Trip Reports for 2008-

Ray Loring Memorial Hike- The Peak Above the Nubble- November 22, 2008

On September 6, 2008, Ray :Loring passed away on a hike to PAtN with Marty Emmick and Jason Berard. A link to a nice article on Ray- http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/news/obituaries/x536704754/Georgetowns-Ray-Loring-dies-on-mountain-hike.

Ray has been described as a Composer (an accomplished one at that), hiker, mentor and friend. On 11/22, I had the honor of joining a group of people redoing the hike on which Ray passed. I had hiked with Ray a few times and enjoyed his company; even if I didn’t losing a friend to the hiking community would have been enough to join. I think Marty and Jason for the honored invite to join.

It was an interesting day- so a long TR follows- duly warned.

Our group met at the Beaver Brook parking area and we carpooled to the start at the road where the trail started. Trying to remember all the names, Marty, Jason, Rols, LarryD, Bobby, Pat, Audrey, Genie (the wonder dog), Jason, Greg, Don, Bob, Geri and Ridgewalker. Getting partway down Haystack Rd there was a car that had slid off the road, two carloads of our got out to help two others and we pushed the car into the road- and we could pass, good deed of the day. We got to the trailhead- its at a bend in the road with a bunch of rocks blocking the access to vehicles. We geared up and headed up the road and then headed up and took the herd path off the road up to the right. We got into the clear cut area and headed north a bit and we rested before heading back into the woods. At this point Genie ran up ahead and out of sight. We headed on and the snow was around 6 inches or less. It was very cold, around 13 degrees and it was snowing lightly- it did all day. We headed across the forest and came upon a Chimney that had half of the group splitting up- some of us just went up and others headed off to find a more sensible way up. In the end it wasn’t too bad, a couple of trees to grab on and pulling up your legs and up you go. Not the best way up, but it worked. We all regrouped, headed back up and then took a food break.

Shortly there after we reached the area where Ray had to be brought down by the Search and Rescue (SAR) team. I was shocked at how steep it was and how much work it must have been to get Ray, a tall man, down the sheer steep area. Tons of hats off for the hard work these people do. After this the bushwhacking got into some thicker woods. We lost the way a little for a moment but after a couple of minutes of searching Jason B found the way. A few minutes later, we were at the spot Ray had passed. We all went down to it and a ceremony was prepared, Clarke read a very nice poem of Ray’s and Marty said some words and Jason B worked on a memorial. It was solemn; but I think the wealth of friendliness there helped everybody appreciate the moments. This all took around 30 minutes or more- and it was COLD. I had some hot fluids, food and put on warmer gloves. My hands had started to shake but the new gloves help. Finally, we pulled on to go to the summit. As we ascended, I came around a corner and could see Jason and Marty talking to Clarke. He had gotten very cold, and was shaking. Marty, Jason and Don helped get Clarke warm with hot fluids and another down coat, but Clarke wisely decided he should go down the mountain. At that time, Don and Greg also conveyed feeling very cold still and thought going down would make sense. I agreed, with Bobby to also descend- we felt fine but it was good to have some other people also go down just in case. So the group split, one half heading for the summit and Clarke, Greg, Don, Bobby and I heading for the cars.

We followed the tracks back down and a couple of times direction was questioned, but Bobby pulled out the compass and the directions were good. We ran into Timmus, another Views from the Topper, chatted and moved on. We had planned on avoiding the Chimney again, but low and behold, there it was. We decided to go down since we were there and a couple of moves hanging by a tree and down we were. From here on in it was an easy hike to the cars- and everybody had warmed up and we were feeling good.

We returned to the cars and Pat and Audrey were still there- earlier when genie took off- she did not return. We were upset for them but they felt it would be useless to try and find her. We hung around a bit and then I started up the trail again- we were waiting for the rest of the group so why not see if I could get lucky finding Genie. I headed back up the herd path before the first clear cut and I heard a bark and howl- likely a dog and not far away. I yelled for Genie, but there was no further barking. Bobby came up behind me so we decided to bushwhack into the woods and see if we could find her. We cut across as far as we could go and headed up, but nothing. We heard the other hikers returning so we met up with them and went back to the cars, feeling badly we could not help.

