West Dorset, VT: First Solo off trail

[Toe Cozy]

Well, I finally did it. Solo off trail hiking is one of those ideas that seems perfectly plausible to me in the daytime and then takes on a whole different dimension at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. That's when I think of only all the things that could go wrong. Number one: my clutzy self gets injured (not hard to imagine as I've been known to injure myself with even just a spatula int he kitchen) Number two: I get lost.

I hiked up Dorset Peak first and then returned to the saddle where several trails converge. I decided on my direction of travel and set off after just a little bit of screwing around to delay the inevitable. At first I was excited to find an easy to follow herd path like on many of the HH "bushwacks". I quickly lost that and was into a thick nasty mess of blowdown in every direction. So I just smashed through as best I could with only a few minor scratches. It was pretty intimidating, but could have been worse. After that it was just making sure to stay on the right bearing through relatively open spruce and moss. This peak is one of those that is more of a broad extended summit area. I had to check my topo and altimeter several times to make sure I was really at the right spot and then I just had to find the highest point. Aha! The red Nalgene beckons! Hooray! I let out a whoop, signed in, took some pictures and decided on a course for my descent. I chose a route that was just a touch east of due south even though the topo indicated it would be really steep. Fought through some thick stuff while quickly losing elevation and popped out onto this steep cut swath about 5 feet across. Weird. It went more south west than I wanted, but I figured I'd follow it until the spruce were finished and the hardwoods opened things up a little. Well, this swath was filled with loose dirt, large movable rocks and tons of tiny trees. I'm not sure it was better than the spruce. But I found my way to an old logging road, lost my map out of my pocket and had to back track a little to find it. (I did have a spare). Followed that due south and it came out right behind the old cabin on the Dorset trail.

I know for many people here solo off trail stuff is no big deal. For me, it was a pretty big accomplishment. I don't really have the best sense of direction and I get flustered pretty easily, I also second guess myself a lot. I just kept repeating, "trust the compass, trust the compass". I don't have a GPS and have only hiked off trail with other people who do have GPS.

I had the biggest smile on my face as I made my way down the short bit of trail to my car. I ran into an older couple and they commented that I looked like I was ready for the alps. I had my gloves on still, my winter hat, my gaiters for shin protection, my altimeter attached to my belt loop, my compass around my neck.(i.e. good and trail dorky) I was excited to tell them I had a successful first solo bushwack. I was at my car when they returned back down the trail and said, "excuse me, but could you tell us what bushwacking is?".

Also, if someone wants to donate a lot of money to me, I'd really enjoy living on the Dorset Hollow Road. That was some of the most gorgeous real estate I've ever seen.

Sorry for such a long winded trip report. It was a pretty exhilarating day for me, though. If you've read this much....thanks.

 

[MTNRUNR]

Congratulations!

Loved your report Thanks for sharing!

Getting hurt is always a possibility but sounds like you had it together pretty well

Being alone seems to intensify things for me and I'm always a bit uneasy, great feeling of accomplishment once you've reached your goal

If your able to post your pictures would love to see them.

 

[bigmoose]

WARNING! Now that you've done one successfully, you'll go again, and again, and again, and buy a GPS and bore all your friends recounting your adventures.
Anyway, congratulations and welcome to the club!

 

[Pig Pen]

Congratulations, and thanks for the trip report. It's perfectly rational to have a little trepidation about wandering off into unknown woods alone. Stop going when you stop feeling the need to be cautious and self aware. The world needs more dorky hikers wearing compasses and altimeters.

 

[Abster]

Nice Job Jenn! What - you didn't take a peak brew with you??

Can't wait to hear more about the trip and the spatula accident....

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

I know for many people here solo off trail stuff is no big deal.

My first solo bushwhack was a big deal as well, but that was over 30 years ago.

Where are the pictures?

 

[Toe Cozy]

The world needs more dorky hikers wearing compasses and altimeters.

Tomorrow...at work...me, my altimeter, my compass and a USGS topo of the Austine School in Brattleboro. I'll get the bearing to the bathroom and to the waiting room and back to my office. Even out to the parking lot at the end of the day. It's gonna be an exciting day at the office tomorrow!


So, bigmoose, why do you think this will lead to GPS ownership? If I can be comfortable with a map/compass why would I need to spend all that money and annoy myself with learning the technology. I go back and forth about getting a GPS and haven't gotten one yet to force myself to learn how to use a map and compass first. Mostly I lean toward not getting one (I'm not really a gadget person) so I'm interested in thoughts about the benefits. Or why you think off trail hiking leads to GPS owning. Thanks. I already bored my husband with my adventure tonight. It seemed so much cooler and exciting when I was actually living through it. It lost something in the telling. Better practice my story embellishment skills!!!


Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[Toe Cozy]

Where are the pictures?

I got some self taken way too close up shots of me standing on top of the rickety metal structure on Dorset, a couple canisters, my stuffed moose mascot wearing a rusted out metal pitcher as a helmet, door knobs on trees. You know, normal stuff.

Actually, I've never done that uploading thing to one of those share your picture places. So, it may never happen. We'll see.

 

[dRitter]

Door knobs on trees, is that tree still there? I was up there in April when there was still mucho snow and couldn't find it, looked all over where it had been on my last trip. It looked like it had maybe snapped and fallen over after years of weather, but it was hard to tell, Dorset got stomped by the winter last year.
That little bizarro gem is part of the mystique of the peak and it would be great news if it is intact
Damon

 

[Peakbagr]

"Or why you think off trail hiking leads to GPS owning."

It doesn't necessarily, but if you get into bushwhacking, it adds a great dimension. I've gone off trail for most of my hiking life, and am 2 years into using a GPS. I still run the bearings on full sized USGS maps before every whack. To keep my skill up, to avoid getting lazy, and because that map with the way up, across and out is in my pack if the electronics punk out.

But after all of that, I've never had so much fun navigating as with my mapping GPS. Why does off trail hiking often lead to getting a GPS? Because instead of grabbing your map our of a pocket or pack, you slide the GPS out of its holster, glance down and see exactly where you are on an electronic topo map. And if you've done your pre-trip homework and put in the summit and some interesting waypoints along the way, you do a 'go to' command and the GPS can tell you the exact bearing from where you are to where you want to go. Dial the bearing into your compass and off you go. The GPS also frees you to explore the woods without having to pay so close attention to staying on course. Pull it out again at any time, check where you are, dial in the new bearing, and there you go.
Notice I mentioned doing all the map homework ahead of time. The biggest downside to using a GPS is that it can make your map and compass skills rusty, and that can burn you if the electronics fail. I think GPSs are fantastic tools, but not until you learn how to use maps and compasses effectively.
Thanks for a very thought provoking question.

 

[albee]

I'm with you, Jen. I'm not a gadget person. I love my altimeter, but I think GPS takes a little too much out of the adventure for me. Anybody can walk towards a pre-programmed waypoint, but I feel much more satisfied when I know I used my hard-earned navigational skills to find the summit, and more importantly - to find my way down!

I'm impressed you took the southern route off that peak! It would have been much easier to retrace your steps back to the trail in the col, but you took the direct route. My friends and I did the same thing. It was pretty darn thick spruce for a peak in VT. We went kinda southeast, and that's where I got my only scar that I've acquired from bushwhacking... I squished the inside of my ankle on a big rock, now I have a little red dot there to remember West Dorset by.

Great job! You could have come up and done Signal, Butterfield, and Knox with me today if I knew you were looking for some bushes to whack! I think you'll be amused by some of the register entries I left.

 

[Nessmuk]

So, bigmoose, why do you think this will lead to GPS ownership? If I can be comfortable with a map/compass why would I need to spend all that money and annoy myself with learning the technology. I go back and forth about getting a GPS and haven't gotten one yet to force myself to learn how to use a map and compass first.

You have an excellent and refreshingly traditional attitude about backcountry navigation, I'm so glad to hear it. Congratulations on the accomplishment by using your powers of observation and wits. As you discovered, off trail travel is dynamic and changes to your planned path are inevitable. That's an important lesson to learn and expect. Even after considerable pre-trip map study things don't always go as you planned, so you must include alternatives in your awareness and study process. But that is part of the adventure, experiencing increased awareness of your surroundings in itself can be a major part of the reason for going! Navigate by the dozens of continuous clues that nature provides, alter course when conditions dictate, understand precisely your location and next destination by observating the subtlest of changes in terrain and by using your head with map and compass. There are tremendous rewards in developing the skill and confidence to travel anywhere. While the GPS is a wonderful device, I'm happy to welcome you to those of us who think the experience of the journey is at least as good as arriving at the destination.

I'm with you, Jen. I'm not a gadget person. I love my altimeter, but I think GPS takes a little too much out of the adventure for me. Anybody can walk towards a pre-programmed waypoint, but I feel much more satisfied when I know I used my hard-earned navigational skills to find the summit, and more importantly - to find my way down!

My feelings exactly. I use a gps as a "tool" when the job calls for it (SAR, or official mapping/verification of old routes and the like), but for recreational off-trail trips nothing beats the satisfaction gained through the practiced skills of observation and thought.

 

[Dugan]

I know for many people here solo off trail stuff is no big deal. For me, it was a pretty big accomplishment.

