BIGEarl
Well-known member
May 30, 2009: Twins, Galehead, & Garfield Traverse
Trails: North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur, Twinway, Frost Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Mount Garfield Trail
Summits: N. Twin, S. Twin, Galehead, Garfield
Hikers: Tony Provensano (Amantio), and me.
The initial plan was to hike a loop of these peaks from the trailhead for the Gale River Trail. With a second vehicle we were able to change to a traverse, which saves quite a bit in distance, elevation, and time. The plan was to meet at the trailhead lot for the Mount Garfield Trail on Gale Rover Road, leave a vehicle there, and head to the trailhead lot for the N. Twin Trail on Haystack Road – our starting location.
The day started off pretty nice with some sun, mild temperature, and very little wind. The summits were in the clouds but the forecast for the day had broken clouds by early afternoon with less than 50% cloud cover. We expected pretty nice conditions on Garfield. The N. Twin Trail is generally clear and mostly dry. There are a few mud pits in the usual places, all easy to get past. There was only one blowdown but it was on the herd path bypass to the first two crossings of the Little River and probably doesn’t count. We followed the herd path because the first crossing didn’t look like anything either of us wanted to fool around with. The water was high and there were no good exposed rocks for a rock-hop crossing. When we reached the second crossing we found the same condition. The third crossing wasn’t very difficult at all. Upstream from the trail crossing point, just above the upper end of the island, there is a very nice string of exposed rocks that led us to the far side with dry feet. From there, instead of heading back downstream to the trail, we simply went straight up the bank from the stream and hit the trail roughly two hundred feet from the crossing.
Now, the initial work starts. From the third crossing, the climb to N. Twin involves 2400 feet and 2.4 miles. We found a comfortable pace and settled into the climb. Along the way there were quite a few small streams to cross and mud pits to work around. Other than these obstacles the trail is clear and in great shape. As usual, I had a set of detailed hike notes to help manage the day. We reached the summit of N. Twin right on plan, and in the middle of a cloud. With no views we didn’t lose any time there. We got a couple pictures at the summit cairn and headed for S. Twin via the N. Twin Spur.
The N. Twin Spur is completely clear but definitely not dry. The trail is in generally great shape but there are some significant areas of mud and standing water. We were on a non-stop trip to S. Twin when we came upon Larisa a short distance from the summit of S. Twin. She had planned to hike with us but decided to stay with the loop instead of the traverse. We stopped for a brief visit and then continued on our way. At S. Twin there were still no views. A couple quick pictures and we set off on Twinway for the Galehead Hut and Mount Galehead.
With the exception of one blowdown a short distance from the junction with the Garfield Ridge Trail, Twinway is completely clear. The footing is great, and none of the rock slabs were slick even though many had a water flow over them. We made our way to the Garfield Ridge Trail junction without any problems. A short distance before reaching the trail junction I asked Tony if he would be interested in heading straight to Galehead before stopping at the hut for lunch and he agreed. We were still hiking in dry conditions but the forecast for POP of rain had a spike around 1:00pm. I was thinking it might be more enjoyable to hike Galehead before it starts raining.
We arrived at the hut and kept walking. The trip to the summit of Galehead is a short one. We made a quick visit to the viewpoint and continued on to the summit cairn. After a couple pictures we were heading back to the hut. A short distance from the summit we heard some thunder. Off to the west we could see very dark clouds headed our way. We picked up the pace a little. A couple hundred yards before reaching the Galehead Hut for the second time we met two women headed for Mount Galehead. At the hut, we looked around and decided inside was the best choice for our lunch break – some difficult weather appeared on the way.
Not long after getting comfortable the rain started, then the wind, and then the hail. The storm probably didn’t last more than fifteen minutes but it really came down hard. As quickly as it started, the storm stopped. A couple minutes later, the door opened and Larisa stepped in. The last time I saw Larisa this wet was on a hike to Owl’s Head. She was hiking down Twinway when the storm arrived and had a great view of it coming in. From her comments, it was not the first time she got wet on this hike and probably wouldn’t be the last. Evidently, Larisa had some fun with the crossings of the Gale River and expected more on the hike back out. She got comfortable and we all enjoyed a lunch break together. After lunch we took turns at topping off our water supply and set off for the remainder of our hikes. Larisa set off for Galehead, Tony and I set off for Garfield.
