BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 6, 2013: Tecumseh and Waumbek, Hit & Run
Trails:
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Waumbek: Starr King Trail
Summits: Tecumseh and Waumbek
Hikers: Solo
Tecumseh:
The forecast for the day included lots of sun and blue sky for the area but also had high wind levels predicted above 5000 feet. Because of the predicted winds in the forecast I decided a couple of the lower 4000 footers would be the best targets. I’ve previously enjoyed sunrise from the summit of Tecumseh, it’s a beautiful sight. Watching the sun appear and rise over Tripyramid would be a great way to start the day so I went for an early start to see the ~6:15am sunrise.
The Mount Tecumseh Trail is clear and solid to the summit. There are some postholes along the way but they are limited and not nearly as severe as I expected. I started from the trail head with MICROSpikes and stayed with them until I returned. The trail surface is a solid crust with no surface ice along the way. Traction was great!
The pre-dawn start meant I’d go through most of the climb in the dark with a headlight helping me see the way. Headlight hiking on snow is a treat. The world gets small, the size of my headlight beam, and all I need to be concerned with is to follow the marked trail. A little falling snow would have been frosting on the cake; it was certainly cold enough to snow.
Roughly half-way between the viewpoint spur that leads to the ski trail and the summit I was able to turn off the headlight and use natural light. Overhead there was a very thin cloud layer but back in the direction of Tripyramid was a large patch of thick clouds. I realized then there would not be a sunrise show from Tecumseh today. I continued at my slow but steady “Peakbagger” pace and soon found myself on the ridge near the Tecumseh – Sosman trails junction. Thank you Peakbagger for setting a good example for me on ascent pace. I hiked slower than usual but made very few “heart rate” stops along the way and completed the climb in much less time than usual.
After the trails junction there is one more decision to make; there’s a trails split where both choices go to the same place. The low choice (right) would keep me out of the wind as I completed the climb to the summit but the high choice (left) would have some views. As usual I went high and took the wind, and the views. The final section to the summit wasn’t bad and I was soon on the summit, feeling the wind, and getting cold. I didn’t feel like pulling out another layer so I got a couple summit pictures and u-turned for the exit.
By this time of year there are usually large icy patches showing up that make descending a little trickier. The trail conditions couldn’t have been better and I was able to just walk a brisk pace without a worry. The hike back down was quick and without any mishaps at all.
Along the way I enjoyed my first treat of the day. A short distance above the viewpoint spur there was a person skiing uphill. It was Becca out for some morning air. She was in the process of climbing Tecumseh so she could ski back down (why else would anybody ski uphill?). We stopped for a brief visit. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other on the trail and this was a terrific boost to my day.
After leaving Becca I met one other person near the trail head; then it was time to pack and run. The ski crowd for Waterville Valley Ski Area was arriving and it’s a good idea to stay out of their way; they’re on a mission and focused, courtesy is not an option.
I escaped the ski area lots and headed back out to I-93 the way I came it. Tripoli Road would have saved me some drive time and distance but it’s still under the winter closure.
Waumbek:
My basic rule for a hike day; Hike time must exceed drive time.
By itself, hiking Mount Tecumseh isn’t worth the cost of fuel to get there. Combining it with another peak makes for a good day. I’ve tied it together in Hit & Run days with The Tripyramids, Moosilauke, Cannon, The Kinsmans, Hale, and probably others that escape my memory. I’m keeping score and have a list of targets for each month. My April list of targets “not worth the cost of fuel to get there” includes Hale, Jackson, and Waumbek. Each of these can easily be combined with something else to make a good hike-day. To go with Tecumseh, my second target for the day was Waumbek. Waumbek, like Tecumseh, is another peak that, by itself, isn’t worth the cost of fuel to get there. Perhaps there is a Hale-Jackson hike in my future; that would work. Alone, neither of these is interesting to me as a day-hike destination.
I made my way north to Jefferson and the trail head for the Starr King Trail. On the way I packed in some fuel (peanut butter crackers, Monster Lo-Carb, Gatorade, Take-5 bars), that’s a good breakfast. A little over an hour after escaping the ski area traffic I was driving the short road to the Starr King trail head. The snow bank at the end of the plowed area is breaking down and it’s now possible to get past. As I drove through I made it a point to run one set of tires over the edge of the snow bank to widen the opening a little. I repeated the move on my exit.
A few minutes after parking I was headed up the trail, again I was on MICROSpikes. The Starr King trail condition was generally the same as Tecumseh, at least for the lower portion. Up high there were a few inches of light snow getting blown around into drifts between Starr King and Waumbek; but I’m ahead of myself.
