dangergirl
Active member
Well, after completing the winter pemi loop last weekend, we were off to tackle the Presi Traverse. Don, Mike,Sue, and I started out Saturday morning by getting a great breakfast at the Water Wheel Restaurant. We all gave it a thumbs up! After filling our bellies I pounded a Red Bull and we headed off to Appalachia. The four of us put on our backpacks at 8:00am. Both Don and I carried 42 lbs including water. It was a beautiful day! Stunning views, blue skies, and endless sun made for a very awesome but uneventful day. We decided to bypass the summits (due to huge blisters on Sues feet)
For some reason we did summit Madison and when we got to the top we could not figure out whose idea it was. Oh, well, it was very scenic.
Conditions were very icy with some windswept snow patches. Parts of it were crusty while others were powdery. It was cool and crisp but there was almost no wind! We got to Sphinx Col at 3:30 to find that the usual camping area was a frozen pond. We dug out two tent platforms on the side of the hill and set up our tents. Later that night the wind decided to pick up. It was so loud that earplugs were useless! Due to the awkward tent sites on the side of the slope, guying out the tent was a challenge which led to a lot of flapping throughout the night. We did manage to get a lot of broken sleep and felt well rested in the morning.
We woke to very cold, windy, snowy conditions. We were in the clouds and had less than 1/10th of a mile of visibility. We were in for a treat.
We packed up camp and headed out into the wind. We did a fine job navigating and got ourselves over to the Westside trail. Don and I stopped for a quick break and Mike came up behind us. He asked where Sue was and we told him we hadn't seen her. He then told us that she was in front of him. Mike took off to go find Sue and Don and I followed. As we turned the corner Don and I saw Mike fall and start sliding down the icy slope. It didn't register what was happening until we saw Sue down the hill yelling for help. Don carefully made his way down to where Mike was able to luckily able to self arrest (with his hiking poles). I carefully made my way to Sue to find out that she had fallen in front of Mike and due to poor visibility he didn't even see it! She had hit rocks on her fall and ripped her pants, lost a pole, and cut her knee up pretty good. Mike was okay and actually stopped right where Sues pole was. We all got back up to the trail and assessed the situation and decided to carry on. We were below Mt Washington on the Westside trail when the accident happened. It scared the crap out of all of us.
When we got to Lake of the Clouds hut we realized what had happened. Mike and Sue brought Katoohla Spikes instead of Crampons. (Don and I almost did the same thing but I decided crampons were safer and worth the extra weight.) The spikes did not work well on these condtions.
When we left the hut we were welcomed with high winds and ice chards blasting us in the eyes, face, etc. Goggles were useless due to fogging and sunglasses didn't help much either. We navigated with the GPS and did a fine job staying on the trail. When we got to Eisenhower we experienced winds so strong we were almost pushed over! The wind actually hurt! We could not see Crawford Path but decided we would use the GPS to navigate because going over the summit would be too dangerous with the winds. Crawford Path was on the Leeward side of the mountain and was very calm. It was nice to have a break. When we came back around to the ridgeline we were attacked by the wind again and just wanted the trip to be over with. After what seemed like eternity we finally made it to below treeline and hiked out to the car. Sue was such a trooper! When we finished her knee looked like a purple grapefruit. We celebrated with some hot chocolate and dinner at the Moat. The clouds then lifted off the range and we had a spectacular view of the snow blowing off the ridgeline. We were so happy that we all made it. Watching your friends sliding down a slope in a white-out is a horrific experience and I never want to see that again. We learned a valuable lesson about bringing the right gear. Sometimes an extra couple of pounds can save your life.
Links to the pics are here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfolcik/sets/72157615803512264/
For some reason we did summit Madison and when we got to the top we could not figure out whose idea it was. Oh, well, it was very scenic.
Conditions were very icy with some windswept snow patches. Parts of it were crusty while others were powdery. It was cool and crisp but there was almost no wind! We got to Sphinx Col at 3:30 to find that the usual camping area was a frozen pond. We dug out two tent platforms on the side of the hill and set up our tents. Later that night the wind decided to pick up. It was so loud that earplugs were useless! Due to the awkward tent sites on the side of the slope, guying out the tent was a challenge which led to a lot of flapping throughout the night. We did manage to get a lot of broken sleep and felt well rested in the morning.
We woke to very cold, windy, snowy conditions. We were in the clouds and had less than 1/10th of a mile of visibility. We were in for a treat.
We packed up camp and headed out into the wind. We did a fine job navigating and got ourselves over to the Westside trail. Don and I stopped for a quick break and Mike came up behind us. He asked where Sue was and we told him we hadn't seen her. He then told us that she was in front of him. Mike took off to go find Sue and Don and I followed. As we turned the corner Don and I saw Mike fall and start sliding down the icy slope. It didn't register what was happening until we saw Sue down the hill yelling for help. Don carefully made his way down to where Mike was able to luckily able to self arrest (with his hiking poles). I carefully made my way to Sue to find out that she had fallen in front of Mike and due to poor visibility he didn't even see it! She had hit rocks on her fall and ripped her pants, lost a pole, and cut her knee up pretty good. Mike was okay and actually stopped right where Sues pole was. We all got back up to the trail and assessed the situation and decided to carry on. We were below Mt Washington on the Westside trail when the accident happened. It scared the crap out of all of us.
When we got to Lake of the Clouds hut we realized what had happened. Mike and Sue brought Katoohla Spikes instead of Crampons. (Don and I almost did the same thing but I decided crampons were safer and worth the extra weight.) The spikes did not work well on these condtions.
When we left the hut we were welcomed with high winds and ice chards blasting us in the eyes, face, etc. Goggles were useless due to fogging and sunglasses didn't help much either. We navigated with the GPS and did a fine job staying on the trail. When we got to Eisenhower we experienced winds so strong we were almost pushed over! The wind actually hurt! We could not see Crawford Path but decided we would use the GPS to navigate because going over the summit would be too dangerous with the winds. Crawford Path was on the Leeward side of the mountain and was very calm. It was nice to have a break. When we came back around to the ridgeline we were attacked by the wind again and just wanted the trip to be over with. After what seemed like eternity we finally made it to below treeline and hiked out to the car. Sue was such a trooper! When we finished her knee looked like a purple grapefruit. We celebrated with some hot chocolate and dinner at the Moat. The clouds then lifted off the range and we had a spectacular view of the snow blowing off the ridgeline. We were so happy that we all made it. Watching your friends sliding down a slope in a white-out is a horrific experience and I never want to see that again. We learned a valuable lesson about bringing the right gear. Sometimes an extra couple of pounds can save your life.
Links to the pics are here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfolcik/sets/72157615803512264/