The rest of the group had a tougher trip out-hitting some tough areas but as good a hiking group as it was made it out fine- with a scratch or two of course. We left, knowing Pat and Audrey would have a tough night wondering about Genie in the woods. We passed two hunters who recommended that a garment be placed at the trailhead and Genie could return on her own- a blanket was left at the trailhead. A few of us went to the Woodstock Inn for food drink and laughs. It was a nice way to end this day.

The good news is that that evening, Bob and Geri went back to the trailhead and Genie was there! Great job Bob and Geri and Pat and Audrey came and family was reunited.

Some pix here- not much- RIP Ray….

http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/6634483_6WyVH#423092609_eNoWS

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Mt. Ellen Via Jerusalem and Long Trails- 11/1/2008

Ellen Via Jerusalem and Long Trails- 11/1/2008

Chapter 1- “You’re Going the Wrong Way!”

The plan for the day was Mt. Abraham and Ellen Via the Long Trail from Lincoln Gap Road. I drove up the road and there were signs that said the road was closed for the winter- huh? Looked clear to me so I kept going. At about 2.7 miles from Rt 100 in Warren there was a sign blocking most of the road saying road closed for the winter. It was so close to the trailhead, I think around 2 miles, I thought about driving around it. But logic prevailed and I decided I had no interest in 4 miles of road walk on the day so I drive to Rt 100 to think of a new plan. I decided to head to the Jerusalem Trail, around Rt 17. With a little frost on the road I can say that was one nerve wracking drive. I pulled onto Jerusalem Road and kept driving and did not see Jim Dwire Road- I finally stopped two people walking. As I started to ask, on of them blurted out you are going the wrong way! Seems the locals must get the question a lot. I drove back to find the Jim Dwire Road sign on the east side of the street, and I missed it.

Chapter Two- Glub, Glub, Ouch!

The start of the trail was immediately wet, with my boots getting stuck in the slop and making a glub sound as I extracted them. It was a nice trail- gradual incline. Around 2600 feet, the trail was mostly snow covered. There were occasional snowless spots with mucky leaves in its place. As the trail made the final steep ascent to the Long Trail, I started to have bad cramps in my calves. They would tighten up and I needed to stand still and stretch so they would not pop. Really painful, but at least they never fully pulled. I put on Microspikes around 3300 feet when I came on some ice. Shortly after, I attained the ridge and the Long Trail.

Chapter 3- The Rollercoaster

I headed south towards Mt Ellen. The snow depths increased, but still there were rocks and clear ground in between. East to west, up and down the trail moved on. I could see the clear skies, looked like a beautiful day. Up a bit, and down again. I checked the elevation and finally saw I was near 3900 feet. I looked in the woods and saw a bog ole rusty can and figured the ski area must be close. Around the corner I could see a fence… and then, the first clear views of the day. Wow- I could see all the way to NY. It was nice and snowy here, I postholed near 7 inches, but only for a few feet before breaking out into the ski area. It was cool out, so I layered up. Around to the ski lift and back in the woods and a couple of minutes later- summit!

Chapter 4- Yes, No, Yes, No

I still wanted to get Abraham, and decided to head south again and go for it. Another set of ups and downs and I started to get into a rhythm. I then realized, with the long approach to the Long Trail, it would be a 15 mile day if I went to Abraham and back. That would be a LATE night, and likely tiring too. I decided to head back. But in looking up I was getting close to the next ski area…tough to stop. If I could get up there I could see Abraham and then really be motivated. But again, a LATE night. Plus it was a second week in a row and getting home timely or early would make the family happy- especially since it was Anniversary year 12 tomorrow. So I decided to go home and leave Abraham for another day.

Conclusion- All is always good.

I had to work my way back up and down over the peaks and headed over Ellen again and back out. Day was likely 10 miles in around 7 hours. I didn’t get to do Abraham, but 10 miles in nice weather was a great day. There are no bad days out there.

Pix can be found at

http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/6433670_niDr9#407605663_pNxR2

The Bigelows, West and Avery Peak- October 25, 2008

“Make decisions so that you can’t go wrong” Rols- ok, maybe that’s not word for word but this will be the theme of the day.

