Winter NH, peak 22 to 34

[Rejean]

Now I had hike 34 of the NE 4000 footers this winter
and in March I will complete the winter NH 48.

January 19: Night hike of Star King-waumbec
My first hike this winter in snowshoes. Not lots
of snow but I was happy to hike in snowshoes
without my packsack. I put all the necessary in
my pocket and done a fast hike. Less than 3 hrs.

January 20: With Oncoman N-S twin,Galahead,Garfield
On a very cold day we start our hike before 5:00 am
by Haystack road. We reach the 4 summits as plan
and finish the hike before 3:00 pm. It was very cold
and windy. All day we where in the wood and the
wind noise was hard.

January 21: Solo hike Liberty-Flume-Liberty-Lincoln-Lafayette
It was colder than the saturday but during the day the
temperature increase by chance. At all the summit it was
windy and I had to be very careful over Liberty. On the
Franconia Ridge I try to do the traverse in snowshoes. Big
mistake and the wind knocked me off many time. One time
I was very close from been push down on the other side of
little haystack. I hike on my knee for a bit and switch to
crampons. With my crampons it took all my energy and
power not to been knock off. I follow and reach a group
of 3 hikers from Fish-games that was searching one hiker.
They ask me if I was the lost hiker. At that time I don't know
what they where saying. So I said no and continued, it was
very cold (-50 F and the wind was 60 miles/hours).
I survived I reach Lincoln-Lafayette. Going down to Greenleaf
hut was very cold with the wind in the face. I went as fast as
I can and I reach the hut before the Fish-games hikers. At the
hut I took a break and eat a bit. Going down on Old Bride path
I see one helicopter past many time and I was thinking that
someone was hurt. At the Lafayette parking lot their was lots
of car and even a TV van!
The next day at home I see the post about the lost hiker.
I done that hike without any sleeping bag in my packsack.

February 2: solo hike of Owls Head
I started at 12:40 pm and went very fast without any packsack. I used
my snowshoes all the way. I follow the track and I hike the slide and
reach the summit at 4:15 pm. I went down the slide carefully knowing
that I don't had any security in my pack. I don't had any fall on the
slide and went fast in the trail after. On Lincoln wood trail I put off my
snowshoes to rest my feet. And on at one place the snow had over the
ice, I make a bad fall but I where Ok to go on. I finished at 7:30 pm
and went in Licoln for dinner.
February 3: with Oncoman Carigain
On that day we where supposed to do the Hale-Zealand-Bonds traverse
and we postponed it due to bad weather and Oncoman condition. So
we drive from Zealand parking to Sawyer river parking. We had lots of
difficulty to find it and stop at many road to look at the sign (snow blizzard). We finally find it and went for Carigain. After had hike the road
the sun wake up and the sky clear itself. We had now some very good
weather and Oncoman start to regreat to had cancel the Bonds. The
mountain will be there for our next hike anyway.
We summit Carigain at 11:15 am, it was very cold and we went down
a bit to eat our lunch. We went down fast and I finish at 2:30 pm.
Oncoman went for Vose spur. I rest for the next day.
February 4: Solo Isolation-Cabot
I had my earliest start ever (3:15 am) and it was cold. The full moon
was beautiful and making lots of light in the forest. Now it start to look
more like the winter. Over 3500 feet their was more snow on the side
of the trail. I was lucky to had a broken trail that a group made the
day before. I follow that snowshoes trail all the way to the summit
and reach it at 6:45 am. I had the moon on one side and the sun that
was starting to wake up on the other side. In face of me was the
south presi. It was very cold at the summit so I don't stop and went
down fast. I meet Meo,JS and Julie going down. I finish at 9:30 am.
After a breakfast I decided to go for Cabot.
No car at the parking lots. I went out and see that some one had
went in the trail the day before. So I went hiking and that time
without packsack to rest my shoulder. I hike fast and reach the
summit before 2:00 pm. It was so beautiful the more I went up, lots
of snow in the trees. Again it was cold at the summit and I went down
fast to warmup myself. I finish at 3:30 pm and rush to get home in Mtl
to watch at bit of the superbowl.

Only 14 to go to complet the winter NH 48 in one season.

 

[albee]

Very nice, Rejean. Congratulations on a busy weekend in the Whites.

