My friend and I spent a night on the Kate Sleeper Trail over
Presidents' Day weekend. We made it an easy carspot by leaving my car at
Sabbaday and making the short drive to the Oliverian Brook Trail. We started in
spikes but on the ascent to Passaconaway we switched to snowshoes and they
would be used for the bulk of the trip. Day 1 was cold and in the single digits
much of the day. We saw a good number of people as we went from Passaconaway to
Whiteface and then were were alone for the remainder, except for one pair we
met at the top of North Tripyramid and those enjoying Sabbaday Falls.
The heavy packs wore us down and we were tired by the time
we reached Whiteface. We were breaking
trail on Kate Sleeper and ready for camp. Luckily there were plenty of good
spots to camp on that trail. We set up camp in the low point between East and
West Sleeper and while the temps warmed through the night the wind also howled
something fierce. I had my share of camping blunders, doing a poor job with my
tarp tie-outs and having stove issues in the morning. Luckily Pete heated up
water for me. The most challenging part of the trip was the South Slide climb.
It was fairly icy but the snowshoes worked great for traction (as well as the
heel rises). Pete lost his Garmin InReach on the slide which was dispiriting
but we deloaded, threw on spikes and went back down. Luckily he found it right
where he suspected he lost it. We wore spikes the rest of the way up South
Tripyramid out of stubborn/laziness and that was a true slog. From there we
went back to snowshoes for the remainder of the trip.
After enjoying the short packed out section from Middle to
North to Middle Tri, we descended via the Sabbaday Falls Brook Trail. The trail
was choppy due to the recent warm temps and as we descended it probably reached
40 degrees, resulting in mash potato snow. That five mile hike out really
finished us off. Passaconaway and Whiteface were #27-28 on my winter 48 list
and Whiteface was #45 for Round 3 leaving me with three more to go (Owls Head,
Isolation and Wildcat A).
Spent the weekend on the Kilkenny Ridge with a friend. We both drove up to South Pond which was a
long dark drive for me with RI/MA traffic.
Surprised to see someone else camping there as well (they were doing a
single day traverse as it turned out). We
woke up around 5 AM and I drove us down to the Mt Starr King trailhead where we
began around 6:30 AM.
I was pretty happy with my gear choices but it wouldn’t be a
backpacking trip if I didn’t screw something up.When it came to footwear I found myself having
to choose between my trail runners and my insulated winter boots (I realized
too late that I’ve never had to rely on an in-between shoe).Recent trail reports suggested a dusting of
snow, if any, and the temps were forecast to be in the mid-30s.I went with my trail runners.
There was a light layer of snow in the woods almost
immediately, and within a mile, on the trail as well.It was 21 degrees to start but soon the sun
was up and the temp rose quickly towards 30.It was bright with clear skies and we enjoyed the views from Starr King
and Waumbek.The trail is immediately
different once you pass the Waumbek outlook and begin the Kilkenny Ridge
Trail.We were pushing through spruce
branches and stepping over a couple down trees.The snow here was probably only ½ inch but it was dusting the tops of my
shoes and soon soaking through.
Despite the wet feet I was warm and we would switch between
sunshine and shade as we travelled up and down the Weeks.We weren’t sure exactly how far we were going
to get but we figured we could make it up to the Cabot summit.As we reached the notch between the Weeks and
Terrace Mountain my feet finally began to get cold and uncomfortable.I threw a couple toe warmers in there and we
proceeded on.
Once we began travelling up Cabot we were in the sun again
and my feet warmed, which was comforting both physically and mentally.The views from Bunnell Rock were splendid and
the thermometer read 60 degrees in the sun.Lovely!But those temps wouldn’t
last.We were both plodding up that last
climb to Cabot Cabin and my feet were once again getting cold by the time we reached
it.The interior had been spruced up
with a new paint job since my previous visit.We didn’t linger long as we weren’t planning to stay at the Cabin so we
continued almost to the summit of Cabot and then ventured into the woods to
find a place to camp.We didn’t have
great options but we were starting to lose the light and now my feet were
really cold.So we settled on a spot and
I went through the stressful process of setting up the hammock in the cold.
Almost as soon as that thing was set up I jumped in and went
to work warming my feet up.I made my meal
from the hammock and only left its cozy confines to hang my food bag and pee. Of course, it wasn’t all rainbows and space
heaters.I spilled the water I was heating
for my water bottle and barely had enough left for coffee in the morning.And I’m not sure why I bought cheesy potato
soup since I’m not a big cheese fan.I
guess I was hoping it wasn’t too cheesy but that was a fool’s hope.Nevertheless I gutted it down.
