JohnL
New member
After my 3:30AM wake up, I fortified myself with a small breakfast, made lunch, gathered my gear and an hour later I left the house. Even at this time of the morning there was more activity in the center of town than I would have imagined. I filled up with gas at an all night gas station and got on the road. The night sky was glittering with stars and a giant bright full moon filled my window as I drove north, darkening only as I passed through sections of varied densities of fog north of Concord. The sky began to brighten in the east and the moon began its ethereal descent in the west. The stars in the western sky gently shut off as the black background transformed into a blend of magenta and light blue. The beacon that was the full moon appeared to expand and grow brighter as it fell toward the horizon. I pulled over near Skookumchuck Brook in an attempt to capture the scene with the camera. It was breathtaking and I wanted so much to stay there and watch the moon dip below the horizon. However, I had a tight time schedule to keep as an evening dinner engagement forced my hand. I snapped off a half dozen photos and regrettably hopped back into the driver seat.
I pulled into the Gale River Trail parking lot at 7:00 and with my fingernail I scraped the frost on the car window next to me. It was more than a thin coating. Five cool minutes later I was ready and on the trail. The crisp morning air was five degrees below freezing and combined with the stiffness caused by the two and a half hour drive conspired to prevent me from warming up as fast as I would have liked. Both crossings of the Gale River and an additional side stream I crossed with care. I was concerned with thin layers of ice on the wet rocks but my fears were gratefully not realized. I had more problems with rocks that were unsteady and threatened to tilt me sideways into the cold stream. At the three mile outlook, I had warmed up enough so I removed my gloves and long sleeve shirt. I tend to reluctantly give up my shorts and T-shirt ensemble later in the season than most hikers and I like to be as cool as I can stand when I am hiking.
Now the fun would begin as I had about a mile to go to reach the ridge. Several long continuous cranks up the staircases interspersed with some relatively level rest breaks make this another of my many favorite trail sections. The woods were peaceful today with hardly a sound from any birds. A couple of Blue Jays flittered from branch to branch as they followed me for a short ways along the trail. Aside from that the woods were devoid of wildlife. Perhaps they were still sleeping late due to the chilly air. Suddenly it seemed, a patch of balsam and moss appeared and I knew I was near the ridge. A few minutes of walking and the voices that I thought I heard (thank goodness the voices were not just in my head!) were real and they were coming from four ladies who had stopped at the trail junction. I had a nice chat full of laughs with them and it is so nice to see people who are genuinely having a good time. They advised me of the time (8:35; I had forgotten my watch!) and I bid them adieu with a smile. They were the first people I had seen so far on the trail.
Another 15 minutes and six people later I passed by the side trail to the Galehead Hut and continued on up the Twinway. I had not climbed South Twin from this side in the summer for a few years so I wanted to get familiar with the steep climb again. Once past the large boulders near the bottom, the footing becomes more regular and it is easier to get into a rhythm. I past by the taller trees until soon the stunted evergreens appeared quickly followed by the krummholz. Here the trail begins to level off, the sky appears and views back to the west are open. I reached the summit about 9:25 and I had it to myself. There was only a hint of any wind, not even enough to move the trees. With the forest virtually void of birds, the summit was eerily silent. The only sound in my ears was a faint buzzing, similar to the hum you hear when you stand beneath a set of power lines. I could not figure out if the sound was in my head or if it was the sound of the earth’s energy, a sound that is normally masked over by the sounds of the wind and the trees and the wildlife. It left me with a very surreal feeling. I took photos in every direction and the visibility seemed endless. I could easily make out the spine of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Even the ridges to the south which are usually softened to the point of obliviousness with the haze were easily discernable.
The walk over to North Twin was pleasant and I took care to avoid the numerous muddy sections, some of which were still in the coolness of the shade and had a crunchy-squishy texture from being frozen but not solid. On the way back these sections had warmed up and were more like chocolate pudding. I also had the summit of North Twin to myself as it had just been vacated by two guys who had come up the North Twin Trail. That outlook is a wonderful spot to observe the undulating curve of the Garfield Ridge as it loops around from Lafayette to Galehead.
I needed to hurry along so I left North Twin’s outlook and headed back past South Twin and back down the steep Twinway to the Galehead Hut. Down in the section of the large boulders, I met a woman with a monstrous overnight pack who was on her way up. What I did not see was her poodle who was obviously struggling over these huge rocks with his short legs. With some help and encouragement, he kept moving upward without a whimper. He was a gamer.