This trip started as the desire to get away for a night and the decision to start the Maine and VT 4k’s to work on the 67 NE 4000 Foot list. The plan- drive up to Stratton Pond, hike up to Bigelow Col, run over to Avery Peak, cross the AT back to South Horn, hit North Horn and descend Horns Pond Trail back to the Firewardens trail and back to the car. After finishing, camp near Stratton Pond and go home Sunday early. As the day to leave got closer, the forecast for the day called for clear day, showers starting around 2:00 and then rain at night.

The Trip- Rols- Paul, met me at my house at 2:00 am (meaning he left at 11:30pm, and we drove up to the trailhead. Of course, at that time, easy ride. We turned at the sign for Stratton Brook Road and drove down to the end of the good road. Having my 4-Runner, we drove down to the actual trailhead on the rest of the “road”. It was fairly bumpy , and we skidded in mud a couple of times. No problem, but mental notes were taken.

We hit the trail around 615, it was amazing watching the sun come up and see Stratton Pond start to open up for view. The early part of the Firewardens Trail (FWT) is very easy, and we cruised to the JCT of the Horns Pond Trail. We kept going on FWT. Our thoughts were going up a very steep trail was better than going down and in the worst case, if the weather turned, at least we would have hit the peaks early. After this JCT there started to be traces of snow. The bog bridges were slick and as we ascended there was more snow and slush on the trail. We started up the rock steps and the trail got very steep. We could see the ridge since most of the leaves were already down. Around 3000 feet, there was snow covering the trail- not much but enough to slow us down. Hitting Bigelow Col, the snow was early season deep, up to 6 inches in places. Winter had arrived. It was comfortable hiking temps wise but full snow cover on the trails. We headed north to Avery Peak and on the uneven rocks with snow the going was slow. AS we neared the summit, winds kicked up strong and it was cold. We took pix and enjoyed the great views, but quickly headed down and out of the wind. We put on Stabilicers since the footing was slow and it helped a lot. We quickly got back to the Col and then moved to West peak. Another quick ascent- the wind wasn’t as bad as on Avery. We took more pix, and enjoyed more great views. At this point Rols brought up the idea of heading back down instead of across to the Horns and down, stating that we would miss some good hiking but if it started raining, we would be walking in snow with new rain, in new terrain and still have to get back down for camping. “Make decisions so that you can’t go wrong”. Yes, good sense. We went down, knowing there was good food waiting and cooking in the rain would take away the fun. Plus we had camping issues to deal with.

On the way down we stopped at one of the tent sites and had lunch. Very cool sites just below the Col. At 3000 feet we took off the Stabilicers as the snow despaired off the rocks. I promptly slipped and fell on my back- saved by my pack. There were a number of other slips- but no falls. We saw a few people heading up, the first of the day. Now was the next consideration. Camping seemed unlikely since the rain was to head in and we didn’t want to set up camp and have it pour overnight. “Make decisions so that you can’t go wrong”. We decided to not camp, and perhaps get some sleep in the car and then drive home. We finished the hike to the sound of gunshots; the hunters were out and we could see somebody shooting near the pond. We had a nice meal we were going to cook; but more decisions. The road was in average shape, but the pending rain could add to the huge mud puddles. “Make decisions so that you can’t go wrong”. We decided to drive up to the main road and find a spot to park, eat and snooze. Hanging out near the pond was a nice thought, but we had no idea on when the weather would turn.

We parked a little past the AT crossing. I pulled out the double burner stove and we cooked up steak tips with peppers and onions over pasta. Washed down with cold beers- yeah, plans changed during the day but this was sweet. A special coffee for Rols (J ), and then we hung out and BS’ed for a while. We decided at 630pm to try and get some sleep and head home. Woke up at 830 to rain hitting the car. All had worked out- all the moves were right, and with a little sleep were good to drive home. And rain it did. Was glad not to be 1) near Stratton Pond with the car in the morning and 2) getting out of a tent after big rains. Not that that too would not create additional adventures, but this trip was just about easy fun.

