Tough Day Pliny Weeks Range Traverse 1/31/09

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Way to go pulling together as a team to battle through a tough situation. Great example for all.

On Saturday I went up to South Weeks from the fish hatchery with Steve-o and donna (who predicted a 5-6 hour hike on packed trails ). When we got to Willard Notch the trail was no longer broken. Then the fun began. Breaking trail through the deep snow was an issue, but that paled in comparison to the effort necessary to find the trail. The trees were covered with snow which obscured most of the blazes. We frequently had to scout ahead to find the next blaze before we could continue. It took us six hours to travel 2.5 miles from Willard Notch to the summit of South Weeks. And we didn't have to deal with cold or darkness.

Thanks for the kind words, mtnpa. I think that the distance from Willard Notch to South Weeks, not counting the meandering that we did, is closer to 3.7 miles (1.3 miles to North Weeks, 2.4 miles from North Weeks to South Weeks). My guess is that we took a little longer than your 6 hours on that stretch going in the opposite direction, but I do not recall anyone looking at a watch (or thermometer; too depressing) when we finally reached the York Pond Trail.

 

[Steve-o]

Weeks 2-7-09

I had planned on do the weeks, weeks in advance with Donna.
This would be an up and back from York pond.

I was very glad to see Jazzbo's TR, which I read several times.
I knew this was going to be a tough day. ( I was thinking 10+ hrs.)

I was also very happy to have Mt.Pa come with us, as I know,this is one of his favorite hikes.

We got a late start.
Departed the fish hatchery at 8:45 am.
It was -2 F but, there was no wind, and we were quickly shedding layers.
We made it to the ridge at 10:30.

Heading up to North weeks, a moose was kind enough to break trail the first 200 ft. or so, after that, nothing.
About .2 miles from the york pond tr. your team crossed the trail, heading west to east. Then, intersected again closer to the summit, but stayed west of the trail. I think Mt.Pa counted 10 times we crossed your path all day.

It was light out and we were fresh, so we opted to find the real trail, as opposed to following your tracks. I wasn't easy though, and we spent much time trying to locate blazes before we ventured much farther.
We brushed the snow off the trees with blazes as much as we could and placed sticks where your path crossed, so we would'nt get messed up later.

Most of your tracks were on the summits and cols, but no where else.
It was exciting when we finally came upon a packed trail and it quickly went back into the woods, in which we jokingly exclaimed, b*stards!
We estimated your time spent on the trail from s.weeks to york pond trail, to be about 5%. We reached south weeks around 4:20.

Heading back, at least we didn't have to worry about route finding and breaking trail, which was a good feeling.
However, it started raining lightly, and the snowshoes were getting caked with snow, which needed constant removal.

We arrived back at the trailhead at 8:40 pm, almost 12 hrs. later and 41 degrees warmer.

I now, half know, of what you 5 b*stards went through, and have much respect for you.
Would you say this was one of your toughest hikes?
If someone told me when I got to m. weeks that it was only 8 1/2 hrs. to go, I probably would have died.

Happy trails, Steve

 

[Jazzbo]

Trails? We don't need no stinkin Trails!!!

Trails? We don't need no stinkin Trails!!! I guess it's misleading to tell folks the routes been all broken out since we only spent 30% time on trails.

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Oh well ... Misery does love company.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

About .2 miles from the york pond tr. your team crossed the trail, heading west to east. Then, intersected again closer to the summit, but stayed west of the trail. I think Mt.Pa counted 10 times we crossed your path all day.

Most of your tracks were on the summits and cols, but no where else.
It was exciting when we finally came upon a packed trail and it quickly went back into the woods, in which we jokingly exclaimed, b*stards!
We estimated your time spent on the trail from s.weeks to york pond trail, to be about 5%.

Thanks for that observation, Stev-o; I guess that we were being overly optimistic (or delusionary) that we were on the trail 30% of the time.

I now, half know, of what you 5 b*stards went through, and have much respect for you.
Would you say this was one of your toughest hikes?

Our Weeks traverse was one of my easier winter hikes, psychologically anyway, because I had great confidence in all four of my hiking partners, especially given that two of them were carrying gps units. I usually hike solo without gps in the winter, which is much tougher for me, both physically and psychologically.

 

[Steve-o]

Thanks for that observation, Stev-o; I guess that we were being overly optimistic (or delusionary) that we were on the trail 30% of the time.

You guy's did an excellent job getting out.
The trail is impossible to follow under headlamp.
Great to have some veteran navigators along!

 

[peakbagger]

Thanks for the confirmation that we were west of the trail coming down North Weeks, that was my suspicion but at that point in the hike, down was good.