There is enough drive time between the two hikes to allow me to cool off. A second warm-up was needed; and the second one is never pleasant. By the time I reached the old springhouse foundation I was back up to operating temperature and once again working with a “Peakbagger” pace. I could see in the light dusting of overnight snow that was on the trail there were two others in front of me with a dog.
I enjoyed one of my favorite areas in the Whites. The lower part of Starr King Trail is a beautiful, open area of hardwoods. When the leaves are down there are open views in all directions. With full cover there is still great visibility plus a nice assortment plant life is there to enjoy, everywhere. In the fall, the foliage, and the aroma from it is amazing! I love this area. I stumbled along enjoying the area scenery and trying to follow the trail to the upper hardwoods where the trail turns into the conifers on the final approach to Starr King. A short distance below the turn I met the others that were out in front; a father, son, and their dog.
I reached the turn into the conifers and started getting hit by increased breezes at the same time. The more sheltered trail came at just the right time. The first half of the trip through the conifers to Starr King was generally the same as the trail from the start. Eventually the loose snow depth increased to ~3 inches with drifting. This isn’t a significant amount of snow but the drifting was enough to hide the trail, and in some areas on the way from Starr King to Waumbek the trail isn’t marked very well. The wind was busy blowing the snow around and actually able to hide the tracks of the others that were out in front. Ten or fifteen minutes were all it took.
Except for an occasional drift the hike continued on a solid trail that was easy to follow and had no ice problems. I cleared the summit of Starr King, got a couple quick view pictures on the way through and kept on moving to Waumbek. The route was easy to follow across the ridge and soon I was at Waumbek making a u-turn to head back for the truck. There was enough wind coming through the trees to make me not want to stand around for any extended period of time without an added layer, so I just kept moving.
I passed over Starr King a second time and soon met another hiker on his climb; also using MICROSpikes. A while later there was one more. That’s it for the day; four other hikers and one canine. That’s pretty quiet for such a nice day.
The remainder of my hike back to the truck went without surprise and I was soon packing my things in the back and pulling some drinks and snacks for the drive home. I checked the weather history and it looks like the wind speed for the peaks above 5000 feet was well over 50mph with higher gusts all day (it was even worse on 6288, but there you’ll find The World’s Worst Weather). It looks like my choices for a couple short and sheltered 4K’s were good ones for the conditions.
Pictures will follow.
Trails:
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Waumbek: Starr King Trail
Summits: Tecumseh and Waumbek
Hikers: Solo
Tecumseh:
The forecast for the day included lots of sun and blue sky for the area but also had high wind levels predicted above 5000 feet. Because of the predicted winds in the forecast I decided a couple of the lower 4000 footers would be the best targets. I’ve previously enjoyed sunrise from the summit of Tecumseh, it’s a beautiful sight. Watching the sun appear and rise over Tripyramid would be a great way to start the day so I went for an early start to see the ~6:15am sunrise.
The Mount Tecumseh Trail is clear and solid to the summit. There are some postholes along the way but they are limited and not nearly as severe as I expected. I started from the trail head with MICROSpikes and stayed with them until I returned. The trail surface is a solid crust with no surface ice along the way. Traction was great!
The pre-dawn start meant I’d go through most of the climb in the dark with a headlight helping me see the way. Headlight hiking on snow is a treat. The world gets small, the size of my headlight beam, and all I need to be concerned with is to follow the marked trail. A little falling snow would have been frosting on the cake; it was certainly cold enough to snow.
Roughly half-way between the viewpoint spur that leads to the ski trail and the summit I was able to turn off the headlight and use natural light. Overhead there was a very thin cloud layer but back in the direction of Tripyramid was a large patch of thick clouds. I realized then there would not be a sunrise show from Tecumseh today. I continued at my slow but steady “Peakbagger” pace and soon found myself on the ridge near the Tecumseh – Sosman trails junction. Thank you Peakbagger for setting a good example for me on ascent pace. I hiked slower than usual but made very few “heart rate” stops along the way and completed the climb in much less time than usual.
After the trails junction there is one more decision to make; there’s a trails split where both choices go to the same place. The low choice (right) would keep me out of the wind as I completed the climb to the summit but the high choice (left) would have some views. As usual I went high and took the wind, and the views. The final section to the summit wasn’t bad and I was soon on the summit, feeling the wind, and getting cold. I didn’t feel like pulling out another layer so I got a couple summit pictures and u-turned for the exit.
By this time of year there are usually large icy patches showing up that make descending a little trickier. The trail conditions couldn’t have been better and I was able to just walk a brisk pace without a worry. The hike back down was quick and without any mishaps at all.
