Double Bow
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- Joined
- Apr 29, 2005
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I know what I'm doing in the mountains. Unfortunately, knowledge (and a dash of pride) can be a dangerous thing. I've been known to roll the dice and take some chances from time to time, but this time I almost rolled snake eyes.
Saturday morning I found that I had overslept. I figured I'd change my plans around and just hike on Sunday. Then, as I was getting comfortable with that thought, my inner gridiot (one who is working on "The Grid") woke up and reminded me that the whole reason that I was doing Lincoln & Lafayette was because they would be #s 41 & 42 on my January list and that the next day would be February! My stuff was mostly together so it didn't take me long to get dressed and out the door. My recent success w/10am starts had me feeling a bit cocky, despite the fact that I was starting later and doing a tougher hike.
When I got to Falling Waters and was gearing up, I found that my poles were missing. Knowing that I hadn't brought them up to my apartment, I knew I must have forgotten them at the Carter-Moriah trailhead on Tuesday. Great. No matter, I've hiked without them before and my knees are pretty good. It's just going to be more of a workout...
So, at 11am I headed up solo, without poles, and with a cold I can't seem to shake. I was moving well and I felt better about the situation as I started passing groups on their way up. Most of them weren't wearing snowshoes and didn't seem to have crampons either. I wondered after their safety. I made Shining Rock by 1pm and thought myself to be doing well. I was feeling good and and making decent time. Just before topping out onto Little Haystack I geared up, putting on my softshell, goggles, and insulated gloves.
The wind was brutal. Very soon, I found a gap between my balaclava and my goggles that I couldn't get covered. I would hold my glove against it for a time to block the wind, but then my hand would start to get cold. I have a nice bit of windburn from that now. I made the summits of Lincoln and Lafayette with little trouble, enjoying the breaks out of the wind and bearing it when it was unavoidable. Visibility was very poor. I had caught a glimpse of the hut from the ridge, but the clouds swallowed it up again. Still, I took some pictures.
On the summit of Lafayette, looking at the sign telling me that it was 1.1mi to the hut, I felt that I was home-free. The worst was over. The climbing was behind me and I would soon be getting out of the wind. I'd done this hike many times before, even in winter conditions, and never had a problem.
As I headed down, the clouds got thicker and the wind was blowing around the fallen snow. I carefully made my way from cairn to cairn wishing I had my poles for balance. Soon though, I lost the trail. I could see no further cairns or trace of any tracks. It seemed to me that I had to get down and get out of the wind, which I had been hiking directly into. I saw what looked like it might have been the trail and followed it down into the scrubby trees. I had been hoping that with going down, I might get below the clouds and see the trail or the hut... or something. Worse come to worse, I'd descend down to Rte 3 and walk the road back to my car. Once I got down a little ways into the trees however, I had a new problem: spruce traps.
As if I didn't have reason to hate spruce as a bushwhacker in summer, they gave me additional reason on this day. I was mired in minefield of spruce traps, continually falling into chest-shoulder deep snow (I'm 5'9"). Fighting my way out of these was exhausting. I was already drained from the hike, the wind, and my cold. Then I caught a break... in the clouds. I suddenly saw the hut... way off to my left.
I took out my compass and set a bearing. I tried to make a direct line for it, but the spruce traps were killing me. I was so exhausted from fighting my way out of them that I wasn't sure how much more I could take. Then I saw the ridge that I was pretty sure the trail passed over and I climbed back up, out of the trees and into the wind so I'd be away from the evil spruce. It was hard to get back to that point, but I made it, now only sliding at times and other times sinking knee deep.
Finally, I gained the ridge and saw cairns. I got back on the trail as two fathers and their screaming kids were coming by. We chatted for a minute, then I continued down ahead of them and I stopped to talk to two younger guys who were heading up to Lafayette. I warned them about the route and cautioned them about losing it and the weather. It was 4pm. It took me over two hours to get from the summit of Lafayette to just above the hut.
I stopped only briefly to take a few pictures on the way down. For the most part, I felt like a zombie plodding my way down. I got to the car at 6pm and headed for food and solace at The Common Man in Ashland.
I knew that I had taken some serious chances and that if I hadn't caught that break in the clouds, I might have been a goner. I couldn't have fought through the spruce traps all the way down. I just didn't have it in me. This trip was a bit of a wake-up call. Maybe I won't be quite so cavalier in the future... maybe.
