Galehead Mountain and the Twins

Katy and I had been planning all week long to hike up North and South Twin Mountains on Saturday of this weekend to add to our NH 4000 footers list. It was a busy weekend in store for us already, with my sister's bridal shower planned for Sunday, and Katy's father inviting us to visit him, her mom, and her brother in a lake house he's renting all summer long near Alton Bay, NH. So we decided we'd continue with our plan to hike starting early on Saturday, stop by for a BBQ in Alton Bay afterwards, and then continue home so Katy can make it to the shower on Sunday. When yesterday rolled around, we did what we have done so many times now and got up at 5AM to make the drive north. We were out the door by about 6AM and were on the North Twin trail at about 8:30AM. On paper the Twins are a hefty hike and are a straight-up out and back of over 11 miles. Both are tall with South Twin topping out over 4900 feet. We headed up with conditions warm in the 60's, foggy and cloudy, but forecast to be even warmer and sunnier as the day progressed.

The first section of this trail is easy with relatively simple grades, but less than a half mile in, we came across our first significant river crossing. The trail descriptions indicated that this hike has three significant stream crossings, but two of them can be bypassed by following a herd path along the river's edge. When we reached this first crossing, it seemed passable, but not without getting our boots wet, so we opted to take the pretty clear herd path that continued on to our left. While not the official trail, this path was pretty well beaten and easy to follow. With some trail maintenance work it would not be difficult to turn it into the official route. After about 15 or 20 minutes following this path along the river's edge, we met back up with the official trail and continued the steady and gradual climb and passed the one other rock-hoppable river crossing further along. After about two easy miles, we gradually hiked away from the river and the trail became steeper.

We made it to the summit of North Twin in about two and half hours at which point the fog was finally beginning to lift and the winds were beginning to subside. From the outlook near the peak you could see the wispy fog and clouds clearing from the mountains and the nearby Galehead Hut. I mentioned to Katy that Galehead Hut is only 0.8 miles from the peak of South Twin and the little nub next to the hut was Galehead Mountain, a peak we have yet to bag. Pondering this thought, we continued on towards the summit of South Twin. The 1.3 mile section of trail between North and South Twin was very simple and we navigated it in a little over a half hour. During this time frame, the clouds and the winds had rapidly disappeared and we enjoyed panoramic views on the exposed summit cone of South Twin. Galehead Hut also looked tantalizingly close. I crunched some quick numbers and estimated that it would add an additional two hours to our hike to go down and bag Galehead, leaving just enough time to make it to Alton Bay by the 6PM that we had given Katy's father as an estimate. Katy wasn't sure if she wanted to do it, but she's heading down the trail towards Galehead as she's telling me this. I guess we are going for it!

The trail between South Twin and Galehead Hut may only be 0.8 miles, but it is steep. It goes down about 1000 feet in elevation in this short section. Down, down, down we went, chatting up a couple of different groups of hikers along the way. It seemed like many who were on this section of trail were doing some type of a loop hike with car spots at the each end of the Twins and either Galehead or Garfield. Perhaps my favorite exchange with another hiker coming up from the hut went like this-- Hiker: "Where are you guys headed?" Us: "Up to Galehead." Hiker: "Then where?" Us: "Back up over and down the Twins where we parked." Hiker: "Why?" He was not the only one surprised that we were doing an out-and-back to Galehead from Haystack Road! When we finally did reach the hut, there were probably about two dozen hikers there soaking in the beauty of a day that it has turned into. We ate some lunch and then continued on, hiking the additional simple half mile up to the viewless peak of Galehead Mountain.

By the time we reached the summit of Galehead, despite the fact that we bagged an extra peak (!), I think Katy was just about ready to kill me at this point for suggesting so enthusiastically that we add this "quick and easy" two and half miles to our hike. We headed back down to Galehead Hut and after another quick stop, began the dreaded climb back up South Twin, 1000 feet of elevation gain in 0.8 miles. While not too difficult in terms of scrambling, when this section of trail is 7+ miles into a hike, it can be tough. Up, up, up we went, and by the time we made it back to the summit of South Twin, it had been a two and half hour detour on our hike, just a little longer than my original estimate. It had also warmed up even more and the peak was full of several hikers, some relaxing and sunning themselves on this now sunny day. With the steep section up from Galehead Hut behind us, I think Katy stopped hating me and we continued on. After double bagging North Twin, we motored down the rest of the trail and were back at the car just after 5PM. Nearly 14 miles and 3 peaks (two double bagged) in under 9 hours was not a bad day. On top of that we made it to Alton Bay by 6:30PM and were greeted with a BBQ with family. That's now 35 of 48 done!

