The Captain whacked me! 5/6/06

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

My day began on the Hancock Notch Trail at 5:25am. I was going to hike up to South Hancock, then Middle Hancock, then bushwhack over The Captain and on to Mt. Carrigain, returning by trail to the Hancock Notch Trailhead. A trek of about 25 miles. For the second week in a row though, things didn't go as planned.

I reached the summit of South Hancock at 7:25 and by 8:00 I was well into the bushwhack from Middle Hancock. I hiked in a east-north-easterly direction towards Mt. Carrigain which was almost always in view ahead of me. As I passed the point where the ridge I was following turned north I started getting gimpses through the trees of the top of The Captain. For no bigger than it is, it's a pretty impressive little peak. Like Frodo said, "looks like a miniature "El Capitan"". I contined straight towards it. As I descended towards the col the slope grew increasingly steeper until...you guessed it, it became vertical. I looked around for an alternate descent route but, had to face the fact that I'd reached a dead end. As I climbed back up to the ridge I traversed north looking for a spot where I could reach the col from, but no such spot seemed to exist. I hiked north along the ridge following the moose paths repeatedly checking the eastern slope for a descent route.

About noonish I decided it was time to eat. I spied a ledgy outcrop on the opposite side of the ridge and headed over there for a bite. I climbed up onto the ledge and gazed out across the entire eastern Pemi valley. I could see the 3 Bonds, Guyot, Zealand, Whitewall, Tom, Field, Willey, Carrigain, as well as the Presidentials and a few three thousand footers. There before me was the valley I had hiked in the last four weekends. After taking in the awesome views...and eating some lunch, I noticed the clouds to the west had become noticably darker. The forecasted rain was just a few hours away. I decided this was a good time to turn back towards Middle Hancock and head for home. Though I still had several hours of daylight ahead of me, I was still uncertain whether or not I could reach The Captain from here and I didn't fancy the idea of bushwhacking back up Middle Hancock in the rain...in the dark.

Although I was finished with The Captain for the weekend, The Captain wasn't finished with me. he sent a couple of his spruce tree cronies to whack me. One got me with a branch acoss my right eye and the other jabbed me with a broken limb just outside the same eye. I woke up Sunday morning unable to open my eyes due to severe light sensitivity. The problem was a wee bit better today, I went to see a doctor and he seemed to think the injuries are relatively minor though he had no explanation for the severe photophobia. Hopefully in a few days my eyes will be back to normal, otherwise I may be whackin' The Captain this next weekend with a red tipped cane.


Here are the pics.

 

[DougPaul]

Someone else reported a successful bushwack by this route. (Perhaps here or perhaps on the AMC web site. A search might be able to find it.) IIRC, he followed the Wilderness Boundary (the ridge extending eastward from Middle Hancock) and turned north on the final north-trending ridge just before the Captain. He followed the ridge far enough north to get a travelable route E to the Captain.

This sounds like your route, except that he found a way down. Perhaps he went farther north?

From the map, it looks like instead of turning north, one might be able to go SE .15-.2 mi to a flatish spot and then turn NE toward the col with the Captain.

Doug

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

From the map, it looks like instead of turning north, one might be able to go SE .15-.2 mi to a flatish spot and then turn NE toward the col with the Captain.

That's what the expert (posterboy) told me.....after the fact!

 

[DougPaul]

That's what the expert (posterboy) told me.....after the fact!

Making guesses from the map is easy--the hard part is checking them out...

Doug

 

[HAMTERO]

eyesight to the blind

If you get to where you can see i'm up for it. I'll bring you some safety glasses.

 

[Mattl]

You had some very unusual views into the pemi that I loved! Nice trip. -Mattl

 

[chuck]

Great photos, On page 2 photo dscn1603 what is that? Is that Cardigan pond or the no name hancock pond? I am assuming the nice shot of a pond on page 4 is Cardigan pond Which looks so much smaller than I imagined and the trees appear to be very tight around it right up to the shore. Didn't someone write that there was some old campsite next to the pond?

Thanks
Chuck

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Great photos, On page 2 photo dscn1603 what is that? Is that Cardigan pond or the no name hancock pond? I am assuming the nice shot of a pond on page 4 is Cardigan pond Which looks so much smaller than I imagined and the trees appear to be very tight around it right up to the shore. Didn't someone write that there was some old campsite next to the pond?

Thanks
Chuck

Ref. photo 1603, that's the pond seen from the view area on South Hancock. On the last page of the photos, the last two pics are of the same pond, taken from about 3/4 mile at 80 degrees from South Hancock.

The one on page 4 is Carrigain Pond 3/10 mile north of The Captain, and yes there is a small campsite next to the pond...getting to the pond with a tent and overnight gear should be fun.

 

[audrey]

Luckily, you're among masochists, but do take the good advice and get safety glasses. I still see rays around streetlights and headlights years after one of my indiscretions.

 

[the starchild]

flippin great report and pics dude, thanks! hope your eye's gonna be ok. i am feeling much inspired to spend a few days out there.

 

[Jazzbo]

Logging RR's and Hancocks

I love reading about your TR's. Can't imagine when you find time to shoot these great pics that always so well exposed. I take pics and I'm lucky if half a worth looking at. I'm getting better though. I've been fascinated by Hancocks and surrounding peaks since aquiring the various books on Henry's RR's. You should pick these up at the Mountain Wanderer in Licoln sometime if you don't already have them. If I ever get free time from my prison like job I'd love to explore and look for signs of the extensive clearcutting they did up there in 20's and 30's. I loved the pics you took on one trip at the RR camp off Ceder Brook. I've seen pics of the skidding trails that carpeted the slopes almost like contour lines. Have you seen signs of these in your explorations? Here's view of Hancocks from Camp 22 from Bill Gove's excellent book (at risk of violating copyright laws but this is to advance bushwhacking Science) and David Metsky's photo taken last winter and you can still see the skidways from Bond Cliff.

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=550266425&ran=27662

You must have been walking along the knife edge shaped ridge that points north and divides the two branches of Carragain Brook. Does it look as narrow on the ground as it looks on the map?

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Like Frodo said, "looks like a miniature "El Capitan

On the approach from Sawyer river road I have always thought that it looks like a minature Devils tower to me.

If I can find one of my photos I'll post them.

Keith

 

[arm]

here's one of The Captain from Sawyer River Road last sunday

hope your eye's feeling better !

 

[spongebob]

I think I know where your picture was taken Arm.....

That is too funny.

Captain

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I think I know where your picture was taken Arm.....

That is too funny.[/URL]

Arm and spongebob. Your photos make me think you guys where farther north than I was when I made my attempt. Of course this is by memory. I got to try to see if I can find my photos. I am lousy about documenting my trips and then if I do I don't remember where I put them.

I really love pictures of the captain. It is also neat that there are not very many places you can actually see it from. I also love the description in the AMC guide (IIRC) on how it gots it name. Very appropriate.

Oh, on a sidebar. I have a good pair of goggles I use over my glasses when I bushwack along with leather gloves. Don't always use them, but if I plan on wacking I always bring them. The last thing I want to see with my last good eye is my other eye hanging off of a twig.

Keith

 

[mhrsebago]

NH MTN HIKER... Wow, I thought I was a "bushwacker": you are an order of magnitude "whackier" than I am... amazing trips you've posted recently!! Arm's and Sponge Bob's pics of the Captain are spectacular-can't wait to make an attempt!