Freezing on Mount Isolation - Feb 12, 2012

Well, below freezing to be accurate. I was originally planning to link up with someone from Hike-NH.com and hike a traverse of Monroe, Eisenhower, and Pierce, but the weatherman had other ideas. The forecast was calling for sub-zero temperatures with 70 mph winds on Mount Washington. Oh, and mostly cloudy. Scratch anything above treeline.

Luckily, there was a plan B. The person I was to hike with was going to hike with his normal group instead, who were visiting Mount Isolation for one of their members' anytime-48 finish! I was invited to join, and jumped at the idea. Mount Isolation is a protected hike all the way until the final summit, which is exposed. Also, it is sheltered below the Presidential ridge at a mere 4003 feet. Thus, the wind would be lower and only really be felt at the summit, so not a bad choice for the day.

In the summer, Mount Isolation is a minimum 15-mile round-trip hike along a lot of very wet trails, even in late summer. There are no views until the summit itself, aside from a few tiny peeks through the trees. The elevation gain is moderate at about 3300 feet total, but I remember the first time I did this peak, the wet trails, especially the Isolation Trail, was very annoying and frustrating.

However, in winter, Isolation is actually a pretty nice hike. Snow covering the ground deals with the wet and sloppy trails. Even better, there is a nice, easy (tree-density-wise) bushwhack that cuts off a solid mile-plus each way, along with a couple hundred of feet. So we now have a 12-12.5 mile hike at about 3100 feet of elevation gain. At this point in winter, with the lack of snow this year, the bushwhack had been broken out and packed very hard by dozens and dozens of hikers. Previous trip reports indicated that the bushwhack that was broken out was a little off the normal route, but still fine and all we would need was microspikes. HURRAY! For the first time this winter, I left the snowshoes at the car. So did all but one person in the group (who I guess wanted the extra exercise?)

The bushwhack is referred to as the Engine Hill Bushwhack because it is more or less on a knob called, oddly enough, Engine Hill. The hike follows the normal approach from Route 16 on the Northern half of the Rocky Branch Trail. When the trail reaches the height of land (near Engine Hill), there is a tree on the right with a big "T" carved in it. The bushwhack starts here. It climbs 100 feet or so, and then follows the contour around to the West until it hits the Isolation Trail. From here you follow the Isolation Trail to the Davis Path, head the 0.9 miles South to the Isolation Spur, and hit the summit.

The start of the Engine Hill Bushwhack leaves the Rocky Branch Trail here.

The route to Mount Isolation using the Engine Hill Bushwhack

We ended up using a second short bushwhack near the Isolation/Davis Path Junction that cut a tiny portion of distance off, but there is only minimal advantage to this route. On the map above, if one were to not take the Engine Hill Bushwhack, the Rocky Branch Trail continues West and South to near where the label "Shelter Number 2" is before heading North. You can see the distance and elevation saved.

One thing to note is that this bushwhack track did not neatly follow the contour line on the map, but climbed briefly and then descended a ways near the end. The random ascent is hard to understand, but the descent was due to the people breaking trail running short on daylight and cutting back to0 the main trail before they turned around that day (so is the story I heard).

This bushwhack goes through some very nice open birch glades along the way.

 The only reason this bushwhack is not often used in other seasons is that the glade is apparently a bit marshy, and I saw some spots that appeared this way.

We left the sunny trailhead at 8F temperatures with 13 people and a dog. Shortly after the Engine Hill Bushwhack on the way out, the dog and it's owner had to turn around as the dog's paws were icing up a little with the abnormal cold. We heard back later that the dog was fine a short while later after putting some booties on. We soldiered on, reaching the side trail to the Isolation summit before stopping to put on facemasks (for those that hadn't yet, some of us did on the bushwhack as the wind was cold!), goggles, and extra layers. A quick scramble up the side trail to the summit where we could see...nothing. Isolation is an open summit with spectacular views of the Southern Presidentials, Carters/Wildcats, and more, but we could only see about 1/2 mile. So much for the sun that was below 3000 feet all day...

Most peoples' cameras would not work in the cold. We did manage a couple pictures, then we got out of there back to the Davis Path! Once there a couple of us checked our thermometers and discovered that the temperatures were around -10F! Couple that with an estimated wind on the summit of about 25-30 mph and you get -40F wind chills! Definitely the coldest I have yet experienced.