What do you do on the weekends in between, when you're not hiking in New Hampshire? Are you doing the 46 in the Adirondacks this winter, too? I bet you could do the 111 in one winter if you got lucky with weather in Baxter SP.

 

[michael]

February 3: with Oncoman Carigain

We summit Carigain at 11:15 am, it was very cold and we went down
a bit to eat our lunch. We went down fast and I finish at 2:30 pm.
Oncoman went for Vose spur. I rest for the next day.

...
so it was Oncoman we met on our way down from Vose Spur Saturday. He was still going strong. We wondered who that was and almost inquired if he had a 'handle'. shoulda known he was vftt

at any rate great job and good luck on your ambitious quest.
-michael

 

[kmac]

WOWIE!!! I'm impressed. Glad to hear you made it safely down on your Franconia traverse, sounds like it was quite a challenge, with the temps and the high winds. Be safe out there Rejean.
kmac

 

[Tom Rankin]

Very nice, Rejean. Congratulations on a busy weekend in the Whites.

What do you do on the weekends in between, when you're not hiking in New Hampshire? Are you doing the 46 in the Adirondacks this winter, too? I bet you could do the 111 in one winter if you got lucky with weather in Baxter SP.

He did the entire W46 last winter! I slowed him down one day, we only got 3 peaks!

 

[Snowflea]

I get such a kick out of your reports!!

Have you ever thought about going for the NH 4k winter record??




.

 

[Rejean]

[QUOTE=albee]Very nice, Rejean. Congratulations on a busy weekend in the Whites.

What do you do on the weekends in between, when you're not hiking in New Hampshire? Are you doing the 46 in the Adirondacks this winter, too? I bet you could do the 111 in one winter if you got lucky with weather in Baxter SP.[/QUOTE]

Hi Albee, on the weekends in between I do some downhill ski with my
two kids. That way I give a rest to my legs. My two kids will return
hiking with me in March, I give them a break the last 3 months.

 

[Rejean]

I get such a kick out of your reports!!

Have you ever thought about going for the NH 4k winter record??

No I don't think about the records. At the beginning the last two
winter I was just supposed to hike couple of mountain in the NE.
In winter 2005 I hike my first winter 4000K (Mansfield).
Winter 2006 W46ers all the peak
Winter 2007 NH 48, 4000 K
Next winter Complete the NE 115 (2 Catskill,4 Green Mtn,14 Maine)
After those 20 peak I will return to my favorite peak
(Lafayette,Marcy,Haystack,Dix,Algonquin,Bigelow)

 

[HAMTERO]

You are a machine!

I'm impressed! I hope I run into you someday. I don't think i'll be catching you from behind though.

 

[Rejean]

I'm impressed! I hope I run into you someday. I don't think i'll be catching you from behind though.

Maybe in going down, that always my toughest part.

 

[Jasonst]

I am surprised that you actually admitted hiking Owl's head solo with no gear. I can't imagine the threads that would have been run here if they had to call SAR...

 

[albee]

Rejean has a large coat with many pockets - he can fit a lot of gear in there!

As long as you are cautious on the slide and the water crossings, Owl's Head is one of the easier winter 4ks. It is probably one of the least exposed and least windy peaks on the list. In fact, some experienced folks I know do Owl's Head as a snowshoe run with a quick 2 mile hike up and down in the middle.

Following a well-defined trail (that you have done before) in fine winter weather is far less dangerous than venturing above treeline in a white-out at dusk. Freak accidents could happen at any time, but if you manage risk properly and hike within your personal limitations, this trip is no more dangerous than cruising down the wilderness trail on xc skis. If you could ice climb any route in Huntington's Ravine, climbing and descending the Owl's Head slide becomes much more of a manageable risk.

Besides, Rejean is also one of the strongest and most experienced hikers you will meet in these parts. Some people bring -20 sleeping bags on a day hike up Mt Avalon, and some people do winter open hut traverses in 16 hrs. This trip falls safely within that spectrum.

 

[Cath]

not to be a bummer, but............

The fellow that did the Winter Huts Traverse had a good supply of Winter gear with him, which was much more than just food & fluids. Personnal winter safety gear.

It's not that our friend Rejean isn't capable of moving swiftly and safely, it appears that he is. It's the unexpected that can take place we should safeguard ourselves against.