Pix here- http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/6370154_te7bT#402683610_8UANE

Piper Mt Via Piper Mountain Trail 10/4/08

I have always tried to get my son Jason involved in hiking but he hasn't really been interested, so I didn't push. Recently I asked if he would like to try a hike with friends, and he agreed so I spent lots of time trying t ofind a really easy hike with a good summit to enjoy to leave a fun experience. I looked at tons of places, but at the last minute chose Piper from some reports I had read. Jason was relcutant to go after the friends couldn't make it, but I told told him if we went we would pig out and then fast food it on the way home. Ah, 11 year olds...

We hit the trail and Jason ran up quickly; it starts to go up after 5 miutes and he was actually heading up faster than me with no issue. The trail was easy to follow so I let him lead to get a sense of trail and blaze following. After a few minutes we could see the clouds roll in and hear the wind- I knew it would be cool up top. We stopped off for hot chocolate and take some pix. Jason was anxious to keep moving, so we did. We ran into a couple of people on the trail who I had given some bad info to, but they found the trail and caught up to us. They had lots of good info on the area and told me how to get maps for the future.

We kept going and then hit the summit area on the North Peak. Wow- maybe no 4000 footer, but it was a huge summit area with a stone bench, and had several rock chairs. We took a lot of pictures, and walked around the whole summit area. It was windy and cool, so we wrore loves and hats. We stayed for around 1-1.5 hours, and eventually the wind died down a bit and the sun tried to get out so the weather was better. I strongly recommed this short mile hike and summit for a newbie- Jason had a ton of fun walking around the North Peak and checking out every area. I could see on a warm day going there and relaxing for many hours. Good place.

Getting ready to leave, we hit the true summit following the green blazed trail, I think the Vista trail. Nice views from there too. It was a very fast descent and we were on the way home. I know Jason enjoyed and hopefully he will want to go again and we can maybe try somthing a little more- and still keep it fun for him.

Some pix- mostly Jason and me goofing around.. http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/6139227_xVgdM#386359559_jMhoG

Mt Madison Via Valley way and Watson Path August 31, 2008

All week I had planned on a trip to the Baldfaces; not a simple hike for non-4000 footers but with lots of nice above treeline walking. For some reason, as it got closer, I had a desire to get on the Northern Presidentials and do some rock hopping. The forecast was for clear weather, but strong winds. I decided to go for it- worst case I could do Mt. Madison and head down Valley Way.

I wanted to do something new- so I decided on the Valley Way to the Watson Path. I have always been intrigued since Reading Not Without Peril about the trail- plus, the guidebook calling it rough and wild was a draw.

I headed up Valley Way at 615 and the valley was clear but still clouds over the ridge. There was no breeze on the trail; as usual it was warm up the Valley Way. I got to the Watson Path fairly quickly, took a snack break and thought about what to do next. I could hear the winds so I knew of that, but their seemed the hope of clearing so decided to head up the Watson Path. Plan was if it clouds rolled in I could- drop back down or head across the Pink Link to the Hut. Leaving the Valley Way you could tell this was a lightly used trail, lightly overgrown and a nice comfortable turf. At the Brookside junction there was a big mud puddle, easily navigated. You could also start to see larger boulders. Crossing Duck Falls, the trail changed. It became much steeper, the trail frequently going over gnarled roots and large boulders. I had seen similar on the Devils Path in the Catskills. Although there were some prolonged sections of steep climbing so far I felt it wasn’t too tough.

Along this way I started to think of the story from Not Without Peril of McDonald Barr and son (and one other), who took this trail about 22 years this same week and died on the summit of Madison. The weather was nothing like that day, but I decided to look around and wonder what they could have been thinking persisting on the hike and where they could have seen chances to get to safety.

I broke above treeline and immediately could feel a very stiff wind- also knowing that it wasn’t the full force yet. Thinking back to Barr in 1986 and the 50 plus mph winds and the rain and sleet this would seem like a real decision point time. I put on wool hat and gloves. It was very cool and the strong wind made it feel cold. Visibility was good so I followed the cairns above the first hump and got a better view of the trail and valley. The wind got stronger and consistent. The trail followed around the side of the mountain, with occasional pops over the top of what could be thought of false summits. This was something that Barr’s son had talked about- they kept moving since they thought they were close but in reality the trail keeps heading up. There was a spot where the trail bounced down into the scrub; it looked like a good place to hide in bad weather. There were varying weather patterns, always with wind but sometimes with heavier fog rolling in. On occasion the wind was pushing me sideways and I had to grab on to the rocks.