We picked up our packs and headed back. We stopped for a little while once back on the Isolation Trail to do a little preliminary celebration for the 48 finisher (why would you choose such a terribly cold and bitter day for an ANYTIME finish...congratulations regardless!). Then we just motored back to the trailhead. The group stayed pretty close together the entire way, which is impressive for such a large group, and we all finished in just under 6 hours total! That is a blistering pace. Needing only microspikes with the well-packed trail helped, but the big thing was we hardly stopped since it was so cold. We joked later over drinks and pizza that if it had been a nicer day we would have taken 8 hours to do it since we'd have been more leisurely. It was a fun hike and a terrific, if, um, ODD, group to hike with. Despite the bitter cold, it was one of my favorite hikes to date!

Summary:
Distance: ~12.5 miles
Elevation Gain: ~3100 feet
Peaks: Isolation (4003', NH4K)

Cannon 2, Matt 0 -- 2-11-12

I needed a short and "easy" day after the previous day's solo Franconia Ridge Traverse. Cannon seemed like a good candidate. I knew it would be steep going up Kinsman Ridge Trail, but I planned to get a later start and take it easy.

Arriving at the tramway parking around 9:30 and on-trail at 9:40. The climb was slow. I had every intention of snow-shoeing up to take advantage of the televators, but the shoes were like concrete shoes today (gee, wonder why!) so I put the microspikes back on and kept them on until I was back at the car.

I was slow climbing but the glades made some nice excuses to stop and enjoy the views. There wasn't much to see beyond the mountain however.

Near the initial height-of-land a group of 4 people passed me, I think French Canadians, they definitely had a French accent at least and weren't from the area. I passed them again just before the view spur path (which I skipped since the notch was socked in pretty solidly). The trail got a little harder to follow up the exposed slopes towards the summit cone, and the set of recent snowshoe prints I was following ran into a couple small spruce traps. One I ended up up to one hip in (luckily the other foot was on solid enough ground and I got out easily). Eventually the tracks broke out near the top of a closed ski slope. I trucked up the edge of it to the tram building. There I headed up hill near the chairlift and eventually came to the observation tower. Things were socked in enough that the tower was not visible from the tram building...but they lifted a little when I got onto the tower. The steps were packed into a nice 45 degree ice ramp, which made descent tricky...

I wanted to get back down to the Highland Lodge and relax for several hours knowing I had a 12-mile hike head the next day in Isolation. Since there were no views I headed down after a snack on the picnic area at the tram building. I still wasn't clear exactly where the Kinsman Ridge Trail came in from below so I mostly backtracked. I did find the correct trail past the spruce traps the person in front of me had found (I never saw them this day). On my way down I got a few clearer views of the notch and snapped a few pictures, but kept heading down. I passed the French quartet at the upper ski glade crossing (at the "sign") and cruised down. Saw one or two other foursome heading up and I descended.

Summitted in about 3 hours, descended in under 1 hour, back at the car at 1:50.

As to the title: I've been on this mountain 3 times. Once many years ago on a family trip where we took the tram up. Not much better views than this day. 2007 as my #47 peak with my dad. That was a misty day and again, not much to see. That day kicked my butt as we took the Lonesome Lake Trail to the Kinsman Ridge Trail and also did the NE Cannon Ball. That col destroyed my knees on the descent (and I've had knee problems for more than 10 years - before the hike mind you - which is sad considering I'm still young. Advil and knee braces help, but we had no Vit. I that day...) This day, the ascent just dragged on and on until hitting that height-of-land. Basically it kicked my butt. I'm sure the previous day's 15.5 miles and 5500 feet of elevation gain was to blame some. I later saw that in the first ~1.5 miles you pick up about 1800 feet of elevation, and the first quarter mile isn't very steep either! But again, not much for views...

This marked #12 on my winter 4K list however! 1/4 of the way there in just 6 days of hikes, all of them (save maybe this one) were great. And this one wasn't so bad except for the trail being really steep.