Mountain Forecast had predicted temps that night in the
mid-30s but it ended up getting down to the mid-20s.I was still fairly warm but I did pop a
couple hand warmers and placed them on my midsection in the middle of the
night.Packing up is always the hardest
part of cold weather backpacking and as usual I made a mess of things.When you’re only out for one night I just
cram it all in there so I can get moving again.
Day 2 was much easier than Day 1 with less miles, much less
elevation and less snow.The views from
the Horn were excellent and it almost felt like a summer day in the sun by
Unknown Pond.The long descent from
Unknown Pond before we climb Rogers Ledge was an enjoyable saunter, with lovely
views through the bare trees.
The final steep climb up Rogers Ledge gave us a workout but
we were rewarded with the final scenic overlook of the trip.After descending most of the way we opted to
take the Devil’s Hopyard trail which we both needed for redlining
purposes.The Hopyard quickly put me in
my place when I slipped on a rock and almost went head first into the drink, thankfully
submerging just my arm.Ripped my pants
up though.The Hopyard was very
impressive – it gets noticeably cooler in there almost immediately and the
running water under the rocks just sounds awsome.We went as far as we dared but we should have
researched beforehand – there’s an End of Trail sign we did not reach so I’ll
be heading back there again at some point.
Then it was an easy walk to South Pond and we were
done.Overall a great trip with great company.I’m still very much a novice at cold weather
backpacking and learned more valuable lessons.The Kilkenny Ridge is the place to go for solitude - past Waumbek we encountered
four people the entire trip.If you have
an idle 23 minutes here’s the video of the full excursion.Now to go find some waterproof boots.
After previously testing my hammock out on top of my hill I
was excited to give winter camping a shot when I ventured up to the White
Mountains last week. I had a lot of day hikes planned as I continued to work on
completing my winter 4000 footer list (now currently at 23/48) but I also
wanted to spend a night in the woods. I ended up planning hikes around the
Lincoln, NH/Kancamagus Highway area as it provided easy access to lots of peaks
as well as a good spot to set up my hammock without driving hours around the
Whites.
On my second day I hiked the Tripyramids in the morning and
then I relaxed in Lincoln for a couple hours before returning to the woods
around 3 PM. I found a nice spot near a stream about 1/4 mile from the car.
While I backpacked in with all my gear I also used the short distance to return
to the car to grab some extras such as booties and another quilt. Maybe the
hardest thing for me was going to bed so early as I normally go to sleep around
10:30. But once it got dark I settled in to the hammock and actually fell
asleep pretty quickly.
This worked out because after midnight it began to snow. It
was extremely light and fluffy and almost seemed like rain at first. For awhile
things were good but then the wind picked up and at that point my tarp failures
became evident. I dozed again and woke to snow covering my quilt. I hemmed and
hawed about what to do before finally deciding to pack up around 4 AM (I
normally wake up between 4:30-5:00 so I was pretty much up anyway).
While my tarp issues are pretty evident in the video I was
super pleased with how the underquilt/sleeping bag performed. Granted it was
only about 22 degrees so not super cold but I was cooking in there and even
when I decided to pack up my feet were only at the very beginning stages of
cooling off. I went to bed with a hot water bottle but removed it around 10 PM
as I was just too warm. Overall I consider this a positive test of my gear. Now
I need to focus on my tarp in order to ensure I have success in the future.
Here's the video:
As is our tradition these last few years, Ezri and I went up the Whites for an overnight in the mountains. Usually this involves a stay at an AMC Hut - a good incentive that gets her up there. This year with COVID the Huts aren't an option so with some reluctance she agreed to go backpacking and stay at an actual campsite in the woods. I choose Libery Springs campsite as it's not too far a climb and would allow us to climb Liberty and Flume unencumbered. Fairly windy up top but the forest provided some cover so it wasn't too bad down at the campsite.
I wasn't sure if she would be willing to continue along the ridge on Day 2 but she was game. Very windy once we got past Little Haystack. It was a long day and she was toast by the time we reached the top of Lafayette. As a result it was a long slow descent down Old Bridle Path. Our moods darkened. Luckily nothing like finishing the hut to pick up our spirits. Overall this was a fun adventure and I'm hopeful she'll want to undergo more such trips with her old man.
Been a couple years since I went hammock camping so I was happy to get up to the Whites for a night in the area of Mt. Cabot. Went over Cabot for #45 of round two and then continued on to the Horn. Incredible sunset and sunrise. Very happy to be able to do this hike.