Mount Isolation

Yesterday was a warm, clear day here in the Northeast, which meant it was a perfect opportunity for Katy and I to get another hike in. With such a great day in store, we considered all of our remaining NH 4000 footers, including an above treeline hike up Madison and Adams, the long drive to Mount Cabot, or the hefty ascent of the tall Twin mountains. In the end, though, we decided to get one of "the long ones" done - Mount Isolation. On paper, Mount Isolation is a curious challenge. While it is the second shortest mountain on the 4000 footer list at only 4004 feet, it is not easily accessible from any trailhead. For this reason, it is actually the most popular "last bagged" peak for those completing all 48. The shortest route mileage-wise leaves from the Glen Ellis falls trailhead, takes you up past Glen Boulder over a side shoulder of Mount Washington, before hiking down to the summit of Isolation. Total mileage is just under 13 miles, but the trouble is you have to hike up to well over 5000 feet in order to reach the lowly Isolation summit. Another slightly longer option but with easier grades is done via the Rocky Branch Trail. This route is just under 15 miles but does not require large swings in elevation. After considering the choices, we opted for the longer but steadier route.

We awoke at 5:00AM yesterday morning and managed to pack up and be out the door by about 5:45AM. The drive to Isolation is a long one, but we were geared up and on the trail at 8:45AM. There were only two other cars in the lot when we arrived and in total we saw only three other groups on the trails all day long. The initial part of the trail began with a gradual ascent up a dry trail, piece of cake! As we continued along, we began to encounter more and more wet and muddy sections of the trail, until we were basically rock hopping down a stream for miles. The mud and the water made it a little slower to navigate, but the grades were still easy and we continued on. After about 3 or 4 miles of hiking, probably the most unusual thing that's ever happened to me on a trail, happened. I had stopped for a second to plan my next step, when something smashed me hard on the top of my head. My teeth crunched and I yelled mostly from being so startled and saw two pieces of a large tree branch fall down on either side of me. Katy was just a few feet behind me and saw the large tree branch fall from a tree above and hit me on the top of the head before breaking in half. I was shaken up for a bit but other than the adrenaline jolt, I appeared to be ok.

We continued on and shortly encountered the first of five very significant river crossings. For the most part, we were able to rock hop these crossings, but a couple of times we weren't able to find a simple route and had to wade through the fast moving current. The water was well above our ankles and made for some sloshy boots but other than that, we were no worse for the wear. Over five miles in, over six miles in, and we reached the final trail junction, which was another mile or so until the summit. At about 1:30PM we arrived at the peak of Mount Isolation, which despite its lowly stature has exposed ledges with great views of the southern Presidentials as well as panoramic views to all sides. It was very windy when we came out from the cover of the trees but there was not one cloud in the sky with the temperatures probably in the 50's at the summit. We took in some views, snapped a few photos, and then retreated to find some cover from the wind to eat lunch.

We descended down exactly the way we came up. Back through the river crossings, and back along the wet, muddy, trail. It was a fairly uneventful descent, with no tree branches falling from the sky, and still the easy, gradual grades. The many miles of hiking began to wear on the muscles, the feet, and the joints, though, and we were both eager to see the car when we finally reached the bottom. We arrived back at the trailhead at about 6:00PM for a total hike time of just over 9 hours. After a post-hike meal at the Red Fox, we headed back home to complete a very long day trip but a satisfying adventure. For those keeping track (me), that's 32 out of 48 4000 footers complete!

Mount Garfield

Today, Katy and I checked another mountain off of our NH 4000 footer list: Mount Garfield. It's been over a month since our last hiking adventure in the White Mountains, but yesterday it looked like we may be able to get out and get one done today. After a bit of a false start getting going this morning, we finally did get out the door at 7AM and were at the trailhead by 9:30AM just north of Franconia Notch. Normally, a hike up Mount Garfield is a 10 mile out and back affair that takes you up a long but steady ascent of the Garfield Trail to the 4500' peak. However, in winter time, the access road to the trailhead is gated off, and the hike requires an additional 1.2 mile out and back road walk from the gate bringing the total mileage to 12.4. Even though the "winter that never was" has left no snow on the ground at the lower elevations, we were still ahead of schedule for the gate to be opened so had to opt for the extended route. We were off on the high mileage hike.