I made it to the Hut and figured I had enough time to go up to Galehead and still make it back to the car on time (1:00). So I tagged the cairn as a man and his son called home to announce their success, took some photos of them at the outlook, took a couple of my own and made my way back to the Hut. On the way I must have passed 35 to 40 people, the most I had ever seen on this trail. Everyone was out on this superb weather weekend. Once down off the ridge and the steep mile below the ridge I was able to cruise through the woods. I got to my car and checked the clock. It said 1:00. How’s that for timing!?! Nine minutes later the tires were rolling and I was on my way home. As I passed through Franconia Notch, the overflow at Lafayette Place was horrendous. What a zoo the Ridge must have been. I was very happy with my hiking choice of the day.
Photos.
JohnL
I pulled into the Gale River Trail parking lot at 7:00 and with my fingernail I scraped the frost on the car window next to me. It was more than a thin coating. Five cool minutes later I was ready and on the trail. The crisp morning air was five degrees below freezing and combined with the stiffness caused by the two and a half hour drive conspired to prevent me from warming up as fast as I would have liked. Both crossings of the Gale River and an additional side stream I crossed with care. I was concerned with thin layers of ice on the wet rocks but my fears were gratefully not realized. I had more problems with rocks that were unsteady and threatened to tilt me sideways into the cold stream. At the three mile outlook, I had warmed up enough so I removed my gloves and long sleeve shirt. I tend to reluctantly give up my shorts and T-shirt ensemble later in the season than most hikers and I like to be as cool as I can stand when I am hiking.
Now the fun would begin as I had about a mile to go to reach the ridge. Several long continuous cranks up the staircases interspersed with some relatively level rest breaks make this another of my many favorite trail sections. The woods were peaceful today with hardly a sound from any birds. A couple of Blue Jays flittered from branch to branch as they followed me for a short ways along the trail. Aside from that the woods were devoid of wildlife. Perhaps they were still sleeping late due to the chilly air. Suddenly it seemed, a patch of balsam and moss appeared and I knew I was near the ridge. A few minutes of walking and the voices that I thought I heard (thank goodness the voices were not just in my head!) were real and they were coming from four ladies who had stopped at the trail junction. I had a nice chat full of laughs with them and it is so nice to see people who are genuinely having a good time. They advised me of the time (8:35; I had forgotten my watch!) and I bid them adieu with a smile. They were the first people I had seen so far on the trail.
Another 15 minutes and six people later I passed by the side trail to the Galehead Hut and continued on up the Twinway. I had not climbed South Twin from this side in the summer for a few years so I wanted to get familiar with the steep climb again. Once past the large boulders near the bottom, the footing becomes more regular and it is easier to get into a rhythm. I past by the taller trees until soon the stunted evergreens appeared quickly followed by the krummholz. Here the trail begins to level off, the sky appears and views back to the west are open. I reached the summit about 9:25 and I had it to myself. There was only a hint of any wind, not even enough to move the trees. With the forest virtually void of birds, the summit was eerily silent. The only sound in my ears was a faint buzzing, similar to the hum you hear when you stand beneath a set of power lines. I could not figure out if the sound was in my head or if it was the sound of the earth’s energy, a sound that is normally masked over by the sounds of the wind and the trees and the wildlife. It left me with a very surreal feeling. I took photos in every direction and the visibility seemed endless. I could easily make out the spine of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Even the ridges to the south which are usually softened to the point of obliviousness with the haze were easily discernable.
The walk over to North Twin was pleasant and I took care to avoid the numerous muddy sections, some of which were still in the coolness of the shade and had a crunchy-squishy texture from being frozen but not solid. On the way back these sections had warmed up and were more like chocolate pudding. I also had the summit of North Twin to myself as it had just been vacated by two guys who had come up the North Twin Trail. That outlook is a wonderful spot to observe the undulating curve of the Garfield Ridge as it loops around from Lafayette to Galehead.
I needed to hurry along so I left North Twin’s outlook and headed back past South Twin and back down the steep Twinway to the Galehead Hut. Down in the section of the large boulders, I met a woman with a monstrous overnight pack who was on her way up. What I did not see was her poodle who was obviously struggling over these huge rocks with his short legs. With some help and encouragement, he kept moving upward without a whimper. He was a gamer.
I made it to the Hut and figured I had enough time to go up to Galehead and still make it back to the car on time (1:00). So I tagged the cairn as a man and his son called home to announce their success, took some photos of them at the outlook, took a couple of my own and made my way back to the Hut. On the way I must have passed 35 to 40 people, the most I had ever seen on this trail. Everyone was out on this superb weather weekend. Once down off the ridge and the steep mile below the ridge I was able to cruise through the woods. I got to my car and checked the clock. It said 1:00. How’s that for timing!?! Nine minutes later the tires were rolling and I was on my way home. As I passed through Franconia Notch, the overflow at Lafayette Place was horrendous. What a zoo the Ridge must have been. I was very happy with my hiking choice of the day.
Photos.
JohnL
