patches and rocks I made out OK. It was a foreboding place to be, it felt like the moon in the clouds and falling light with snow blowing across the summit, whipped by the wind. I was a speck on a big rock and a very long way from home. At the Range Trail junction I didn't break stride and the descent to the Snowbird junction took like 5 minutes. 2 days previous I had broken trail there in 8 inches of snow. Now, my track was totally gone and I snowshoe skied and telemarked in gorgeous soft snow and hung a right with nary a pause onto the Snowbird.
The upper Snowbird bore witness to my tracks from 2 days ago and for that I was relieved and grateful. The descent was fast but very careful over the ladders. My new goal was to cross the Shanty before headlamp time and I power-shoed my way around Haystack catching views of the Johanssen face as I sped along. I closed my loop at the Snowbird-Bartlett junction and my footsteps were half buried in new snow. I was able to drop the next 1000 feet in quick time, cross the brook and pause. Here I fueled and watered, got out 2 headlamps and re-set one of the altimeter functions to a base altitude of 0.
I was toasty warm and had been mentally preparing for the re-climb of Sawteeth all day. In fact, I spent most of the day mentally preparing for nearly every upcoming leg of the journey and was constantly weighing data and creating scenarios and making mental choices depending on what might be coming.
Now, in the darkness with my swirling breath and falling snow I doggedly followed my footsteps back up. After roughly 1000 feet of ascent the trail turns to the right and begins 1200 feet of very steep and unrelenting ascent. The MSRs performed beautifully and my pace felt perfect. I think the brain somehow knows how to physiologically prepare the body for effort because I felt great on what was for me the crux physical effort of the day. I checked the altimeter 3 or 4times so I would know exactly what was in store and as such I topped out on Sawteeth in 1:45 from the Shanty crossing.
Again, no breaking stride in the snowy night and I was on the road in an hour including time to stop and switch from snowshoes to microspikes part way down the Weld Trail. The road walk was tedious but I preferred the road to the trail so I just sucked it up and marveled how the segment from the Leach junction to the gate seems so incredibly long. I signed out at 9:15, thinking all the while I was going to drive home to Montreal. But the instant I stepped in the door at Tom and Doreen's and began shivering I knew I was going no further. After a scalding hot shower and a cup of hot water laced with honey followed by a bowl of chicken pasta the floor was looking like the most inviting bed I have ever slept in.
Thanks Doreen for the loan of your shell!
Thanks both of you for watching my Spot and keeping tabs on me. Had I decided to exit to the Loj for any reason I know you would have been there to pick me up.
I was supposed to be underway at 6:30 and planned on exiting the St. Huberts parking lot like I was shot out of a gun but my carefully laid plans got shot to bits. Thus, I signed out at 8:30 and walked up the road without hurrying. I had many options bouncing around in my head but beginning with Sawteeth was a firm plan and Haystack was a highly preferred option. However, it was windy and snowing and the summit forecast for Marcy predicted 50-60 mph winds with a temperature around 0F. I therefore kept all my balls up in the air and juggled the options. The most far-fetched option was Saw-Panther Gorge-Feldspar-L. Arnold-Indian Falls-Phelps Trail-Snowbird trail and back out over Saw. Tom said if I did that I could count Sawteeth twice.
I remained in microspikes all the way down my 2-day old trail to Shanty Brook and that was the perfect option. It was blowing pretty hard on the Sawteeth Ridge but I could just discern my trail. Lower down there was no problem but I recorded a tracklog in case it snowed a lot more and I returned up the same trail in the dark. In open hardwoods if the discs are covered in snow it can be dicey finding one's way.
I kept pondering my options and at the Bartlett Ridge-Snowbird junction went left. The snow got deep and I switched to snowshoes. I was making good time and past the junction at 1:20. Mental calculations put me on Haystack at 3:30. My worst case scenario was quite acceptable. If unable or unwilling to summit and or traverse Hay I would turn around. I already had a tracklog in my now off and stowed gps, just in case. The ascent to Bartlett Ridge went smoothly in snowshoes thanks to good crust under a foot of fluff. Boghollow and I had hardened it 2 weeks earlier and our tracks could be just barely made out from time to time. They were felt and appreciated however.
At the final junction before the ¾ mile trail to the summit I checked the time which looked good and ate and drank a bit. I was borderline chilly, especially my hands but I knew the stiff climb would help. Under the new snow was a firm crust and I was able to ascend at a rate of 25 feet/minute (wrist altimeter on loan from randomscooter). I didn't warm up much and as the exposed portion loomed forbiddingly into view I pondered whether to stop and change into dry everything and get even chillier or whether to push on through. I assessed the wind direction in this fashion: turning and facing downhill resulted in a blast of wind in my face, turning back uphill and it was hitting my pack. Decision made: I would mostly have the wind at my back except for a few moments when it would hit my left side. At the summit I would sit in the lee of the west wind, switch mitts and put on a face mask and thicker balaclava and goggles.
I remained in my MSR's and there were several patches of hard ice on both sides of the summit but using tiny snow patches and rocks I made out OK. It was a foreboding place to be, it felt like the moon in the clouds and falling light with snow blowing across the summit, whipped by the wind. I was a speck on a big rock and a very long way from home. At the Range Trail junction I didn't break stride and the descent to the Snowbird junction took like 5 minutes. 2 days previous I had broken trail there in 8 inches of snow. Now, my track was totally gone and I snowshoe skied and telemarked in gorgeous soft snow and hung a right with nary a pause onto the Snowbird.
The upper Snowbird bore witness to my tracks from 2 days ago and for that I was relieved and grateful. The descent was fast but very careful over the ladders. My new goal was to cross the Shanty before headlamp time and I power-shoed my way around Haystack catching views of the Johanssen face as I sped along. I closed my loop at the Snowbird-Bartlett junction and my footsteps were half buried in new snow. I was able to drop the next 1000 feet in quick time, cross the brook and pause. Here I fueled and watered, got out 2 headlamps and re-set one of the altimeter functions to a base altitude of 0.
I was toasty warm and had been mentally preparing for the re-climb of Sawteeth all day. In fact, I spent most of the day mentally preparing for nearly every upcoming leg of the journey and was constantly weighing data and creating scenarios and making mental choices depending on what might be coming.
Now, in the darkness with my swirling breath and falling snow I doggedly followed my footsteps back up. After roughly 1000 feet of ascent the trail turns to the right and begins 1200 feet of very steep and unrelenting ascent. The MSRs performed beautifully and my pace felt perfect. I think the brain somehow knows how to physiologically prepare the body for effort because I felt great on what was for me the crux physical effort of the day. I checked the altimeter 3 or 4times so I would know exactly what was in store and as such I topped out on Sawteeth in 1:45 from the Shanty crossing.
Again, no breaking stride in the snowy night and I was on the road in an hour including time to stop and switch from snowshoes to microspikes part way down the Weld Trail. The road walk was tedious but I preferred the road to the trail so I just sucked it up and marveled how the segment from the Leach junction to the gate seems so incredibly long. I signed out at 9:15, thinking all the while I was going to drive home to Montreal. But the instant I stepped in the door at Tom and Doreen's and began shivering I knew I was going no further. After a scalding hot shower and a cup of hot water laced with honey followed by a bowl of chicken pasta the floor was looking like the most inviting bed I have ever slept in.
Thanks Doreen for the loan of your shell!
Thanks both of you for watching my Spot and keeping tabs on me. Had I decided to exit to the Loj for any reason I know you would have been there to pick me up.
