michael
New member
24 hours…
This was going to be a big day. No matter how it all shook out, bottom line, it was going to be a big day.
I started my day at 2:30am, had everything pretty well packed the night before and was in bed by 8pm.
Not really important to the narrative but its just that I rarely take such extreme measures to keep a date.
Anywho…I just needed to make a trip to the wood pile in the morning, feed the stove and cats and toss the pack in the Honda and go.
Abbey Road happens to be in the deck so I let the Beatles carry me down a very lonely 295 to Falmouth. No cars at all at 3AM this morning, just me, George, John, Paul and Ringo.
It’s dark. Inside of a cow dark. The occasional large green sign punctuates the darkness. Bowdoinham. Topsham. Freeport. Yarmouth. Falmouth. I cut over to 95 and head into Westbrook grabbing the Rt 22 exit by the jetport and cruise out past Smiling Hill Farm.
The Beatles have had their say and now David Bromberg guides me through the darkness towards Limerick. I’ve always liked Bromberg’s sense of humor. Pretty fine guitar picker, too. I will always recall how some 30 years ago I ended up on stage with David Bromberg and his band during a concert at Mt Watatic ski area. I was just following a girl I met and she knew somebody apparently and well, there I was. Ahhh memories…long drives are perfect reflective opportunities.
Back on Rt 5 and passing through Waterboro I am soon crossing the Little Ossippee and grabbing a hard right into the Lake Arrowhead development in Limerick. This would be the hardest bit of driving I would have to do all day. The road, if you can call it that, to my brother’s house is pock marked and rutted. I’ve driven better skidder trails than this pile of &#%^&#&. So after a jaw rattling scramble to fetch my brother, we are back out on Rt 5 heading to Rt 25 and on into Conway and onto the Kanc.
Bromberg gives way to New Riders and my brother and I play catch up as we head over to Lincoln. Sunrays begin to warm the surrounding peaks and cliffs and we stop for a couple photos.
There are fast moving clouds and the air is crisp. We cross the height of land and begin our westward descent. The Osceolas and the Scar ridge peaks are starkly highlighted in the low angle of the morning light.
We make an attempt to feed our urge for a greasy ‘gut bomb’ from the Mobil station, the crabby clerk points toward the cooler. The Irving station though staffed with a cheerful couple, has no hot McMuffin-ish food either and so we break down and hit the golden arches and off we go up Rt 3.
At the trailhead parking area there is a large group of hikers headed out. We’d see them up the trail at some point no doubt. We are geared up and on the trail by 8:20AM. So far so good.
We transit the Whitehorse trail and head up the Liberty Springs trail.
We catch glimpses of distant peaks and hear strong winds up above. We are bare-booting at this point. The trail is solid and there is only a light coating of fresh snow. The AMC group, using snowshoes, has the trail pretty well packed out by the time we pass through.
At the Flume Slide trail we notice a small group headed out to the slide, bare booting. We look at each other questioningly, contemplation of the loop hangs in the air and we certainly had the gear to ascend the slide trail but we decide to go for the out and back. Distance wise it is a six of one, half dozen of the other. More vertical with the out and back approach. But that was our plan and we stuck to it.
We head left and after about an hour or so we catch the AMC group below the Liberty Springs campsite.
We exchange pleasantries and donning snowshoes, we take the lead for a spell and then we leap frog with the group’s 68 year old dynamo, Bill.
The man was a machine. I hope I can move like that in 20 years!
We leave the group back at the Franconia Ridge trail junction and press on towards the summit of Liberty. The wind is gusty and strong as we approach. The sky is bluebird blue.
The summit proper is pounded by strong winds as we break out of the trees.
We make our way to the top and we snap off a few pictures of the Bonds, Twins, Franconia ridge. Its scenic overkill!!
The time is 11:45AM and we are pushing onward. See, I have to be back in Richmond by 6:30pm, I have a gig in Brunswick at 8:30 so its giddyup time.
In the sag between Liberty and Flume we met the threesome that headed up the Slide trail. We chatted and soon were headed up the last leg to Flume.