Note: This trip report is horribly late. A draft has been sitting amongst my other blog reports for the past eight months. With another group backpacking trip a few months away, I felt compelled to get this one finished.
My friend the Manchild let me know that he and his friends were preparing to do a two day hike in the Pemi wilderness, camping at the Guyot campsite. He invited me along and I was happy to get another chance to backpack in New Hampshire. I had done much of this hike last October but with spring conditions and new companions I knew it would be a completely different hike. This would be a two day janut, starting at Lincoln Woods and heading out through the Twins.
Besides my friend Rob I'd be hiking with Duncan, Derek and Pete. I drove up Thursday night and stayed at Duncan's cabin which was conveniently located just north of Franconia. They had already dropped off a spot car that night so in the morning all we had to do was load up one car and head to the Lincoln Woods parking lot. We got a respectable 7 AM start. It was chilly at first but I warmed up soon as we started moving.
Our adventure begins - Photo by Duncan Ross
The long, long Lincoln Woods trail
Nearly to Bondcliff summit - Photo by Duncan Ross
The last scramble to the top of Bondcliff
This was as close to the edge as I dared Photo by Duncan Ross
Heading towards Mt Bond - Photo by Duncan Ross
The first several miles of trail are an old rail bed and get boring after a while. It was nice hiking with other people and it made these dull miles pass faster. Once the trail began to climb a clear pecking order was established, with Duncan and myself often hiking up ahead before waiting for the other guys. The weather was warm and clear and when we reached the summit of Bondcliff we were treated to stellar views. We all took turns getting our picture taken on the famous cliff but Christ it was terrifying out there.
After a rest at Bondcliff we climbed the next short steep section to Mt Bond. Other hikers began to pass us on their way up at this point. As is my habit I was nervous about the Guyot campsite filling up but when we arrived at 2 PM there was still plenty of room. Only one of the platforms was taken and there a couple bags in the shelter. I set up my tent on the platform above the shelter, offering fine views of my domain. Derek set up on a platform nearby and Duncan and Derek set up shop in the shelter. The Manchild set up a hammock next to my platform.
The always opportunistic gray jay - Photo by Duncan Ross
Setting up camp at Guyot - Photo by Peter Boudreau
Relaxin' in style on our pimped out platform
Enjoying the sunset on West Bond
Breakfast in the Guyot "kitchen"
After setting up camp and relaxing, we ventured out to hike up to West Bond. Another fellow who was hiking the loop by himself joined us. This short hike was much more pleasant without the heavy pack. We hung at the summit for a while, enjoying the late afternoon. Once back at camp we cooked dinner on our various little stoves at my tent platform. By now it was late in the day and the camp was filling up. There was a group of boarding school girls that filled up the shelter. All the platforms had now been claimed by various groups. Derek gave up his platform to another couple and the guys carried his tent and placed it next to mine.
The next morning we made our breakfasts, packed up our gear and ventured out. All it took was the climb up from the Guyot Campsite to make my back ache. It was going to be a long day! The ridgeline along to South Twin held some remaining rotten snow and microspikes were a big help here. The views at South Twin were stellar and we spent a bit of time here enjoying the day.
After we passed North Twin and began to descend we encountered many people heading up the trail. A mix of snow/mud near the top made things slick but once we got lower the snow disappeared. We ran into one woman who had to park at Route 3 as Haystack Road was still closed. But just as she finished the two mile walk to the trailhead some cars went by. They opened the road just after she started out. What a drag! Once the trail flattened out we had to deal with a tough water crossing. The river was high so there was no choice but to just ford it.
The rocky exposed section near Mt Guyot - Photo by Duncan Ross
Slippery snow along the ridgeline - Photo by Duncan Ross
Mt Garfield in the distance from South Twin summit - Photo by Duncan Ross
Top o' South Twin
One last chance for views near the summit of North Twin Photo by Rob Ragazzo
Rob makes the tricky water crossing
Tired and with heavy packs, we finally made it to the trailhead. Now was the tricky part. Since Haystack Road had been closed, the guys had spotted a car on the nearby Little River Road. Maps showed that if we bushwacked along Little River we'd reach the car. Thus began our final odyssey. It was a slow march through the woods and brush. We were on a steep hill for much of it before getting down onto the river rocks and scrambling along them. Everyone was ready to be done but everyone kept their grumpiness to themselves. After what seemed like forever, we reached the car and the end of our journey.
Like I said I wrote much of this quite a while ago but I just wrote the Day 2 stuff which is why it's so sparse. However I must say this was a great trip with a terrific group of guys. I'm glad they thought to invite me - looking forward to more such adventures with them!