Summary:
Peaks: Cannon (NH4K)
Mileage: 4.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 2100 feet

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114607190336092730169/February112012CannonMountain?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPWxo6je5carRQ&feat=directlink

Well THAT Didn't go According to Plan...Franconia Ridge 2-10-12

I'll get to the title in a minute. I took the day off for a 3-day weekend. The original plan was to do Passaconaway and Whiteface on the way north, since the Ferncroft Trailhead is a bit away from everything else. But mid-week the weather forecast for Friday turned into what looked to be a perfect day to be above treeline: winds in the low 20s to low 30s and temps in the mid-20s with clear skies. My first though was to go for Madison and Adams, but that is a day with over 5000 feet of elevation gain, and just getting back into hiking, I wasn't sure about that yet. So I decided on doing Lafayette and Lincoln via the Old Bridle Path up, and the Falling Waters Trail down, a classic loop.

This day started off oddly enough. Getting up at 4:45 and on the road heading North at 5:30AM to avoid Boston traffic. Stopped briefly in Laconia, NH for some food, and pulled into the Old Bridle Path Parking lot at 8:00 on the nose. Never had so little traffic in Eastern MA before...

The weather was nice and clear as predicted, and temperatures were mild, near freezing at the trailhead. Winds were there, but low on the summits according to MWOBS. I was excited for this loop today.

I nearly left the snowshoes in the car knowing I didn't need them based on recent TR's. I brought them anyway. I still don't own crampons and knew that microspikes were possible, though there were reportedly some tricky spots near the summit of Lafayette. I figured I'd just take it easy and do some off-trail ascending if need be to avoid the no-fall zones.

I was on trail and moving around 8:20. My goal had been 8:30 when I planned this trip, so I was happy. Started off immediately with microspikes, which were perfect for the trail. VERY hard packed but with minimal ice. I immediately found a good pace (which I have struggled with lately) and really didn't stop too much until I hit the outlooks along the Old Bridle Path. Seeing as how I have been constantly stop-starting on ascents, I was pleased to be consistently moving, no matter what the speed. I had plenty of time on this nice day.

Soon I was approaching the Agonies:

Agony Ridge: the trail goes right over (more or less) those bumps, you can just see Greenleaf Hut near the right

I was taking my time, enjoying the views and snapping a lot of pictures. Apparently I was moving at an insane (for me) rate. I hit the Greenleaf Hut at 10:15, or 1hr 55min from leaving the trailhead. That's 2.9 miles and 2450 feet in under 2 hours. I don't know if I ever climbed that fast before. I took a 15 minute food/drink break at the hut.

Now for the part of the day I was a bit concerned about: summitting Lafayette. I knew there were some ledges near the top that are no-fall zones. I definitely did not want to slip here. Sure enough, as I neared the spring that is below the summit, I was confronted with some major ice sheets. I took it slow here, making sure to kick the spikes into the ice well, and in general tried to find the spots that weren't smooth ice. I wandered off-trail but as visibility was not an issue, I didn't worry about it at all. I was able to make it up without incident thankfully. On top I was greeted with some fantastic 360 degree views. There was some haze, but this was still probably the clearest I've ever had on the ridge, and this was my 4th time on Lafayette. Incredibly, I was on top at 11:20, 3 hours to the minute since leaving, despite the 15 minute break at the hut. 4 miles 3550 feet. I found a spot out of the wind (which wasn't bad overall, but enough to be annoying. Probably teens mph) just below the summit and took a long break. This was my view:

The Twins with the snow-capped Presidentials behind them

At 11:45 I headed off. Just below the summit as I was picking my way across some icy spots, I ran into the first people of the day. They had left the parking lot right behind me, so I figured when they didn't pass me that they went up Falling Waters, which they did. They were wearing crampons and were wondering if I really was jsut using the spikes. After saying yes, and that there were just a few tricky spots at the spring that I picked my way around otherwise being fine, we all headed on our respective ways. Off the summit I was hit with heavier winds, which were not enough to chill me, but I almost pulled out my goggles as it was blowing some snow in my face. After a short while that calmed down. I ran into the next pair of people near Truman's summit. Both microspiking, and I warned them about the ice below Lafayette. I hit Lincoln and kept moving as the wind was just a little biting. Saw one more pair of people just below Lincoln, one in crampons, one in snowshoes. I summitted Little Haystack at 12:30!