The wind up there was some wicked. It had picked up considerably since we departed the Liberty summit and it was bringin’ it for real now. Nearly knocked me down and we both staggered to the summit and celebrated with a hoot and a holler that barely escaped my throat so full of wind as it was.
I t was time to head back and we made the circuit back to Liberty passing the AMC group in route. The time was 1:30 as we descended Liberty Spring trail. We enjoyed some quick glissades and even the wipeouts were thoroughly entertaining. We were back at the parking lot by 3 o’clock sharp.
The ride back was a Little Feat/Peter Tosh soundtrack. I dropped my bro in Limerick, said hi to the family and was out the door. I had 90 minutes to get to Richmond.
I made the trip in short order and was showered and heading to Joshua’s in Brunswick for my 8:30 engagement by 7:15PM. My uptime now approaching 18 hours, I was counting on the adrenaline to get me through the night. I could also become a zombie if I allow the urge to lie down to win out.
But I had energy to spare. I was relaxed and in the zone…the Harpoons didn’t hurt my cause either! The place was jammin’ and the night passed quickly. 12:30AM. 22 hours and counting.
The ride home was a reflective, contemplative one. I decided en route to Richmond, that I was probably not headed out to do Passaconway/Whiteface on Sunday. Its already 1:30 I thought, and I just wanted to lie down. I had designs on hiking but I knew that after a long busy day like today, filled with lots of driving, I just wasn’t up for anymore of that.
Back home, enjoying a night cap with my band mate, Mike, I was starting to fade and talk jibberish until I finally fell asleep midsentence, slumped in my chair next to the woodstove.
In the haze of my final thoughts for the day I thought, this was a marriage of two of my favorite things. How fortunate to have had the time to pull it off what's more, the opportunity to do so.
Final tally: 25 hours. 8 hours of driving, 6.5 hours hiking, 4200 vertical, 3 sets and 4 hours of music….. A lot can happen in a day I thought… wouldn’t have it any other way.
pics are here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/570127391jsELIU
This was going to be a big day. No matter how it all shook out, bottom line, it was going to be a big day.
I started my day at 2:30am, had everything pretty well packed the night before and was in bed by 8pm.
Not really important to the narrative but its just that I rarely take such extreme measures to keep a date.
Anywho…I just needed to make a trip to the wood pile in the morning, feed the stove and cats and toss the pack in the Honda and go.
Abbey Road happens to be in the deck so I let the Beatles carry me down a very lonely 295 to Falmouth. No cars at all at 3AM this morning, just me, George, John, Paul and Ringo.
It’s dark. Inside of a cow dark. The occasional large green sign punctuates the darkness. Bowdoinham. Topsham. Freeport. Yarmouth. Falmouth. I cut over to 95 and head into Westbrook grabbing the Rt 22 exit by the jetport and cruise out past Smiling Hill Farm.
The Beatles have had their say and now David Bromberg guides me through the darkness towards Limerick. I’ve always liked Bromberg’s sense of humor. Pretty fine guitar picker, too. I will always recall how some 30 years ago I ended up on stage with David Bromberg and his band during a concert at Mt Watatic ski area. I was just following a girl I met and she knew somebody apparently and well, there I was. Ahhh memories…long drives are perfect reflective opportunities.
Back on Rt 5 and passing through Waterboro I am soon crossing the Little Ossippee and grabbing a hard right into the Lake Arrowhead development in Limerick. This would be the hardest bit of driving I would have to do all day. The road, if you can call it that, to my brother’s house is pock marked and rutted. I’ve driven better skidder trails than this pile of &#%^&#&. So after a jaw rattling scramble to fetch my brother, we are back out on Rt 5 heading to Rt 25 and on into Conway and onto the Kanc.
Bromberg gives way to New Riders and my brother and I play catch up as we head over to Lincoln. Sunrays begin to warm the surrounding peaks and cliffs and we stop for a couple photos.
There are fast moving clouds and the air is crisp. We cross the height of land and begin our westward descent. The Osceolas and the Scar ridge peaks are starkly highlighted in the low angle of the morning light.