Along the way I enjoyed my first treat of the day. A short distance above the viewpoint spur there was a person skiing uphill. It was Becca out for some morning air. She was in the process of climbing Tecumseh so she could ski back down (why else would anybody ski uphill?). We stopped for a brief visit. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other on the trail and this was a terrific boost to my day.
After leaving Becca I met one other person near the trail head; then it was time to pack and run. The ski crowd for Waterville Valley Ski Area was arriving and it’s a good idea to stay out of their way; they’re on a mission and focused, courtesy is not an option.
I escaped the ski area lots and headed back out to I-93 the way I came it. Tripoli Road would have saved me some drive time and distance but it’s still under the winter closure.
Waumbek:
My basic rule for a hike day; Hike time must exceed drive time.
By itself, hiking Mount Tecumseh isn’t worth the cost of fuel to get there. Combining it with another peak makes for a good day. I’ve tied it together in Hit & Run days with The Tripyramids, Moosilauke, Cannon, The Kinsmans, Hale, and probably others that escape my memory. I’m keeping score and have a list of targets for each month. My April list of targets “not worth the cost of fuel to get there” includes Hale, Jackson, and Waumbek. Each of these can easily be combined with something else to make a good hike-day. To go with Tecumseh, my second target for the day was Waumbek. Waumbek, like Tecumseh, is another peak that, by itself, isn’t worth the cost of fuel to get there. Perhaps there is a Hale-Jackson hike in my future; that would work. Alone, neither of these is interesting to me as a day-hike destination.
I made my way north to Jefferson and the trail head for the Starr King Trail. On the way I packed in some fuel (peanut butter crackers, Monster Lo-Carb, Gatorade, Take-5 bars), that’s a good breakfast. A little over an hour after escaping the ski area traffic I was driving the short road to the Starr King trail head. The snow bank at the end of the plowed area is breaking down and it’s now possible to get past. As I drove through I made it a point to run one set of tires over the edge of the snow bank to widen the opening a little. I repeated the move on my exit.
A few minutes after parking I was headed up the trail, again I was on MICROSpikes. The Starr King trail condition was generally the same as Tecumseh, at least for the lower portion. Up high there were a few inches of light snow getting blown around into drifts between Starr King and Waumbek; but I’m ahead of myself.
There is enough drive time between the two hikes to allow me to cool off. A second warm-up was needed; and the second one is never pleasant. By the time I reached the old springhouse foundation I was back up to operating temperature and once again working with a “Peakbagger” pace. I could see in the light dusting of overnight snow that was on the trail there were two others in front of me with a dog.
I enjoyed one of my favorite areas in the Whites. The lower part of Starr King Trail is a beautiful, open area of hardwoods. When the leaves are down there are open views in all directions. With full cover there is still great visibility plus a nice assortment plant life is there to enjoy, everywhere. In the fall, the foliage, and the aroma from it is amazing! I love this area. I stumbled along enjoying the area scenery and trying to follow the trail to the upper hardwoods where the trail turns into the conifers on the final approach to Starr King. A short distance below the turn I met the others that were out in front; a father, son, and their dog.
I reached the turn into the conifers and started getting hit by increased breezes at the same time. The more sheltered trail came at just the right time. The first half of the trip through the conifers to Starr King was generally the same as the trail from the start. Eventually the loose snow depth increased to ~3 inches with drifting. This isn’t a significant amount of snow but the drifting was enough to hide the trail, and in some areas on the way from Starr King to Waumbek the trail isn’t marked very well. The wind was busy blowing the snow around and actually able to hide the tracks of the others that were out in front. Ten or fifteen minutes were all it took.
Except for an occasional drift the hike continued on a solid trail that was easy to follow and had no ice problems. I cleared the summit of Starr King, got a couple quick view pictures on the way through and kept on moving to Waumbek. The route was easy to follow across the ridge and soon I was at Waumbek making a u-turn to head back for the truck. There was enough wind coming through the trees to make me not want to stand around for any extended period of time without an added layer, so I just kept moving.
I passed over Starr King a second time and soon met another hiker on his climb; also using MICROSpikes. A while later there was one more. That’s it for the day; four other hikers and one canine. That’s pretty quiet for such a nice day.
The remainder of my hike back to the truck went without surprise and I was soon packing my things in the back and pulling some drinks and snacks for the drive home. I checked the weather history and it looks like the wind speed for the peaks above 5000 feet was well over 50mph with higher gusts all day (it was even worse on 6288, but there you’ll find The World’s Worst Weather). It looks like my choices for a couple short and sheltered 4K’s were good ones for the conditions.
Pictures will follow.
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