Now I had an internal dillemma. The weather was good, I was feeling great, and it was still early. If I headed down as planned I would be back at the car by 1:30-2PM. WAAAAY too early! I was tempted to head to Liberty and perhaps Flume, but that meant I had a roughly 3 mile roadwalk back to the Bridle Path. That would mean a mileage nearing 16 miles for the day (by my guess from the map), and about 5100 feet of gain! I did some math and figured that if I hit Liberty at 2 PM, Flume at 3, and Liberty again at 4, then I should be nearly to the road before headlamp time. The bike path would not be a concern in the dark. Dinner at the Highland Lodge where I was staying was from 6-9 on Fridays so I had plenty of time there.

Decision time: head down, or continue with the knowledge of a 3-mile road walk ahead.

I decided to go for it after a short break. The trail looked to be broken though loosely packed. Good thing I brought the snow shoes! If I lost the trail, I would just head back up. If I moved too slow, I would head down Liberty Springs (or just turn back if I didn't get far from Little Haystack). Well, the trail to the Liberty Springs Trail was easy enough to follow with snowshoes. About 1:45 I hit the Liberty Springs Trail and put the microspikes back on. Hardpack was back RIGHT at the junction. I scrambled up Liberty and took in the awesome views.

Down into the Pemi Wilderness: Owl's Head on the left near the middle.

It was 2PM. I was still feeling okay. And I was only 1 mile from Flume, why wouldn't I go all the way now? So I did. Part-way up the climb to Flume I started to feel it. But I pushed on and hit the summit at 2:50. Just as I hit the summit a raven (I think, it was a large black bird) dropped off the cliffs past the summit. There were some nice winds, and nice updrafts along the cliffs. The last time I was on Flume, a similar event occurred, only with 2 ravens. Sorry, no picture, but it was down here:

Now I had that steep climb up to Liberty and then a long descent and road walk...I was back at the Liberty Springs Trail (I took the broken-out shortcut past the upper ledges of the summit) at 3:50 and headed down. At the bottom of the Liberty Springs Trail where it turns sharply towards the Flume Parking there was a broken trail heading towards the Basin. I had seen a passing reference to this somewhere recently, but completely forgot about it until I saw it. It was going the way I needed to, I could hear the road and knew where to head if the trail ended, and so I took it. It was well broken all the way to the bike path shortly before the Basin. From there I took the underpass to the West side of I-93 and slogged North towards Lafayette Place. About half-way there at 5:30 I pulled out the headlamp. I arrived at the car at 6PM on the nose. I was really tired, around the time I put the headlamp on I hit a wall.

My GPS says it was 13.9 miles, but I know that isn't right. From the guidebook and some map plotting of the bike path route, it looks like the totals were around 15.5 miles and 5500 feet of elevation! Certainly the most elevation I've EVER done in a day (any season) and nearly the most mileage as well. And I did it under book time! I had a great time until that road walk. I was really hoping I'd run into someone doing Flume/Liberty that I could hitch a ride from, but I hit didn't see anyone but the 6 people along the ridge. What a great day out!

So as the title says, I didn't plan to do all 4 peaks, but I did in the end. And in winter no less! These conditions right now are incredible, they're faster than summer I would say!

Trails Conditions summary:

Light traction (Hillsounds/microspikes) is more than sufficient up to the hut and about half-way up to Lafayette from there. Above that you can do it in light traction (not really advised though), but there is one big no-fall-zone a couple hundred feet below the summit that is a sheet of smooth ice (right around where the spring is). I stayed towards the right here and picked my way up less steep sections where there was softer ice to bite into. If I'd had crampons, I definitely would have put them on for this (and brought them as I knew about this spot going in). Going down in microspikes would be very tricky, and it sounds like Falling Waters is in decent shape, so the CW direction would be better.

Other than that spot and a few spots coming off Lafayette to the South, light traction was more than sufficient. The trail between Little Haystack and Liberty was broken but not consolidated, snow shoes are the weapon of choice here. Past Liberty Springs and on that trail itself, light traction again is best. Liberty Springs is packed harder than a concrete sidewalk right now. If I'd had a sled I probably could have slid down to the Flume Slide Trail in about 10 minutes! No problems in microspikes though.