I stopped a couple of times behind some large rock formations; they were good spots to get a break from the wind. I pulled to the Pine Link and looked around. To the east- it was clear and nice- towards the summit, fairly socked in. I decided to move on since the fog would keep lifting and visibility was not an issue. I kept moving and on the back side of the summit got a break from the wind and had the best weather of the day. I stopped for a drink and to enjoy- I knew when I hopped up to the summit the wind would pick right back up. At summit- second time on Madison, same weather as last time with Sapblatt. I moved on quickly and looked around to wonder where McDonald Barr had died and how horrible a thing it was and what his son went through. It was a sobering thing to think about. I passed a lot of people heading to the summit as I descended, the wind still whipping. I stopped in the hut and sat and had lunch- a croo member told me it was 1045. Really early, but I thought about it and with the suspect visibility and stiff winds decided to head down Valley Way. Others were heading around the Presi’s, I personally have had enough of walking around up there in stiff winds and fog.

As I descended, I could see the fog lift from the summits, but still seemed windy.

Sitting in the beautiful weather on the lot and relaxing, I came to the following about the hike of McDonald Barr- you just can’t place yourself in the place of somebody else. Yes, I think he wasn’t prepared and made bad decisions to move on but what would have happened to me if an unexpected hail storm moved in. I think the best we can do is hoped to gain enough from these stories so that we can fully respect the fury of the weather on our big little mountains.

Pix http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/5847327_ctPH2#362870822_UWiPK

Moonlight Presidential Ridge Traverse Attempt August 16, 2008
Plans had been in effect for a while to try and so a moonlight travese of the Presidential Ridge- those attending were Rols, Sapblatt and Bobby. Weather has been so bad- rain- in NH in this summer 2008 there was little chance of this hike ever getting off the ground. But amazingly, as the day came closer, the forecast was rain during the day and then clearing at sunset with only 10% chance of rain overnight. So, it was on. Rols decided to not go- understandable with all the rain during the day and the unpredicatble NH weather. Sapblatt, Bobby and I got to the Appalachia trailhead and it was raining heavily. Knowing we had plenty of time for the hike, we relaxed hoping the rain would stop. After 45 minutes, sure enough the rain stopped and the sun came out. Too good to be true.

We headed up Valley Way casually, until the trail became steeper. We kept moving with occassional breaks. As we neared the breakout to Madison Hut, I could feel my quads tightening and was glad to get to flat ground to rest. At Madison Hut, it was much cooler and windier. We changed into long pants and then refilled water for the ridge walk. We could see the sun setting ahead and the moon rising behind. wow, this was working out well. As we left the hut I cramped up again and needed to massage my legs and eventually we were able to keep moving along the Gulfside trail. We could see nicely into the Valley as it was getting dark. As we went on, a fog stated to roll in- where was that coming from- and route finding became difficult. We made it out to Thunderstorm Junction and took a snack break. We decided with the fog that Sapblatt would go out in search of the next cairn, I would go out behind him and Bobby would stay at the last cairn. In this way, we could find the next one and not lose the one just visited in case we needed to double back. We descended towards Edmands Col using excellent teamwork. As we neared the Col, the winds really picked up- 35mph with 50 mph gusts. The fog was thicker and we couldn't find the next cairn. It was easier to lose site of each other and we had to discuss for a second what the correct direction was. In seconds we decided it was time to turn back- it started to become work with the chance of danger.

We turned back and along the way ran into Rick, who also was trying this hike but decieded to go back down with us due to the weather. We headed down the Airline and the winds over the headwall felt as high as 60 mph- I had a hard fall and the wind blew one of my poles off my head and 15 feet away. We took the Airline Cutoff to get to Valley Way and from there it was a descent back to the car. I was having some real knee pains- which made my descent painful and very slow.

It was a fun try, but this trip really showed how hard it is to predict White Mountains weather.

A couple of pix-- http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/5734659_WbWa6#354155647_sUrUm

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