Spring may be in full swing back in Massachusetts, but there are still some chilly days ahead in the White Mountains. The temperature at the trailhead was in the upper 30's under partly cloudy skies as we made our way down the access road and to the main trailhead. The first half of the trail had easy grades and no snow to be seen which made for a leisurely climb. As we continued to gain elevation, we began to come across more and more snowy and icy patches and the temperature continued to drop until we were hiking on a full fledged frozen monorail, about six inches to a foot deep. We put on micropikes in these higher elevations and continued the upward climb. For the most part, the grades remained fairly gradual and steady, but with no trail junctions or checkpoints to speak of until the final quarter mile, the upward march was a bit of a slog. We made good time, though, and reached the end of the Garfield Trail, 0.2 miles from the summit.

The final push to the summit was easily the steepest and most challenging, but it was short-lived. We quickly made it to the top and popped out above treeline to some cloudy but still plentiful views. The temperature was much colder at the peak, and the wind was whipping across the exposed summit for even lower wind chills. We stayed just long enough to snap a few photos before heading back for cover in the trees. The trip down was the same route we took up, and we again made good time. We made it back to the car just before 3:30PM for a total trip time of just under 6 hours.

Mount Garfield is the 31st of 48 peaks that Katy and I have hiked on a journey that we started two and a half years ago. All have been great experiences, most have been fun, tiring, and endorphin filled conquests, and a few have been tough and not lived up to expectations. Mount Garfield was somewhere in the middle, a workmanlike effort. We punched in, we hiked, we punched out, and we checked it off the list. Not all hikes are like this, but when you set this type of goal, and you bag all 48 peaks, sometimes the experience is just that. I really enjoyed the day with my best friend, though, finishing it off with a post-hike meal at the Common Man in Lincoln. Here's to warmer weather and beautiful days for our treks this summer on some of the great hikes in the Whites: the big Presidentials and the Bonds!

The Tripyramids

A few days ago, Katy and I were having fun with our NH 4000 footer list. Specifically, we were wondering how realistic it would be to complete the entire list by the end of this year, and we did this by attempting to map out an ultra-tentative master schedule of the remaining hikes. We did it - but holy crap that is a lot of hiking! With weddings, vacations, school work, etc filling our commitments for weekends, it is really hard to fit all of those hikes in. Only time will tell whether or not 2012 is the year that we apply for our 4000 footer patches, but at least we started off our sprint to the finish line on the right foot. The first hike on the master schedule is to tackle the Tripyramids on President's Day weekend. Today we followed through.

As the name suggests, there are three peaks that make up the Tripyramids: North, Middle, and South. However, only the North and Middle peaks qualify to be on the 4000 footer list according to the AMC's criteria. There are several possible routes up these peaks, but we chose the most popular winter route which approaches from the Kancamagus Highway to the north. After getting up at 5:00AM this morning, we were out the door at 5:30AM and at the trailhead for the Pine Bend Brook Trail just before 8:30AM.

We had been tracking several trip reports over the past few days up this trail, and most seemed to suggest that snowshoes would be the weapon of choice from start to finish. However, the weather was quite a bit colder today with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit at the trailhead under sunny blue skies. We found the trail well packed down from previous snowshoers, with very firm and solid snow conditions. We decided to start with microspikes, strapped our snowshoes to our packs, and headed off. The first mile or so of the trail was straightforward with easy grades and a well groomed trail. However, while the conditions of the trail continued to be smooth and well packed, the steepness quickly increased. The next couple miles were a fairly relentless climb, with some sections being fairly difficult to ascend with just light traction. We made it to the trail junction with the Scaur Ridge Trail, though, and continued the steady ascent all the way to the peak of North Tripyramid.

It was quite a bit colder at the higher elevations, with temperatures likely in the low teens. But with almost no wind to speak of and sunny skies it was mostly just crisp and comfortable. We made an easy descent down North Tripyramid and made it to the top of Middle Tripyramid at about 11:30AM. The skies were clear and the views were fantastic on all sides. After a short break we began our descent. Our original plan was to do a simple out and back, but considering some of the hard packed and very steep sections that we ascended on the Pine Bend Brook Trail, we thought it might be worth trying the Sabbaday Brook Trail which is a similar length and ends up only a mile up the road from where we parked on the highway. This trail was a bit of a mess, as it was not well packed, and was damaged by bare boot traffic. We switched to snowshoes and started our way down, smoothing out the trail at the higher elevations.