Summary:
Peaks: Lafayette (4K), Truman, Lincoln (4K), Little Haystack, Liberty (4K), Flume (4K)\
Mileage: ~15.5 miles
Elevation Gained: ~5500 feet

All pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114607190336092730169/February102012FranconiaRidge?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCL3tuKaVqZnSPg&feat=directlink

A Three-fer - Tom, Field, Willey - 1-29-12

I decided that night that instead of the Hancocks (unsure about the water crossings after all the melting and rain, plus not really wanting to do that steep climb the day after a steep climb), I'd go for Field and Willey, and then if time/energy/weather permitted, Tom. I was staying at the Highland Center like the weekend before, so these were right there. They were also probably pretty well broken out since a lot of guests at the center frequent these trails.

Sunday saw me wake up to a not-sore-anymore hip (yeay!) but a very sore achillies tendon...what the heck! I was able to stretch it out reasonably and decided to give my plan for the day a go. I could always just call it off if need be, and drive back home without anything, the mountains weren't going anywhere.

I actually started out decently. I stopped at Avalon on the way up and took in the limited views briefly (in and out of the clouds all day, and pretty breezy) and snaked. I then slowly chugged up to Field and actually reached the summit 2.5 hours from leaving the Depot, a lot better than I expected! I trudged over to Willey, where I finally had a snack again (boy did I need it too! I should have had something at Field but wanted to get out of the wind).

Mount Tom waiting for me

Carrigain Notch from between Field and Willey

Gray Jay visiting on Mount Willey

View down through Crawford Notch from Mount Willey

Ate at the overlook just below the summit with 5 other people and 2 very friendly gray jays that were literally eating out of the palm of your hand (even when not invited!). Up to this point I'd been in microspikes all day, and really they were perfect except for the section between Field and Willey where there was more drifting and someone the day before had punched a TON of holes in the track. I didn't add any holes on the way to Willey, but put the snowshoes on for the trip back to Field to smooth things out some. There were people behind us using shoes the whole way (some barebooters/spikers too though) so the trail should be better packed now.

I had decided at the start of the day that with a 3-hour drive home, I'd have to be back to Field by 1 in order to do Tom as well. It was 1:05 when I got back, and I was feeling OK so I went for it. I cruised over to the A-Z trail, up Tom (where I passed a couple guys and an Airedale I'd seen earlier on between Willey and Field), took some pictures on the windy cloudy summit, and hopped back down to the A-Z Trail. I had left Field a mere 55 minutes ago! I don't usually move that fast in summer!

This way to #3 for the day

Look back to Field from near Tom's summit

Carrigain Notch

Uneventful trip down to the depot, back at my car at 3, so a shade under 7 hours ET. Not bad considering I still don't have the endurance I used to, and the day before was a tough hike. Microspikes were fine all day, though as mentioned snowshoes were better in between Field and Willey. Everything else was packed down solid, and most of it really could be barebooted. Some icy spots on Avalon and A-Z trails though, making spikes helpful.

Route taken - South leg first

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114607190336092730169/January292012FieldWilleyTom?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLLU9LPFmOfrAw&feat=directlink

A Trek over 10 Kitties - Wildcats A-E - 1-28-12

Alright, so only 2 count as 4K's, and a ton of PUDs...

The Presidentials from the Lost Pond Trailhead

The route

This was the Wildcats. Joined up with Sue and Earl from VFTT (do they really need an intro here?) for this one. The plan was to hike a traverse from Pinkham to 19-Mile Brook. In total there were 6 of us on this day, and a fast trip was NOT in the cards.

After the snow/rain/sleet from Thursday/Friday (the tail end of which I drove up through Friday night...), there was a "lovely" crust on top of crappy snow. Snowshoes went on almost immediately after leaving the road on Lost Pond Trail, and they stayed on until the lot at 19 Mile Brook. I had never been on this section of the Wildcat Ridge Trail, and let me say that it lives up to it's billing as one of the steepest trails in the Whites. It is rated at 1.9 miles and 2150ft, but what that doesn't tell you is that there is a fairly moderate section in between 2 VERY steep sections.

We bushwhacked around the first ledge, as it was narrow, had a nasty sheer drop-off next to it, snow drifted over it at a 50-60 degree angle, and likely an inch of ice under. Also nothing to hold onto. The bushwhack was a unanimous decision and took us 20 yards to the right of it up and around. No problems aside from being steep. The remaining ledges were okay, but took a lot of work.

The climb was SLOW. The trail was not broken out at all, and was pretty crumbly so even with good kick steps, you tended to slide backwards a lot. There were some very nice views from the ledges going up, however, and we took our time to get safely up to E peak. We were at the chairlift between E and D at 12:20, roughly 4 hours after leaving the Pinkham Visitor Center. 