A friend, carrying a very well equipped winter pack, hiked the Valley Way one cold Winter's day, and decided not to venture above treeline when he got a look at the conditions up there on this particular fateful day. Minutes after turning back, he tripped on something hidden under the snow surface in the trail, and broke a leg. It was just after 11am. It took all his resolve AND every piece of good winter gear in his pack, to drag himself down to the Appalachia parking lot, arriving about 6 hours later, about 3 miles in distance.
Ref: Appalachia December 15, 1990.

 

[albee]

Of course Tim had winter safety gear. I didn't say he travelled that light, did I?

Freak accidents can and do occur, but if we all use caution and hike within our capabilities, most accidents can be avoided. Thankfully Lincoln Woods has a register, so if somebody didn't come back from Owl's Head overnight it would likely be noticed by other hikers or a ranger.

I simply want to emphasize that we should not judge each other's gear lists. What each of us brings is subjective and varies depending on both ability and experience. I know some people that need to do Owl's Head as an overnight, and I know other people that can do the same trip in under 4 hours just as safely.

Marc Chauvin is one of the most experience guides in the White Mountains... check out his report from a Northern Presi Traverse last week at the bottom of this page:

Northern Presi Traverse 2/1/07

I'm not going to call him crazy or negligent, but I might not be comfortable attempting something like that personally. To each his own.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

As long as you are cautious on the slide and the water crossings, Owl's Head is one of the easier winter 4ks. It is probably one of the least exposed and least windy peaks on the list. In fact, some experienced folks I know do Owl's Head as a snowshoe run with a quick 2 mile hike up and down in the middle.

I could not disagree more with this statement, as I think that Owls Head is one of the toughest NH winter 4s, and I think that the slide is one of the most dangerous routes on a NH winter 4. I am assuming, of course, that above-treeline weather conditions on those other NH 4s are amenable to safe travel (i.e., weather conditions being equal). If one were to survive a serious fall on the OH slide, it is still a 5-mile trip out in a litter or whatever via the trails (assuming that the rivers are frozen) or 4-miles via the Black Pond bushwhack (assuming that a snow machine is available to relieve the last three miles of carry-out at the Franconia Brook bridge). The only worse place for a winter litter carry-out in the Whites that comes to my mind would be the Bonds, with Bond, West Bond, and Zealand being the only NH winter 4s more remote than Owls Head.

 

[Rejean]

[QUOTE=Dr. Dasypodidae]I could not disagree more with this statement, as I think that Owls Head is one of the toughest NH winter 4s, and I think that the slide is one of the most dangerous routes on a NH winter 4. I am assuming, of course, that above-treeline weather conditions on those other NH 4s are amenable to safe travel (i.e., weather conditions being equal). If one were to survive a serious fall on the OH slide, it is still a 5-mile trip out in a litter or whatever via the trails (assuming that the rivers are frozen) or 4-miles via the Black Pond bushwhack (assuming that a snow machine is available to relieve the last three miles of carry-out at the Franconia Brook bridge). The only worse place for a winter litter carry-out in the Whites that comes to my mind would be the Bonds, with Bond, West Bond, and Zealand being the only NH winter 4s more remote than Owls Head.[/QUOTE]

Owl Head is one easy hike compare to all the hike I made so far this
winter, and I am used to some long hike. Last winter in the Daks I done
more than 10 days of 20 miles or more. So for me Owls Head one easy
8 miles and a slide that is steep but not more steep than the Daks
mountain. Trust me Owls Head is easy compare to the traverse that
I done of the Franconia Ridge in january.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Whoops, my point was that Owls Head is one of the more difficult individual NH4s, not harder than many peaks in the Daks, and not harder than multiple-peak hikes, such as all four peaks along Franconia Ridge. I also still maintain that the OH slide is one of the more dangerous places on a regular hiking trail on NH4s in the winter, despite someone posting that he or she glissaded the entire slide recently.

 

[Rejean]

[QUOTE=Dr. Dasypodidae]Whoops, my point was that Owls Head is one of the more difficult individual NH4s, not harder than many peaks in the Daks, and not harder than multiple-peak hikes, such as all four peaks along Franconia Ridge. I also still maintain that the OH slide is one of the more dangerous places on a regular hiking trail on NH4s in the winter, despite someone posting that he or she glissaded the entire slide recently.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you about the slide. Went I was on the slide I had no
problem going up but going down I took my time and where very careful
not to slide. Lots of ice in the center of the slide. Not a place to glisade!!!