BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 2, 2011: Waumbek
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
New Hampshire was hit with a spring Nor’easter that left 1 – 3 inches of wet snow in most areas. I was a little concerned there might actually be the amount in the forecasts at the higher elevations and planned for only one peak.
Sue and I pulled into an un-plowed trailhead parking area but my 4WD truck was able to handle the ~2 inches of snow that fell there. We grabbed our things but before starting out Sue asked if I wanted to take a nap. Evidently, I was doing some yawning on the drive north. I noticed the smile on her face and said – go ahead. Before we could start the hike Sue left a large snowman in the lot to keep an eye on the truck. It was perfect snowman snow.
At the end of the plowed section of the road leading to the summer trailhead lot we went with snowshoes and stayed with them until we returned. There wasn’t really enough snow to require snowshoes but we didn’t want to damage the trail with postholes and the warm conditions were probably softening up the trail surface. Down low the snow was wet and sticky. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a big problem with the snowshoes loading up. Only a couple times did we need to clear the snow from the bottoms of our snowshoes. After gaining a little elevation we were out of the wet snow and hiking in dry powder.
The hike went much better than expected. There wasn’t nearly the snow amount expected based on the forecast but the experts generally blew this one. All of the forecasts weren’t a little off, they were simply wrong.
A couple hikers were ahead of us on the hike. Near the summit of Starr King we met one of them on his descent. It was Mohamed Ellozy. We stopped for a brief visit before continuing on our way. Mohamed decided to call it a hike on Starr King but his partner continued to Waumbek – we met him ~30 minutes later.
Soon after meeting Mohamed we were on the summit of Starr King. There was a nice amount of snow and rime in the trees. The snow depth has opened up lots of new views. In fact, there is a view from Starr King near the old fireplace to Waumbek. I don’t recall ever enjoying that particular view before. With the deep snow it’s easy to see over the trees. One of the unfortunate details I noticed was the missing sign. Somebody ripped the trail sign that was mounted on the tree near the summit of Starr King from its location. The mounting bolts are still there. Souvenir collector?? Why?
After a few pictures we set off for the final target and our u-turn. On the way from Starr King to Waumbek we met Mohamed’s hiking partner (sorry but I can’t recall the name). He was responsible for breaking out the trail to the summit. Even though there are a couple sections that don’t actually follow the blazed trail it’s a good route. A short distance before reaching Waumbek we were passed by a flying Lriz - Larisa Dannis went cruising through.
Sue and I made our way to the summit. The trail sign opposite the buried summit cairn was somewhat visible and we could see the Kilkenny Ridge Trail sign up ahead. A couple pictures, quick snack (Sue had Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies – YUM!), and we made the u-turn for our exit hike.
The walk back out was completely uneventful. A while after we cleared Starr King, we met another hiker on his climb. That was it for the day, only four other hikers in the area. We enjoyed a very pleasant descent under sunny, warm skies and were soon at the trailhead removing our snowshoes.
At the end of the plowed road we noticed a vehicle parked in a way that completely blocked the driveway for the final house. C’mon – think! There is plenty of winter hiker parking ~100 yards away on Route 2 – it isn’t necessary to block private driveways.
At the winter trailhead lot we found the snowman sleeping on the job. Actually, the warm conditions may have had a hand in his demise. The poor guy was horizontal. Oh well, it happens. We packed and took off.
Thanks Sue – nice day out!
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
New Hampshire was hit with a spring Nor’easter that left 1 – 3 inches of wet snow in most areas. I was a little concerned there might actually be the amount in the forecasts at the higher elevations and planned for only one peak.
Sue and I pulled into an un-plowed trailhead parking area but my 4WD truck was able to handle the ~2 inches of snow that fell there. We grabbed our things but before starting out Sue asked if I wanted to take a nap. Evidently, I was doing some yawning on the drive north. I noticed the smile on her face and said – go ahead. Before we could start the hike Sue left a large snowman in the lot to keep an eye on the truck. It was perfect snowman snow.
At the end of the plowed section of the road leading to the summer trailhead lot we went with snowshoes and stayed with them until we returned. There wasn’t really enough snow to require snowshoes but we didn’t want to damage the trail with postholes and the warm conditions were probably softening up the trail surface. Down low the snow was wet and sticky. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a big problem with the snowshoes loading up. Only a couple times did we need to clear the snow from the bottoms of our snowshoes. After gaining a little elevation we were out of the wet snow and hiking in dry powder.
The hike went much better than expected. There wasn’t nearly the snow amount expected based on the forecast but the experts generally blew this one. All of the forecasts weren’t a little off, they were simply wrong.
A couple hikers were ahead of us on the hike. Near the summit of Starr King we met one of them on his descent. It was Mohamed Ellozy. We stopped for a brief visit before continuing on our way. Mohamed decided to call it a hike on Starr King but his partner continued to Waumbek – we met him ~30 minutes later.
Soon after meeting Mohamed we were on the summit of Starr King. There was a nice amount of snow and rime in the trees. The snow depth has opened up lots of new views. In fact, there is a view from Starr King near the old fireplace to Waumbek. I don’t recall ever enjoying that particular view before. With the deep snow it’s easy to see over the trees. One of the unfortunate details I noticed was the missing sign. Somebody ripped the trail sign that was mounted on the tree near the summit of Starr King from its location. The mounting bolts are still there. Souvenir collector?? Why?
After a few pictures we set off for the final target and our u-turn. On the way from Starr King to Waumbek we met Mohamed’s hiking partner (sorry but I can’t recall the name). He was responsible for breaking out the trail to the summit. Even though there are a couple sections that don’t actually follow the blazed trail it’s a good route. A short distance before reaching Waumbek we were passed by a flying Lriz - Larisa Dannis went cruising through.
Sue and I made our way to the summit. The trail sign opposite the buried summit cairn was somewhat visible and we could see the Kilkenny Ridge Trail sign up ahead. A couple pictures, quick snack (Sue had Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies – YUM!), and we made the u-turn for our exit hike.
The walk back out was completely uneventful. A while after we cleared Starr King, we met another hiker on his climb. That was it for the day, only four other hikers in the area. We enjoyed a very pleasant descent under sunny, warm skies and were soon at the trailhead removing our snowshoes.
At the end of the plowed road we noticed a vehicle parked in a way that completely blocked the driveway for the final house. C’mon – think! There is plenty of winter hiker parking ~100 yards away on Route 2 – it isn’t necessary to block private driveways.
At the winter trailhead lot we found the snowman sleeping on the job. Actually, the warm conditions may have had a hand in his demise. The poor guy was horizontal. Oh well, it happens. We packed and took off.
Thanks Sue – nice day out!
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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