South from one of the ledges

Mount Washington

The traverse along the ridge went better as there was some broken out sections, but snowshoes were still very much needed. Some barebooters were punching a LOT of holes along the trail... We eventually reached A peak, took some pictures and looked into the notch, then cruised down to the 19 Mile Brook Trail. Sue set an aggressive pace out (especially after the trip we'd had so far...) and we reached the cars right around 5PM. 

View nearly straight down 1000 feet to Carter Notch Hut from the summit overlook at Wildcat A

Carter Dome across Carter Notch from Wildcat A

This was the first real test of my Lightning Ascent snowshoes, and boy were they terrific. Their grip is just amazing! In fact, 3 of the 6 in our group had LA shoes, and 2 of the remaining 3 had MSR's as well. I got to learn kick-stepping...very helpful getting up those snow-covered steep sections!

Note the pitches in the first 2 miles...

Thanks to Sue and Earl for letting me come along, and to Mike, Fitz, and Dave (I think I got those names right) too. It was a fun day, but not one I'm looking to repeat immediately It was a good challenge though, and while I'm glad it is over, I'm glad I did it! I was battling a sore right hip most of the day, not sure what that was about...

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114607190336092730169/January282012Wildcats?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKOD5OOGoJLlqQE&feat=directlink

A Second Winter Hike - Jackson and Webster - 1-22-12

Trailhead

View of Mount Tom from the trailhead

Second winter hike ever for me...as I was staying at the Highland Center, Webster-Jackson was near the top of my list, and with clear weather expected all day, and high-teens summit temps, this was a go. The winds which were supposed to be in the 30mph range never materialized again, not that I'm complaining! Maybe on Washington they were blowing, but not on the clear summits to the South! (And I was later told they weren't blowing much higher up either).

Nothing unusual here, I did the Webster-Jackson Trail, doing Jackson first, then along the Webster Cliff Trail to Webster, and down the Webster fork. Microspikes were perfect for this. There were numerous icy ledges along the Webster-Jackson Trail, especially the portion below the fork and the Jackson Branch. Bare boots would have been fine between the summits, but I left the spikes on.

Not too many people seen today either, I might have gotten out before the crowds. Saw 2 people as I returned from the cliff overlook 0.6 miles from the road, they were heading to Washington for the day...that's a decent walk! Ran into 2 guys coming down about 3/4 mile from the Jackson summit (kpmmbm and CrazyBob from Views From the Top).

Almost to the summit of Jackson!

I was climbing at a better overall rate today, and actually summited right around book time (2.5 hrs) One couple caught up to me shortly after this and we leap-frogged to the summit. They headed right down after taking a few pictures (football game?) So I had the summit MOSTLY to myself for 45 minutes while I hung out by the summit carin and snacked. 3 gray jays were all over me during this looking for handouts...one was even taking food from my hand as I went to eat it!

Gray Jay looking for handouts

FANTASTIC views today! The only other time I was on Jackson it was overcast and cloudy, and so visibility wasn't great. Today was a perfect day, 120 mile visibility no problem. Temps were around 15-20F on the summit (at 11AM) and as I mentioned, just a very light intermittent breeze, and abundant sunshine. A true Presi day as the term goes. I took a ton of pictures, identifying what I could off-hand in Carrigain/Vose Spur, Field/Tom/Willey, all the Southern Presidentials, Isolation, Wildcats and even some Carters, Chocoura, Franconia Ridge peeking out behind the Willey range, and I think I even saw the Bonds. Very nice.

Mount Washington and the Southern Presidentials

Mount Washington

Mount Carrigain

Summit carin on Jackson

Mount Washington and it's South-Eastern Leg

Washington and the Southern Presidentials

After a while I started packing up to go, and 2 other couples summited right then. I left the gray jays to beg from them and headed to Webster. From here on I saw no one until the road.

The trail between Webster and Jackson I have never been on, but it was pretty steep in a number of spots, and butt-sliding was very helpful on a lot of ledges. The trail was well-broken and easy enough to follow, though the trail was overgrown in a number of spots. Heavy brushing will be needed come spring, though some of it will ease once the snow melts off the limbs that were only in the trail because of snow. Hit the trail junction just below Webster, popped up to the summit for a little to take some pictures into Crawford Notch. Headed down at 12:40, and was back at the car right at 2PM (left the car at 8:20).