The Garfield Ridge Trail can be difficult. It has quite a few PUDs and is very rough. Knowing this going in and being in the correct frame of mind makes a huge difference. I gave Tony some advance warning of the trail and he had already read up on it. According to Tony, there’s nothing like experiencing it first-hand. The trail section between the Galehead Hut and the junction with the Gale River Trail is a good introduction to the trail. There is already lots of rock-hopping rough trail, some PUDs, some water, some mud, a little of everything. We didn’t try to force anything, just move at a comfortable pace and work our way to Mount Garfield. A little over half way there the sky again got very dark and it was time for the rain gear. We barely got our packs and ourselves covered when the second storm opened up. More rain and hail and wind but it didn’t last long. We kept making progress toward Garfield. There is a great deal of water and mud but no blowdowns. Many of the mud pits have log bridges and none of the pits were a problem.
We reached the junction with the Franconia Brook Trail and were coming into the climb of Garfield. From this location is ~.8 miles and ~1100 feet. Much of the climb is in the final .5 miles and a great deal of it seems to go up a cascade. The water is really running over large sections of the climb. Again, we settled into a comfortable pace and climbed Garfield. We stopped as needed along the way and were soon at the Garfield Ridge Tentsite, then the junction with the Mount Garfield Trail, and then finally the summit – right on plan. Unfortunately, the improved conditions that were in the forecast were still on the way. We got the usual summit pictures, made a couple calls home with an update, and set off for the trailhead and our waiting vehicle.
The hike out was generally uneventful. Just like the other trails we had lots of water and mud but it was easy to stay on solid ground. Along the way the clouds broke up and we were treated with nice, sunny conditions. At the three crossings we had no trouble at all. Each crossing had adequate exposed rocks for dry crossings. The plan showed us hitting the trailhead at 7:30pm, which is exactly what we did.
We wasted no time in packing to leave. My drive south was roughly two hours but Tony was faced with a drive of over three hours. Back to Haystack Road to retrieve the other vehicle and then the trips home.
These peaks were 4K numbers 8, 9, 10, and 11 for Tony. (I was with him on #1 and #2 as well - Hancocks). Thanks Tony for a fun hike. I have done this exact hike with others and they never came back again. I really hope we get together for more hiking – it was a good day.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur, Twinway, Frost Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Mount Garfield Trail
Summits: N. Twin, S. Twin, Galehead, Garfield
Hikers: Tony Provensano (Amantio), and me.
The initial plan was to hike a loop of these peaks from the trailhead for the Gale River Trail. With a second vehicle we were able to change to a traverse, which saves quite a bit in distance, elevation, and time. The plan was to meet at the trailhead lot for the Mount Garfield Trail on Gale Rover Road, leave a vehicle there, and head to the trailhead lot for the N. Twin Trail on Haystack Road – our starting location.
The day started off pretty nice with some sun, mild temperature, and very little wind. The summits were in the clouds but the forecast for the day had broken clouds by early afternoon with less than 50% cloud cover. We expected pretty nice conditions on Garfield. The N. Twin Trail is generally clear and mostly dry. There are a few mud pits in the usual places, all easy to get past. There was only one blowdown but it was on the herd path bypass to the first two crossings of the Little River and probably doesn’t count. We followed the herd path because the first crossing didn’t look like anything either of us wanted to fool around with. The water was high and there were no good exposed rocks for a rock-hop crossing. When we reached the second crossing we found the same condition. The third crossing wasn’t very difficult at all. Upstream from the trail crossing point, just above the upper end of the island, there is a very nice string of exposed rocks that led us to the far side with dry feet. From there, instead of heading back downstream to the trail, we simply went straight up the bank from the stream and hit the trail roughly two hundred feet from the crossing.
Now, the initial work starts. From the third crossing, the climb to N. Twin involves 2400 feet and 2.4 miles. We found a comfortable pace and settled into the climb. Along the way there were quite a few small streams to cross and mud pits to work around. Other than these obstacles the trail is clear and in great shape. As usual, I had a set of detailed hike notes to help manage the day. We reached the summit of N. Twin right on plan, and in the middle of a cloud. With no views we didn’t lose any time there. We got a couple pictures at the summit cairn and headed for S. Twin via the N. Twin Spur.