Here are pictures: ttp://community.webshots.com/album/569914592kQhpUE?vhost=community
Saturday morning I found that I had overslept. I figured I'd change my plans around and just hike on Sunday. Then, as I was getting comfortable with that thought, my inner gridiot (one who is working on "The Grid") woke up and reminded me that the whole reason that I was doing Lincoln & Lafayette was because they would be #s 41 & 42 on my January list and that the next day would be February! My stuff was mostly together so it didn't take me long to get dressed and out the door. My recent success w/10am starts had me feeling a bit cocky, despite the fact that I was starting later and doing a tougher hike.
When I got to Falling Waters and was gearing up, I found that my poles were missing. Knowing that I hadn't brought them up to my apartment, I knew I must have forgotten them at the Carter-Moriah trailhead on Tuesday. Great. No matter, I've hiked without them before and my knees are pretty good. It's just going to be more of a workout...
So, at 11am I headed up solo, without poles, and with a cold I can't seem to shake. I was moving well and I felt better about the situation as I started passing groups on their way up. Most of them weren't wearing snowshoes and didn't seem to have crampons either. I wondered after their safety. I made Shining Rock by 1pm and thought myself to be doing well. I was feeling good and and making decent time. Just before topping out onto Little Haystack I geared up, putting on my softshell, goggles, and insulated gloves.
The wind was brutal. Very soon, I found a gap between my balaclava and my goggles that I couldn't get covered. I would hold my glove against it for a time to block the wind, but then my hand would start to get cold. I have a nice bit of windburn from that now. I made the summits of Lincoln and Lafayette with little trouble, enjoying the breaks out of the wind and bearing it when it was unavoidable. Visibility was very poor. I had caught a glimpse of the hut from the ridge, but the clouds swallowed it up again. Still, I took some pictures.
On the summit of Lafayette, looking at the sign telling me that it was 1.1mi to the hut, I felt that I was home-free. The worst was over. The climbing was behind me and I would soon be getting out of the wind. I'd done this hike many times before, even in winter conditions, and never had a problem.
As I headed down, the clouds got thicker and the wind was blowing around the fallen snow. I carefully made my way from cairn to cairn wishing I had my poles for balance. Soon though, I lost the trail. I could see no further cairns or trace of any tracks. It seemed to me that I had to get down and get out of the wind, which I had been hiking directly into. I saw what looked like it might have been the trail and followed it down into the scrubby trees. I had been hoping that with going down, I might get below the clouds and see the trail or the hut... or something. Worse come to worse, I'd descend down to Rte 3 and walk the road back to my car. Once I got down a little ways into the trees however, I had a new problem: spruce traps.
As if I didn't have reason to hate spruce as a bushwhacker in summer, they gave me additional reason on this day. I was mired in minefield of spruce traps, continually falling into chest-shoulder deep snow (I'm 5'9"). Fighting my way out of these was exhausting. I was already drained from the hike, the wind, and my cold. Then I caught a break... in the clouds. I suddenly saw the hut... way off to my left.
I took out my compass and set a bearing. I tried to make a direct line for it, but the spruce traps were killing me. I was so exhausted from fighting my way out of them that I wasn't sure how much more I could take. Then I saw the ridge that I was pretty sure the trail passed over and I climbed back up, out of the trees and into the wind so I'd be away from the evil spruce. It was hard to get back to that point, but I made it, now only sliding at times and other times sinking knee deep.
Finally, I gained the ridge and saw cairns. I got back on the trail as two fathers and their screaming kids were coming by. We chatted for a minute, then I continued down ahead of them and I stopped to talk to two younger guys who were heading up to Lafayette. I warned them about the route and cautioned them about losing it and the weather. It was 4pm. It took me over two hours to get from the summit of Lafayette to just above the hut.
I stopped only briefly to take a few pictures on the way down. For the most part, I felt like a zombie plodding my way down. I got to the car at 6pm and headed for food and solace at The Common Man in Ashland.
I knew that I had taken some serious chances and that if I hadn't caught that break in the clouds, I might have been a goner. I couldn't have fought through the spruce traps all the way down. I just didn't have it in me. This trip was a bit of a wake-up call. Maybe I won't be quite so cavalier in the future... maybe.
Here are pictures: ttp://community.webshots.com/album/569914592kQhpUE?vhost=community
