Here's the trip report...
When Bob&Geri suggested that we hike the Twins this weekend, I suggested, hey why not add Galehead too. The idea sparked a few days of debate but once Jonatha posted her trail conditions report on that exact same route, everyone was ready to tackle the 15.2-mile traverse.
After dropping Bob&Geri’s car off at the parking area opposite gated Gale River Road at 6:30 a.m., we headed over to 7 Dwarfs on Little River Road. We met up with Youngblood and Damon, who would be joining us for this adventure. Seeing us off was Franz, the very nice owner of 7 Dwarfs, who we had contacted earlier with our plans to park there. We paid him $5 for each car… and he opened early to allow us to use his bathrooms before we headed off just before 7 a.m. to the back of his building and onto an old logging road. We lamented that we weren’t able to bring skis for the mile long walk along the snowmobile trail but made good time, stopping along the way to admire the pink and yellow clouds as the sun rose.
It seemed like we were at the North Twin trailhead in no time, where our hike began in earnest. The trail was well-packed out, even thought there had been a few flurries the night before because an AMC group of about 12 hikers out to hike North & South Twin was just ahead of us. We were just getting a sense for what an incredible day it would be when we glanced through the trees at the glowing tops of North Twin and Peak Above the Nubble. The snow all around us was soft pink as the sun began its climb over the mountain tops.
When we arrived at the first of three crossings of the Little River, we decided to follow the AMC group’s tracks along the bushwhack in order to skip the first two crossings. The river, had a few open holes but was clearly covered with a thick coating of solid ice and ski tracks wound across it as well. I should have put my snowshoes on for the bypass because the trail was not well packed and the boot-print strides were too long for my short legs, making extra work for me. Eventually, we decided that we wanted to get ahead of the AMC group, so we decided to follow the ski tracks on the actual river. It was much easier going and we were able to jump in front of the AMC group as they stopped for a break at the end of the bushwhack. Back on the trail, it was a little easier for me to keep up and we arrived at the final crossing as the sun first poked over the trees.
I had forgotten how steep the North Twin trail is… and it didn’t help that I had forgotten my trekking poles. I found a big stick someplace along the way and used that to help with the ascent. Nevertheless, I found myself struggling to keep up with the group and I felt like I was babystepping my way up the mountain. I began to feel pretty exhausted and hoped that the summit would be coming soon. I heard three hikers coming up behind me and immediately thought it was the AMC group catching up… which concerned me since I knew all my companions could hike faster than the group. However, it turned out to be three others headed to South Twin, who said the AMC group was still pretty far behind. My relief kind of melted though when one of them said it was about another mile to the summit.
At that point, I decided that I was just going to hike to North Twin and then head down… figuring I couldn’t take much more elevation gain. I also decided it would give my stronger team a much better chance of finishing the hike before dark. When I caught up to the team, I told them my plan, which was rejected. Bob said that since it was my idea to hike all three mountains, I was required to be there to share the misery. Youngblood offered to carry my pack, which I refused. Geri gave me one of her trekking poles, saying that my big stick was probably hurting more than helping me. I told the group that I knew I could do the mileage, but I was concerned about the elevation gain on the North Twin Spur, which I had never climbed before. Damon, the only member of our group that had hiked that trail, said the gain was not bad between the two peaks and also urged me to continue. I said I would decide when I reached North Twin and we carried on.
We got our first glimpse of the amazing views we’d be treated to all day just shy of the North Twin summit -- with a fantastic look at the snow-capped Northern Presidentials under a dark blue sky. Bob & I had just stopped to take a couple of pictures when Hikerfast came up behind us. He had started two hours after us -- and his head was just covered with frost… but he had no trouble catching up with us at his blistering pace. We finished our ascent of North Twin at noon and headed over to the viewpoint to see the incredible look into the Pemi, including a look down at Galehead, Garfield and Franconia Ridge. It was too gorgeous for words.
With North Twin behind me, I still was concerned about whether I could make it up South Twin… but the rest of the team said they were willing to wait even if I was moving slowly. So, with everyone okay with a late end to the hike, I decided to head on. We dropped into the col between the two mountains to get out of the light wind that was blowing and we stopped for lunch in a spot that was out of the wind and in the sunshine. The sky was an incredible shade of dark blue over the white frosted trees and it was the perfect place for a little break.
I was glad the group encouraged me to continue the hike because I just loved the North Twin Spur trail… it provided gorgeous views through the trees and the ascent was not very difficult. Just shy of the summit, we crossed paths again with the three hikers we saw earlier and they said it was extremely windy on the South Twin summit, so we stopped to put on extra layers and goggles before heading up to the rocky top. Once again, we were greeted with incredible views into the Pemi… we marveled at our ability to see both Washington and Moosilauke on the same day… since usually one of them is cloud-bound.
Pictures over, we headed down South Twin along the steep descent to Galehead Hut. Along the way, Hikerfast stopped for a moment to remember his friend Kenny, who passed away while hiking in the area. We cruised down the mountain in about 20 minutes, often boot skiing. I was amazed that all those rocks I remembered along the trail were covered… I had expected the boulders to still be sticking out of the snow. We arrived at Galehead Hut at about 1:45 and stopped for a break in the sunshine. There was no wind and it was extremely warm, plus we had a great view of a half moon hanging over the summit of South Twin.
Since I was still feeling a little tired, I decided to start up the Frost Trail to Galehead’s summit ahead of the rest of the team. They quickly caught up when I got to the steep stuff and I was at my traditional spot at the back of the line again. Hikerfast and I stopped at the viewpoint to admire the view of the Tripyramids, Osceolas and Passaconaway before winding up the climb to the summit. I was relieved that our ascent was finally over -- and that the downhill portion of the day was upon us. Since everyone but Hikerfast and I had skipped the viewpoint, we stopped there on the way down and saw one person just arriving at the hut. We joked that we hoped they were over there stealing our gear -- especially our carried but not worn snowshoes -- so we didn’t have to lug them back down.
On the way down to the hut, which we reached at about 2:30 p.m., we discovered that the hiker was Gaiagirl, who came up the Gale River Trail that day. We waited at the hut for Gaiagirl to hit the summit, so she could hike out with us. After she arrived, I decided to start heading down the Garfield Ridge trail, since I couldn’t remember if there was any uphill involved in the section between the hut and the Gale River Trail. I needn’t have worried since it was pretty steeply downhill and I made good time. The rest of the group caught and passed me just before the Gale River junction, which we would take back down to our car.
I had never been on the Gale River Trail before -- and I’m sure it’s lovely but it’s not going down as one of my favorites. I joked that the person who built the Garfield Ridge Trail must also have built the Gale River Trail -- it seemed like little endless ups and downs. I was just exhausted by the time we reached it and my feet were quite sore. Plus, it says on the map that you are supposed to cross a footbridge -- if we did I missed it. So, I kept thinking that there would be a mile and a half to go after the bridge that never came. I did enjoy, however, the section of the trail that runs along the river, which was covered with big puffy globs of snow. It reminded me of puffed up marshmallows in hot chocolate .
I was very happy when we finally reached Gale River Road for our walk out -- though we once again lamented our lack of skis. We were initially passed by quite a few snowmobiles but once we made the crucial left-hand turn, it was mostly quiet. Although it was dark, the moon was bright and we didn’t need headlamps for our final mile. We arrived at the cars at 6 p.m., and headed back to 7 Dwarfs… we were surprised to find that the AMC group had not finished their hike yet. We decided to go to the Mooseland for dinner.
Overall, this was a great trip and I am thankful to this wonderful team for convincing me that I could complete the entire hike. It was my favorite winter hike so far!
- Ivy
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