We make an attempt to feed our urge for a greasy ‘gut bomb’ from the Mobil station, the crabby clerk points toward the cooler. The Irving station though staffed with a cheerful couple, has no hot McMuffin-ish food either and so we break down and hit the golden arches and off we go up Rt 3.
At the trailhead parking area there is a large group of hikers headed out. We’d see them up the trail at some point no doubt. We are geared up and on the trail by 8:20AM. So far so good.
We transit the Whitehorse trail and head up the Liberty Springs trail.
We catch glimpses of distant peaks and hear strong winds up above. We are bare-booting at this point. The trail is solid and there is only a light coating of fresh snow. The AMC group, using snowshoes, has the trail pretty well packed out by the time we pass through.
At the Flume Slide trail we notice a small group headed out to the slide, bare booting. We look at each other questioningly, contemplation of the loop hangs in the air and we certainly had the gear to ascend the slide trail but we decide to go for the out and back. Distance wise it is a six of one, half dozen of the other. More vertical with the out and back approach. But that was our plan and we stuck to it.
We head left and after about an hour or so we catch the AMC group below the Liberty Springs campsite.
We exchange pleasantries and donning snowshoes, we take the lead for a spell and then we leap frog with the group’s 68 year old dynamo, Bill.
The man was a machine. I hope I can move like that in 20 years!
We leave the group back at the Franconia Ridge trail junction and press on towards the summit of Liberty. The wind is gusty and strong as we approach. The sky is bluebird blue.
The summit proper is pounded by strong winds as we break out of the trees.
We make our way to the top and we snap off a few pictures of the Bonds, Twins, Franconia ridge. Its scenic overkill!!
The time is 11:45AM and we are pushing onward. See, I have to be back in Richmond by 6:30pm, I have a gig in Brunswick at 8:30 so its giddyup time.
In the sag between Liberty and Flume we met the threesome that headed up the Slide trail. We chatted and soon were headed up the last leg to Flume.
The wind up there was some wicked. It had picked up considerably since we departed the Liberty summit and it was bringin’ it for real now. Nearly knocked me down and we both staggered to the summit and celebrated with a hoot and a holler that barely escaped my throat so full of wind as it was.
I t was time to head back and we made the circuit back to Liberty passing the AMC group in route. The time was 1:30 as we descended Liberty Spring trail. We enjoyed some quick glissades and even the wipeouts were thoroughly entertaining. We were back at the parking lot by 3 o’clock sharp.
The ride back was a Little Feat/Peter Tosh soundtrack. I dropped my bro in Limerick, said hi to the family and was out the door. I had 90 minutes to get to Richmond.
I made the trip in short order and was showered and heading to Joshua’s in Brunswick for my 8:30 engagement by 7:15PM. My uptime now approaching 18 hours, I was counting on the adrenaline to get me through the night. I could also become a zombie if I allow the urge to lie down to win out.
But I had energy to spare. I was relaxed and in the zone…the Harpoons didn’t hurt my cause either! The place was jammin’ and the night passed quickly. 12:30AM. 22 hours and counting.
The ride home was a reflective, contemplative one. I decided en route to Richmond, that I was probably not headed out to do Passaconway/Whiteface on Sunday. Its already 1:30 I thought, and I just wanted to lie down. I had designs on hiking but I knew that after a long busy day like today, filled with lots of driving, I just wasn’t up for anymore of that.
Back home, enjoying a night cap with my band mate, Mike, I was starting to fade and talk jibberish until I finally fell asleep midsentence, slumped in my chair next to the woodstove.
In the haze of my final thoughts for the day I thought, this was a marriage of two of my favorite things. How fortunate to have had the time to pull it off what's more, the opportunity to do so.
Final tally: 25 hours. 8 hours of driving, 6.5 hours hiking, 4200 vertical, 3 sets and 4 hours of music….. A lot can happen in a day I thought… wouldn’t have it any other way.
pics are here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/570127391jsELIU
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