The Feathered Hat
Active member
Trails: Basin-Cascades, Cascade Brook, Kinsman Pond, Kinsman Ridge, Taft ski run, old Tuckerbrook ski trail.
Miles: ~14
Elevation gain: approx. 4,800 feet
Time: 10 hours, 45 minutes
You know how it is with Rocket21. You agree to something that's reasonable, then pretty soon he's got you agreeing, in that fast-talking way of his, to something else and then he adds, hey, why not up the ante a little more just to make things interesting? Note to self: do not ever shoot pool with this guy.
So it was that what had originally been conceived as an exploration of the old, abandoned Tuckerbrook ski trail off of Mittersill Peak turned into a 14-mile, nearly 5,000-foot vertical ascent of the Kinsman peaks followed by a traverse over the Cannonballs and then an ascent to the Cannon Mountain summit before, finally, taking Tuckerbrook for the hike out. Throw in some snow and ice and you realize you've been hustled into an epic journey. And here you were thinking: Saturday stroll.
After spotting a car at the bottom of Tuckerbrook, we got under way around 8 a.m. from an empty trailhead at The Basin in the Notch. The weather looked promising -- chilly but clear, windless, and just a few wispy stratus clouds high above. We crunched over some frozen mud, then began to see icicles in Cascade Brook beside the Basin-Cascades Trail...
... and soon after, at the 2,500-foot level, we reached snow.
By the time we got to Kinsman Pond we realized two things: One, Microspikes were going to be the order of the day; two, we could not have got better weather. It was to be one of the loveliest days in the Whites any of us, including the dog, had ever experienced (although when Rocket21 makes categorical statements, put your hand on your wallet and don't let go). Tuckerman also found the ice that had made Kinsman Pond into a peaceful, shimmering plain very much to his liking:
We got on up to North Kinsman and took the usual photos...
..and then on to South Kinsman, where we met some hikers, including JandJ and a couple of dogs and where Tuckerman tried to steal a guy's glove until Rocket21 smooth-talked the dog out of his prize. (Note to dog: do not ever play fetch with Rocket.) Here's when I realized the truth of the situation: Tuckerman and Rocket were beginning to bond. I thought, this guy is trying to hustle me out of my dog. Sad but true...
Okay, I figured, Tuck is a big boy, he can take care of himself. Indeed, as we carefully picked our way down some nasty, icy chutes going over the Cannonballs, Tuckerman could always be found at the bottom waiting for us. You could see the embarrassment in his face: stupid two-leggeds. No claws!
Crossing the Cannonballs seemed to take hours. You think you've finally got rid of them but there's always one more. And then when you really are rid of the damn things, there's that ridiculous climb up from the saddle between Northeast Cannonball and the shoulder of Cannon Mountain. Just below the junction with the Hi-Cannon Trail we met a couple of unhappy tourist hikers (running shoes, jackets from Macy's, no gloves). "We didn't expect so much snow," the woman cried. "Check your pockets," I advised the boyfriend after Rocket had passed by. After cresting the mountain's shoulde, we reached the Cannon tower and watched Tuckerman get a swelled head from all the tram-tourists petting him. The wispy stratus clouds had by now thickened into ribbons, but still the late afternoon was gorgeous. Looking down into the Easton Valley from the summit tower...
"Are you finally ready now for the Tuckerbrook Trail?" I asked Rocket. "The reason for this whole fandango?" He said if Tuckerman was, he was -- too late, however, I realized he was baiting my dog. Up on Mittersill Peak, the face of the Cannonballs in the background, Rocket gets ready to unwrap a fresh steak for Tuck...
After that it was all downhill -- literally. We descended the Tuckerbrook Trail in beautiful fading light (near the bottom, it had faded to the point where Tuckerman mistook a tree stump for a bear). As the snow began to run out we were treated to a lovely sunset through the birches...
Finally back at the car I made a quick check to see if I still had all my valuables. Yep. Looks like Rocket limited the hustling just to route-picking and some teasing with the dog. But later I realized he had used sneaky mind games to make me forget my gloves on top of the car. Oh well, I needed new gloves for winter anyway. The bill's in the mail, Rocket.
Full set of 35 photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99682097@N00/sets/72157622610551828/
Steve B
The Feathered Hat
[email protected]
_______________________________________
Tuckerman's Report for dogs:
Snow -- yay!
Ice in spots on the trail -- not so yay.
Frozen mud near the trailhead: cool but weird.
Couple of narrow, icy chutes going down on the Cannonballs, and I tried not to let Big Boss Man know I was kinda scared. He knew anyway, though.
No poop to speak of. What's up with that? Is it gonna be this way from now until next May?
I mistook a tree stump for a bear, but hey, the light was bad!
*** Three sniffs (out of four). This hike was kinda long for me, with all the ups and downs. But T-Dog still says: check it out. There's probably a fresh bone in it for you for the accomplishment. (There was for me!)