One slight advantage to the Yord Pond Trail at night is that it is roughly aligned with the sodium vapor lights at the fish hatchery for most of its length (until it swings northeast as it approaches the trailhead). If in doubt, pick the route that heads towards the light.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

It was light out and we were fresh, so we opted to find the real trail, as opposed to following your tracks. I wasn't easy though, and we spent much time trying to locate blazes before we ventured much farther. We brushed the snow off the trees with blazes as much as we could and placed sticks where your path crossed, so we would'nt get messed up later.

Not sure if we mentioned earlier in this thread that Peakbagger from our trip led a group of his Boy Scouts in painting the most recent set of yellow blazes across the KRT over a decade ago. The USFS required them to sit through hours of tutorials on blazing before they were allowed to have at it. But, do not chew on the blazes, as these were created with the last of the lead-based paint marketed (those gallon cans were pretty heavy!).

 

[mtnpa]

...I think that the distance from Willard Notch to South Weeks, not counting the meandering that we did, is closer to 3.7 miles (1.3 miles to North Weeks, 2.4 miles from North Weeks to South Weeks)...

No kidding!? Between that and the five hour estimate I'll never listen to donna again

 

[RoySwkr]

Sounds like an epic adventure that I'm not sure I ever could have done in those conditions

In days of yore there were often snowmobile tracks through Willard Notch which would have made the last bit easier. Weeks were usually climbed as a loop from Cabot trailhead with bushwhack up S then down from N, of course the ridge between was once a bushwhack too.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Weeks were usually climbed as a loop from Cabot trailhead with bushwhack up S then down from N, of course the ridge between was once a bushwhack too.

Still was a 95% bushwhack for our group, according to Steve-O.

 

[Steve-o]

Still was a 95% bushwhack for our group, according to Steve-O.

You totally bushwacked this section.
Trying to follow the trail after dark would make no sense, with it's many switchbacks.( goal being, Lets Get The Hell Out Of Here! )
You mainly stayed west of the trail until .2 miles before the york pond trail.
I'm sure you were close to the trail, without knowing it.

I noticed the blazes of different yellow shades along the way.

I also noticed that a lot of the blazes on the york pond trail were on birch trees, and a lot of the birch tree's were shedding. not sure if that effected your hike out.
Mostly open hardwood on this section, which can make it confusing
Stay to the south of the stream, and you will see the bridges.

I can't say that this was one of my easier winter hikes yet.
But, managed to bag a 4k'er the next day, so I guess I was doing okay.

 

[Jazzbo]

Question for Stev-o

I'm confused. I recall intersecting with the York Pond Trail and then banging right to head east towards TH. If we were just west of the ridge line trail shouldn't we have spotted the trail sign at the junction? I never noticed any trail signs or junction. Or did we cross the trail just before the junction so we came out just east of the junction????

My goodness! This thread is setting a record for threads that I've started.

As for staying on trail, we did manage to stay 100% on trail for the 3.6 miles to Waumbek. It wasn't long after that we started losing the trail. I think we did pretty well once we got on to 2.4 miles of York Pond Trail. Probably 90% on trail there. So that accounts for almost 6.0 miles of the 12+ mile route. So maybe 50% of time off trail.

 

[peakbagger]

I think we came down off of North Weeks generally heading west of the centerline of the actual trail (which switchbacks more than the maps I have show.) If anything we were drifting west as the fall line tended to be too steep and the the vegetation looked thicker. Eventually as were getting onto more shallow slope and the woods opened up, we made a couple of deliberate attempts at going on a more easterly compass bearing to compensate whihc means we would have crossed the KRT in open woods before coming out east of the actual high point on York Pond trail.

Of course the alternative is that we were following my unproven theory that right handed bushwhackers tend to overcompensate a bearing to the right if there is no other environmental clues and left handed bushwahckers tend to drift left of the bearing . Anyone care to duplicate the conditions and report back!

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

IEventually as were getting onto more shallow slope and the woods opened up, we made a couple of deliberate attempts at going on a more easterly compass bearing to compensate whihc means we would have crossed the KRT in open woods before coming out east of the actual high point on York Pond trail.

Anyone care to duplicate the conditions and report back!

I agree that up high we were probably too far west and down low too far east, sort of like tacking up wind, until we could take bearings on the fish hatchery lights.

I think that Steve-O, Donna, and MtnPa did a pretty fine job of straightening out our line from the sounds of it, albeit the KRT has many switchbacks, which in my opinion is the way all trails should be designed to mitigrate erosion during all-season use.