As we continued to lose elevation, the trail became crustier and more difficult to smooth out. We kept the snowshoes on for almost the remainder of the hike, though, as it was easier to navigate over the top of the post holes and lumpy terrain. This trail also zig-zags across a stream probably over a dozen times but most of the crossing were either fairly easy to rock hop, or were bridged over with ice. Overall, it was a beat up trail, but the grades were much more gradual than Pine Bend Brook, and was likely a simpler descent. We arrived at the trailhead before 3:00PM and had a simple one mile road walk back to our car. Another great day and a great hike. 30/48 done!

Mount Jackson Revenge!

After a fun hike and a great weekend over the New Year's holiday, I wasn't sure when the next opportunity Katy and I would get to knock another NH 4000 footer off our list. Most weekends during the law school semester are extremely busy. However, during this past week, Katy mentioned several times that she was "really craving hiking". When she suggested yesterday that she was in a good enough position to maneuver a free day today for a day hike, I said: Sure! We looked at our list of remaining mountains, scoured the trip reports on New England Trail Conditions and Views from the Top, and settled on the shortest and "easiest" hike remaining: Mount Jackson.

I put "easiest" in quotes because there is a back story to Mount Jackson as it relates to our 4000 footer quest. Last year, during Katy's spring break in early March, the two of us took a trip up to Mount Jackson to make our first ever attempt at a winter 4000 foot summit. The forecast for that day last March called for partly cloudy with temperatures in the upper 20's and a chance of flurries. Doesn't sound too bad! We did not own snowshoes at this point so we rented our gear and headed off. When we arrived in Crawford Notch last year the snowbanks were well over 10 feet high and we had trouble even finding the trailhead on the side of the road. As you can see by the side-by-side trailhead shots from last year and this year, there was several more feet of snow on the ground at the bottom of the mountain. Regardless, we trudged our way in several feet of snow of an unbroken trail, fell into a spruce trap or two on the way up, and made our way to just below the summit cone. The final 200 meters or so of the hike up Jackson is extremely steep, and by this point we were up to about five or six feet of snow on the ground with heavy snow coming down. We weren't quite sure where the trail went from here (since it was completely unbroken) and tried several routes up the cliff of ice and snow in front of us. After several attempts we finally turned back. It was an adventure and I enjoyed the trip, but there was a twinge of disappoint in not reaching the summit.

So this year we were back for our revenge. The forecast for this morning called for, yes, partly cloudy with temperatures in the upper 20's and a chance of flurries. Perfect! The real barrier to our success last time, though, was not really the flurries turned blizzard, it was the sheer depth of the snow and the unbroken trail conditions that we faced. When we arrived at the trail head this morning, it was cold with a mix of sun and clouds, and of course much less snow than last year. The trail was well packed out by recent hikers but still with a decent enough depth and consistency to warrant snowshoes. We saw several groups out today, many using microspikes with a couple other snowshoers in the mix. By the time we were on the trail, it was close to 10AM.

We worked our way up at a decent pace, quickly getting into a good groove. The clouds and blue sky were swapping in and out, and we actually did get a few flurries during the hike, but it wasn't a flurry blizzard like the last time around. There were some reasonably steep sections of the trail up Mount Jackson, but we maneuvered through them with relative ease until we reached our nemesis: the summit cone. From here we could quickly see what happened to us last year -- We took a wrong turn and ended up attempting an ascent of a sheer cliff. With a packed out trail we could see that there was a wide sweep around to the right that we missed or were unable to correctly follow last time around. This time we followed the correct route, and made it up the still very challenging, but manageable final scramble to the summit. Mission Accomplished.

The summit was partially clear and afforded views in all directions. This final section of the hike was the only section that popped up above treeline and it was a noticeable difference. The wind was howling and the windchill was likely below zero. We snapped a few pictures, took in a few views, and then headed back down. We were back to the car before 2PM and headed back home after finally exacting our revenge! 28 out of 48 4k footers now complete!

Mount Waumbek

With the fall semester over, the holiday family gatherings complete, and the spring semester not quite upon us yet, Katy and I decided to take a few days for just the two of us. We both have brand new snowshoes that we'd really like to break in, so we headed north and spent New Year's weekend in the White Mountains. The weather for Saturday looked iffy, with freezing rain and rain showers in the forecast. So we decided to spend that day poking around Jackson, NH, and ice skating at Nestlenook. It turned out to be a cloudy day but with very little precipitation and just an overall good time.

After a low-key New Year's Eve, we woke up relatively early on Sunday morning for a New Year's Day hike up Mount Waumbek. Mount Waumbek is one of the shortest of the NH 4000 footers and is a relatively straightforward out and back hike, 7.2 miles round trip. Despite our desire to snowshoe, all of the trip reports seemed to indicate that there just wasn't enough snow on most of the peaks, even at the higher elevations. Several Waumbek hikers over the previous few days reported using microspikes all the way up, so that's what we used as well. At about 9:30AM we were at the trailhead, with only one other car in the lot and temperatures in the low 30's and climbing.