The N. Twin Spur is completely clear but definitely not dry. The trail is in generally great shape but there are some significant areas of mud and standing water. We were on a non-stop trip to S. Twin when we came upon Larisa a short distance from the summit of S. Twin. She had planned to hike with us but decided to stay with the loop instead of the traverse. We stopped for a brief visit and then continued on our way. At S. Twin there were still no views. A couple quick pictures and we set off on Twinway for the Galehead Hut and Mount Galehead.
With the exception of one blowdown a short distance from the junction with the Garfield Ridge Trail, Twinway is completely clear. The footing is great, and none of the rock slabs were slick even though many had a water flow over them. We made our way to the Garfield Ridge Trail junction without any problems. A short distance before reaching the trail junction I asked Tony if he would be interested in heading straight to Galehead before stopping at the hut for lunch and he agreed. We were still hiking in dry conditions but the forecast for POP of rain had a spike around 1:00pm. I was thinking it might be more enjoyable to hike Galehead before it starts raining.
We arrived at the hut and kept walking. The trip to the summit of Galehead is a short one. We made a quick visit to the viewpoint and continued on to the summit cairn. After a couple pictures we were heading back to the hut. A short distance from the summit we heard some thunder. Off to the west we could see very dark clouds headed our way. We picked up the pace a little. A couple hundred yards before reaching the Galehead Hut for the second time we met two women headed for Mount Galehead. At the hut, we looked around and decided inside was the best choice for our lunch break – some difficult weather appeared on the way.
Not long after getting comfortable the rain started, then the wind, and then the hail. The storm probably didn’t last more than fifteen minutes but it really came down hard. As quickly as it started, the storm stopped. A couple minutes later, the door opened and Larisa stepped in. The last time I saw Larisa this wet was on a hike to Owl’s Head. She was hiking down Twinway when the storm arrived and had a great view of it coming in. From her comments, it was not the first time she got wet on this hike and probably wouldn’t be the last. Evidently, Larisa had some fun with the crossings of the Gale River and expected more on the hike back out. She got comfortable and we all enjoyed a lunch break together. After lunch we took turns at topping off our water supply and set off for the remainder of our hikes. Larisa set off for Galehead, Tony and I set off for Garfield.
The Garfield Ridge Trail can be difficult. It has quite a few PUDs and is very rough. Knowing this going in and being in the correct frame of mind makes a huge difference. I gave Tony some advance warning of the trail and he had already read up on it. According to Tony, there’s nothing like experiencing it first-hand. The trail section between the Galehead Hut and the junction with the Gale River Trail is a good introduction to the trail. There is already lots of rock-hopping rough trail, some PUDs, some water, some mud, a little of everything. We didn’t try to force anything, just move at a comfortable pace and work our way to Mount Garfield. A little over half way there the sky again got very dark and it was time for the rain gear. We barely got our packs and ourselves covered when the second storm opened up. More rain and hail and wind but it didn’t last long. We kept making progress toward Garfield. There is a great deal of water and mud but no blowdowns. Many of the mud pits have log bridges and none of the pits were a problem.
We reached the junction with the Franconia Brook Trail and were coming into the climb of Garfield. From this location is ~.8 miles and ~1100 feet. Much of the climb is in the final .5 miles and a great deal of it seems to go up a cascade. The water is really running over large sections of the climb. Again, we settled into a comfortable pace and climbed Garfield. We stopped as needed along the way and were soon at the Garfield Ridge Tentsite, then the junction with the Mount Garfield Trail, and then finally the summit – right on plan. Unfortunately, the improved conditions that were in the forecast were still on the way. We got the usual summit pictures, made a couple calls home with an update, and set off for the trailhead and our waiting vehicle.
The hike out was generally uneventful. Just like the other trails we had lots of water and mud but it was easy to stay on solid ground. Along the way the clouds broke up and we were treated with nice, sunny conditions. At the three crossings we had no trouble at all. Each crossing had adequate exposed rocks for dry crossings. The plan showed us hitting the trailhead at 7:30pm, which is exactly what we did.
We wasted no time in packing to leave. My drive south was roughly two hours but Tony was faced with a drive of over three hours. Back to Haystack Road to retrieve the other vehicle and then the trips home.
These peaks were 4K numbers 8, 9, 10, and 11 for Tony. (I was with him on #1 and #2 as well - Hancocks). Thanks Tony for a fun hike. I have done this exact hike with others and they never came back again. I really hope we get together for more hiking – it was a good day.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
