Double Bow
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- Apr 29, 2005
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Having done Monroe (solo 
) and Washington (w/gaiagirl and Bob&Geri) the day before, and seeing how poor the forecast was (high of -13 winds of 50-70mph) Bob, Geri, and I decided against doing Jefferson and chose to do something a bit more sheltered. Since it had been awhile since I had done Waumbek, and since I hadn't done it in winter, it seemed a good choice.
In spite of the fresh snow, we were still able to take Bob's Suburban up to the summer parking area. We were the only car there and the fact that there were no tracks in the freshly fallen snow told us we were the first hikers of the day. We started up the trail a little after 8am.
There wasn't quite enough snow to warrant snowshoes and the trail wasn't quite icy enough that we needed to use crampons so, we barebooted the whole way. I had heard that this hike was a wonderful winter walk and it certainly was! On the way up Starr King, we got a view of Waumbek and it really looked like a sharp peak which, of course, was very surprising. What wasn't suprising was just how cold it was.
On Starr King, we stopped for a snack and Bob made friends with a grey jay. That had to be the fattest jay I had ever seen. It was a wonder he could fly at all. I suggested that we stuff and roast him and Bob and Geri thought that it wasn't such a bad idea. However, we were getting pretty chilly and so we needed to get moving. It was windy and my hands were hurtin'!
We moved pretty fast geting over to Waumbek. Once there, we were surprised that we didn't see the cairn. It's about 3 feet tall. Bob and I dug around and found it! We unearthed (unsnowed?) the top portion of it so others might find it. We were glad to see that no remnant of the fruitcake others had left there remained. We figured that fat grey jay had eaten it and I decided then that I would not dare eat that bird for fear of losing my good health. We took pictures. I wrote "VFTT" in the snow (with my pole!) and then we headed back.
On the way back, we stopped again on Starr King to snack. I wished that I had some antacid for the bird but Bob figured cashews were a good enough remedy for the ails of fruitcake. Leaving the bird behind, we flew down the trail. Part way down, we ran into a group consisting of Adamiata, Hockeycrew, Mohammed, and some people I didn't know. We chatted a bit and then moved on. Before we knew it, we were back at the truck and saw that it was just a little after 12pm. Not bad all things considered! The only down side to this great weekend was that somewhere along the way, I lost my phone (which I only carry as a piece of emergency equipment). Hopefully, someone will find it (either on the Starr King trail or on the way up Washington via Ammonoosuc Ravine) and will contact me...
Pictures to come soon!
) and Washington (w/gaiagirl and Bob&Geri) the day before, and seeing how poor the forecast was (high of -13 winds of 50-70mph) Bob, Geri, and I decided against doing Jefferson and chose to do something a bit more sheltered. Since it had been awhile since I had done Waumbek, and since I hadn't done it in winter, it seemed a good choice.In spite of the fresh snow, we were still able to take Bob's Suburban up to the summer parking area. We were the only car there and the fact that there were no tracks in the freshly fallen snow told us we were the first hikers of the day. We started up the trail a little after 8am.
There wasn't quite enough snow to warrant snowshoes and the trail wasn't quite icy enough that we needed to use crampons so, we barebooted the whole way. I had heard that this hike was a wonderful winter walk and it certainly was! On the way up Starr King, we got a view of Waumbek and it really looked like a sharp peak which, of course, was very surprising. What wasn't suprising was just how cold it was.
On Starr King, we stopped for a snack and Bob made friends with a grey jay. That had to be the fattest jay I had ever seen. It was a wonder he could fly at all. I suggested that we stuff and roast him and Bob and Geri thought that it wasn't such a bad idea. However, we were getting pretty chilly and so we needed to get moving. It was windy and my hands were hurtin'!
We moved pretty fast geting over to Waumbek. Once there, we were surprised that we didn't see the cairn. It's about 3 feet tall. Bob and I dug around and found it! We unearthed (unsnowed?) the top portion of it so others might find it. We were glad to see that no remnant of the fruitcake others had left there remained. We figured that fat grey jay had eaten it and I decided then that I would not dare eat that bird for fear of losing my good health. We took pictures. I wrote "VFTT" in the snow (with my pole!
) and then we headed back.On the way back, we stopped again on Starr King to snack. I wished that I had some antacid for the bird but Bob figured cashews were a good enough remedy for the ails of fruitcake. Leaving the bird behind, we flew down the trail. Part way down, we ran into a group consisting of Adamiata, Hockeycrew, Mohammed, and some people I didn't know. We chatted a bit and then moved on. Before we knew it, we were back at the truck and saw that it was just a little after 12pm. Not bad all things considered! The only down side to this great weekend was that somewhere along the way, I lost my phone (which I only carry as a piece of emergency equipment).
Hopefully, someone will find it (either on the Starr King trail or on the way up Washington via Ammonoosuc Ravine) and will contact me...Pictures to come soon!
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