The early part of the trail was a mix of ice and bare ground but this quickly gave way to persistent icy conditions covering the entire trail. The microspikes handled this with ease, though, and we were able to move along at a good pace. As we continued to gain elevation, the temperatures dipped back below freezing with a good 4-6 inches of snow on the ground. The trail was well packed down, though, and easy to navigate. Blue skies were threatening at the start of the hike, but we hiked right into a cloud and were viewless at the minor Starr King summit and the tree covered Waumbek summit. We reached the peak before noon and grabbed a few pictures and a quick snack before heading down.

On our descent, we passed several other groups going up, and when we reached the trailhead, the small lot was full and the temperatures were well into the 40's. We stayed another night at the Town and Country Inn in Gorham, NH before heading back home today. Overall it was a great hike, a great day, and a great New Year's weekend getaway with my favorite person. Mount Waumbek is our 27th NH 4000 footer and our first official winter 4000 footer.

Pierce and Eisenhower

It has been a summer of hiking for me and Katy this year as we've gotten halfway home bagging all of New Hampshire's 4000 footers. We're in the midst of a schedule shift now, though, as Katy has returned to law school for her second year and free weekend days have quickly become scarce. However, this being Labor Day weekend, we had targeted it as a potential opportunity to get one more hike in. Most weather reports had indicated that Saturday would be the best day for a hike, with Sunday and Monday sporting potential showers and thunderstorms. We attended a wedding on Saturday, though, so we would have to make do with our less ideal options. My original thought was that we would hike the Tripyramids since they were the shortest drive away, but with those trails containing some extremely steep and very challenging slides, it seemed as though those should be saved for a drier day. With a busy schedule and a dicey forecast, we went to sleep on Saturday night still undecided about a hike (though we set our alarms for 5:30AM just in case).

We awoke early Sunday morning to the harsh sound of my alarm clock in the quiet darkness before dawn. Our new thought for a hike was to tackle the simple and straightforward Crawford Path up a couple of presidentials, Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower. The weather reports were conflicting, but included extreme fog warnings for the morning hours, chance of showers in the afternoon, chance of thunderstorms later in the day, and temperatures in the 60's and 70's. "Should we go?" "I don't know I just want to go back to sleep." "Ok we'll go." We threw together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snacks, and water, packed some rain gear in our day packs, and were out the door at around 6:45AM. The ride up was uneventful with no precipitation, but we did encounter some significant fog as we got farther north. Once we reached Crawford Notch, though, the fog had mostly lifted, with summits still in the clouds but patches of sun trying to poke through. We were on the trail a bit later than usual but before 10AM under promising conditions.

The hike up the Crawford Path was a steady ascent but with no real significant steep sections. We went by several small waterfalls along the route and easily made our way to the top of Mount Pierce before noon. Clearly some trail maintenance crews had been through the trail in the past week as we experienced no obstacles and some obviously recently cleared and cut blowdowns in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene a week ago. The summit of Mount Pierce required a side tour off the Crawford Path up the Webster Jackson Trail where we were still mostly socked in the clouds, but could begin to see some hazy views. The Mount Washington Hotel was visible through the clouds into the valley, and most of the trail up to Mount Eisenhower was visible with the summit still covered. We ate our lunch and then pressed on to the summit of Eisenhower, which was blustery but a little bit clearer. It was very hazy, but you could see all the way to Mount Jefferson at this point. We were feeling ambitious, and nearly continued on to Mount Monroe, but ultimately decided against it as that would've turned a simple 10.5 mile hike into a nearly 15 mile slog. We came down off the summit of Eisenhower and took a left turn onto the Edmands Path to work our way down.

We started hearing distant rumbles of thunder during our hike down, and those rumbles continued for an hour or so. The skies were continuing to brighten, though, and the thunder coincided with a few 30 second sun showers but that was it. We made it down to a trailhead parking lot at about 3PM, but still had a 2.5 mile hike on the road to get to the other trailhead where we parked. We did this in under an hour and then made our way back home, stopping at the Tilton Diner along the way for dinner. Once again we beat the forecast, with essentially no rain, some thick and hazy cloud cover but no significant fog, and temperatures eventually reaching the upper 80's. It was a nice hike, an enjoyable day, and I'm really glad we decided to do it.