Congratulations! I'm at about the same stage - trying to gain a sense of confidence with map & compass skills.

It seemed so much cooler and exciting when I was actually living through it. It lost something in the telling. Better practice my story embellishment skills!!!

Isn't the sense of accomplishment great?! I don't think story skills will help - either people understand or they don't.

I'm with ya on a GPS. I've been considering one, but would prefer to first be solid on map & compass. The biggest draw for me with a GPS is the ability to paste your route on a map to see how close where you thought you were comes to where you really were.

 

[Toe Cozy]

Thanks for the various ideas here about GPS vs. non-GPS. I'm definitely not knocking using a GPS. I could see how it might give you more sense of freedom to explore obscure nooks and crannies like Peakbagr described and not be so hyper aware all the time, which can get so fatiguing during a long day. I do like the "security" of having a waypoint marked for the location of the car as well. (if everything goes wrong, at least I can find my way to the car, or so I tell myself) I knew that if I got a GPS for off trail stuff right away I'd never learn to be comfortable with just a map/compass/altimeter. I still have a ways to go to be really good with those tools but I know it takes practice.

 

[RoySwkr]

This peak is one of those that is more of a broad extended summit area. I had to check my topo and altimeter several times to make sure I was really at the right spot and then I just had to find the highest point. Aha! The red Nalgene beckons!

As I recall there are multiple highest contours so I'm not sure how you chose the high point. And a map I got at the Smokey House Project (local environmental camp, does it still exist?) calls it Jackson Peak

I know for many people here solo off trail stuff is no big deal. ...I don't have a GPS and have only hiked off trail with other people who do have GPS.

In my case I started with orienteering, my running skills were not good enough for this to be a good sport for me but I decided if I could find little flags in the middle of nowhere it would be no great trick to find summits, ponds, parking lots, etc.

My sister is a big GPS user who has used a backpack model for the Forest Service and leaves her handheld turned on in the car and even on airplanes. Sometimes it is a blessing and sometimes a timewaster. So after 40-some years of bushwhacking I now have her 3rd oldest which I carry for emergencies on serious bushwhacks only, somehow the woods here are not well suited for either wearing or holding a GPS. But just like bogus output is more believable if it comes from a computer than if you figure it by hand, if I say "The GPS shows..." people believe it more than "The map shows..." even though USGS maps are usually more accurate than the typical GPS map.

I also carry an emergency cell phone someone gave me, so far it is nothing but extra weight. So technology comes with a price in pounds as well as dollars.

Also, if someone wants to donate a lot of money to me, I'd really enjoy living on the Dorset Hollow Road. That was some of the most gorgeous real estate I've ever seen.

I met one of the owners once, he seemed more like he was from "The Beans of Egypt" but a nice guy who liked hikers. Some of them had been there climbing 100 peaks and so he was making up a list of 100 peaks he was going to climb. He had no idea that they were using a particular list and I didn't tell him - his own 100 will be far more meaningful.

 

[onestep]

Congratulations!
Way to step out of your comfort zone and go for it!!

Bushwhacking - The freedom of the hills.

 

[spongebob]

About time you went by yourself. We are all sick of hiking with you....really

I wonder if there were any Coors Light beers out there too.....The Vermont tripod does not have the same ring to it.

I knew you had it in you........to ignore certain traits in other hikers, and do the opposite, to find your own way....

Too bad that way made it out ok.(as in you.) There is always next weekend.

 

[DougPaul]

even though USGS maps are usually more accurate than the typical GPS map.

Just for the record, the GPS topo maps (for the USA) are generally USGS maps.

Garmin, for instance, sells 100K scale topo maps for the entire USA and 24K scale maps for selected areas (which tend to be of interest to many hikers). All are based upon USGS topo maps.

Note: Garmin also sells Canadian topos for those who hike north of the border.

Doug

 

[timmus]

Very nice, congrats on your first solo BW

Like you, I always go off trail with GPS users, but because I don't have one I'm using map and compass when by myself.

BUT, I will get myself a GPS soon. I have no problem doing the ''easy'' ones, like the NEHH, but I am not gonna go alone on a Scar Ridge Traverse without a GPS. Find people go come with me ? That's just too much trouble, and I prefer following a gps arrow than a leader.

Also, I can't waste time looking for summits, because I need to catch up on someone

 

[Toe Cozy]

Another first...a link to my pictures

Sorry that I'm in some of these ruining the scenery. It's my very first webshots album. Now that I can do this, I may have to do a different trip report so I can show off my 3 week vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Washington and Oregon....that's a lot of uploading!

Anyway...here you go. photos