Mount Willey from Webster

Mounts Field and Tom from Mount Webster

I was a shade over 5.5 hours for the whole loop with a long stop on Jackson, not too bad.

A great hike, thanks a ton to those that suggested it!

Winter 4K #2....

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/114607190336092730169/albums/5700614054802906321?authkey=CPDDmOu6qPmGbQ

My First Winter Hike - Mount Hale 1-21-12

And it was essentially solo. Saw the first people of the day about 2 minutes down from the summit, then a group on the Zealand Road heading to the hut. Otherwise, just me, the lightly falling snow, and the woodpeckers (a bunch of them!)...

A quiet parking lot in the falling snow

Overall a great first hike. I was a bit worried about the -30 or lower wind chills predicted for the summits. Ended up with hardly any wind all day, even on the summit it was calm.

Parked at the winter Zealand Road parking on Rt. 302, walked up the road to Hale Brook, summited, and retraced steps. The road was well-packed with a spider-web of fresh and not-so-fresh ski tracks, and filled in footprints (about 1" fell overnight). I was obviously the first one up this way on this day, aside from maybe a skiier or two. Bare-booted up to Hale Brook, no problem.

At the start of (closed) Zealand Road

Gated entrance to Zealand Road

Trailhead Kiosk for Hale Brook Trail

I microspiked up Hale Brook. A fairly-well packed trail, with the same ~1" of powder on top, and I probably could have bare-booted the whole thing without trouble honestly. Summitted eventually (I was slow, about 30 minutes over book time from car to summit) I am rather not in shape...climbing was slow, perhaps I need to learn to slow my pace instead of the spurt-stop-spurt-stop deal that I did...this was also my first solo hike ever.

I hung around at the completely untouched summit for 30-45 minutes. Lend-a-Hand was not cleared out since Thursday night's snow it appeared, although it might have only been the 2" that had fallen since Friday night, I didn't go far enough to look. Not knowing exactly where the Fire Warden's Trail (which is officially closed, but a very popular approach, especially in winter) comes in (I didn't feel like pulling my map out...), I couldn't check that, but there was no obvious path so I'd say it too hadn't been touched in a day or so. No views thanks to the clouds, a brief glimpse of either Zealand or the Twins (too quick to orient myself) was it. Not that Hale has much of a view anyway without standing on the carin with arms stretched high with a camera... There were several inches of fresh powder on the summit, looked to be a solid 6" plus, so I put my snowshoes on and tramped around a little to get used to them. Switched back to microspikes after a little bit.

Summit carin atop Mount Hale

The summit area of Mount Hale - you can just see the old foundation spikes poking through the snow.

Taken while standing on the carin with arm stretched up overhead - you can see some stuff on a better day, but it isn't much!

This way to Zealand Hut

Ate some food, headed down. Still in microspikes, but shortly after passing the previously mentioned couple, I put the snowshoes on. I was post-holing slightly with the harder landings from descending. No problems shoeing down, and since the couple was shoeing up, there should be a nice track again now. Descent was pretty solid, right around 1 hour. Put the snowshoes back on the pack at the trailhead, barebooted out. Drove back to Highland Center where I was staying in the bunkhouse and had a nice view of the Southern Presidential along Rt. 302 as the clouds had cleared...figures!

Totals: ~9.8 miles round-trip (figure ~0.2 roadwalk to get to Zealand Road from the parking lot, 2.5 miles up the road, and 2.2 up Hale Brook, then turn around and do the reverse), 7.5 hours taken total.

Side Note: Oddly, while the AMC book and the sign at the Zealand road end of Hale Brook all say 2.2 miles from trailhead to summit, the sign at the summit of Hale says 2.3 miles back to Zealand Road...

I enjoyed the hike overall, although the 2.5 mile road-walk at the end wasn't all that great...having the trails to myself with the light snow all day was actually very nice. Plenty warm enough, most of my layers stayed in the pack (except at the summit) despite the single-digit-F temps. Time for more winter hiking!

At the Hale Brook Trailhead on Zealand Road...

At the summit of Hale...

All Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114607190336092730169/January212012MountHale?authkey=Gv1sRgCIPNsND6jKCLggE