Miles: ~14
Elevation gain: approx. 4,800 feet
Time: 10 hours, 45 minutes
You know how it is with Rocket21. You agree to something that's reasonable, then pretty soon he's got you agreeing, in that fast-talking way of his, to something else and then he adds, hey, why not up the ante a little more just to make things interesting? Note to self: do not ever shoot pool with this guy.
So it was that what had originally been conceived as an exploration of the old, abandoned Tuckerbrook ski trail off of Mittersill Peak turned into a 14-mile, nearly 5,000-foot vertical ascent of the Kinsman peaks followed by a traverse over the Cannonballs and then an ascent to the Cannon Mountain summit before, finally, taking Tuckerbrook for the hike out. Throw in some snow and ice and you realize you've been hustled into an epic journey. And here you were thinking: Saturday stroll.
After spotting a car at the bottom of Tuckerbrook, we got under way around 8 a.m. from an empty trailhead at The Basin in the Notch. The weather looked promising -- chilly but clear, windless, and just a few wispy stratus clouds high above. We crunched over some frozen mud, then began to see icicles in Cascade Brook beside the Basin-Cascades Trail...
... and soon after, at the 2,500-foot level, we reached snow.
By the time we got to Kinsman Pond we realized two things: One, Microspikes were going to be the order of the day; two, we could not have got better weather. It was to be one of the loveliest days in the Whites any of us, including the dog, had ever experienced (although when Rocket21 makes categorical statements, put your hand on your wallet and don't let go). Tuckerman also found the ice that had made Kinsman Pond into a peaceful, shimmering plain very much to his liking:
We got on up to North Kinsman and took the usual photos...
..and then on to South Kinsman, where we met some hikers, including JandJ and a couple of dogs and where Tuckerman tried to steal a guy's glove until Rocket21 smooth-talked the dog out of his prize. (Note to dog: do not ever play fetch with Rocket.) Here's when I realized the truth of the situation: Tuckerman and Rocket were beginning to bond. I thought, this guy is trying to hustle me out of my dog. Sad but true...
Okay, I figured, Tuck is a big boy, he can take care of himself. Indeed, as we carefully picked our way down some nasty, icy chutes going over the Cannonballs, Tuckerman could always be found at the bottom waiting for us. You could see the embarrassment in his face: stupid two-leggeds. No claws!
Crossing the Cannonballs seemed to take hours. You think you've finally got rid of them but there's always one more. And then when you really are rid of the damn things, there's that ridiculous climb up from the saddle between Northeast Cannonball and the shoulder of Cannon Mountain. Just below the junction with the Hi-Cannon Trail we met a couple of unhappy tourist hikers (running shoes, jackets from Macy's, no gloves). "We didn't expect so much snow," the woman cried. "Check your pockets," I advised the boyfriend after Rocket had passed by. After cresting the mountain's shoulde, we reached the Cannon tower and watched Tuckerman get a swelled head from all the tram-tourists petting him. The wispy stratus clouds had by now thickened into ribbons, but still the late afternoon was gorgeous. Looking down into the Easton Valley from the summit tower...
"Are you finally ready now for the Tuckerbrook Trail?" I asked Rocket. "The reason for this whole fandango?" He said if Tuckerman was, he was -- too late, however, I realized he was baiting my dog. Up on Mittersill Peak, the face of the Cannonballs in the background, Rocket gets ready to unwrap a fresh steak for Tuck...
After that it was all downhill -- literally. We descended the Tuckerbrook Trail in beautiful fading light (near the bottom, it had faded to the point where Tuckerman mistook a tree stump for a bear). As the snow began to run out we were treated to a lovely sunset through the birches...
Finally back at the car I made a quick check to see if I still had all my valuables. Yep. Looks like Rocket limited the hustling just to route-picking and some teasing with the dog. But later I realized he had used sneaky mind games to make me forget my gloves on top of the car. Oh well, I needed new gloves for winter anyway. The bill's in the mail, Rocket.
Full set of 35 photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99682097@N00/sets/72157622610551828/
Steve B
The Feathered Hat
[email protected]
_______________________________________
Tuckerman's Report for dogs:
Snow -- yay!
Ice in spots on the trail -- not so yay.
Frozen mud near the trailhead: cool but weird.
Couple of narrow, icy chutes going down on the Cannonballs, and I tried not to let Big Boss Man know I was kinda scared. He knew anyway, though.
No poop to speak of. What's up with that? Is it gonna be this way from now until next May?
I mistook a tree stump for a bear, but hey, the light was bad!
*** Three sniffs (out of four). This hike was kinda long for me, with all the ups and downs. But T-Dog still says: check it out. There's probably a fresh bone in it for you for the accomplishment. (There was for me!)
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