WalksWithBlackflies
New member
Mud Rat and I started at the Upper Works trailhead and hiked approximately 7 uneventful miles to the Uphill Lean To. From there, we bushwhacked the general path of the old Yellow Trail over a slight pass, and down into the valley between Cliff and Redfield. There was a mix of thick fur/spruce stands, blowdown from Hurricane Floyd years back, and some very recent blowdown as well (needles still on branches). We probably averaged just under 1 mph. Upon reaching a small clearing near the presumed bottom of the Cliff slide, we dropped our packs, and decided that we'd set up camp here. I noticed an open area to our west, and went to investigate. After a mere 50ft bushwhack, I popped out of the woods onto the bottom of the Cliff slide. Carrying just our fanny packs, we ascended this beautiful rubble slide right to the base of the summit cone. A short and easy bushwhack brought us to the established herdpath, and we were on the summit within minutes. The descent down was as easy as the ascent up.
Upon reaching camp, we decided to bushwhack over to the Upper Twin Brook... to both scout a route over there, plus to cook and eat our dinner away from camp so that we didn't pique the interest of any nearby bears. It was not an easy bushwhack, and we stopped at a small mossy clearing about 100 feet short of the brook. After firing up my stove, I realized that I didn't have my removable pot handle. I searched in vain, but then realized that my can opener made a steady handle. Just as the water was about to boil, I noticed that I didn't have my plastic silverware set either! I was certain that both the handle and the silverware were packed before-hand... how did I lose them in this small area? Resurrecting the inner MacGuyer in me, I fashioned a spoon (actually more of a paddle) out of a piece of wood with Kevins folding knife. No longer did I feel emasculated. Halfway through my meal (MudRat ate his meal before me, due to the limited amount of water we could boil at one time) I realized that we should head back to camp lest we try to bushwhack back in the dark. Upon reaching camp, I went into my cooking bag to retrieve the remainder of my meal and my spoon. Only I couldn't find my spoon! I remember putting it in the bag. MudRat made a comment about the spoon when I put it in the bag. We had two eye witnesses that saw me place the spoon in the bag. Yet it wasn't here. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?!?
Using MudRat's fork I finished my meal at the bottom of the slide. We then set up our bivy sacks about 20 feet from each other, and called it a night. Just as I was dozing off, I heard something large, followed by a deep grunt. You gotta be kidding me! Of all the places we decided to sleep, it happened to be 50 feet from a bear. I didn't hear it for quite some time, and started thinking that it thought the better of "invading" our camp, and backtracked to the slide drainage. Then a few minutes later I heard it again. I got my headlamp out and shone it on the trees in the vicinity of the noise, wondering if I'd see glowing eyes staring back at me. Nothing. A few minutes later, more noise... only this was a cough... and bears don't cough (at least I don't think they do). I asked MudRat if he had just made some noise, and he said he did. Ahhh... maybe the bear and MudRat were one in the same. Only the bear noises were coming from the opposite side of the camp. After hearing the bear once again, I asked MudRat if he just made some noise and he responded "Yes". Ha! MudRat WAS the bear. The sound must have been bouncing off the wall of trees near my side of camp.
At around midnight, I woke up cold. So I closed the top of by bivy sack. I woke up again at 1am, shivering. Damn... I should have brought a sleeping bag. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I just curled up in a fetal position and tried to get more sleep. It was a fitful rest until 5am, when I remembered that I had a spring jacket in my backpack. It probably wouldn't help much but I was desparate. After donning the jacket, I fell soundly asleep until 6:30 when the sun woke me up. MudRat was already awake, and he shared that he had been cold as well. However, he obviously being the smarter between us, had brought a sleeping bag and retrieved it from his backpack in the middle of the night.
We tentatively organized our backpacks and headed to the slide to eat breakfast. MudRat made some comments about his fork, poking fun at me. I found another piece of wood and fashioned yet another spoon. Just before eating, I saw MudRat looking around frantically. He couldn't find his fork! I laughed and laughed as he made his own wooden spoon. However, the bigger question was asked: Just what kind of utensil-stealing fairy lived in these parts?!?!?
MudRat and I both concluded that descending down the slide drainage, then bushwhacking over the Redfield drainage, would be the easier route since both drainages converged downsteam. Unfortunately, the rocks within the slide drainage were very slippery, and we soon decided to cut over the Redfield drainage. Once there, the difficulty of the bushwhacking eased a bit, and we were continually making better progress as we ascended. Once the drainage began ascending the mountain (instead of paralleling it), the bushwhacking practically ended, and we enjoyed an open drainage with beautiful cascades and flumes. We noticed that the Cliff slide was directly across from us, and we have since decided that the easiest way between the two points is indeed a straight line.
The drainage was very pleasant all the way to near the top of the ridge, at which point we decided to leave the drainage and enter the woods to make our summit bid. At first, the bushwhacking wasn't too difficult, until we reached an area where the grade dramatically increased. It appeared that the steeper the grade, the thicker the trees. We would literally have to part the trees to squeeze through. This continued for more than 1/3 mile until we reached the summit ridge. Our "progress" could be measured in hours per mile. The top of the summit ridge was much more open than what we had just traversed, and we soon reached the summit. As we ate, so did the blackflies. We concluded that we would keep the Cliff to Redfield traverse in our itinerary for the Big Hike, since 90% of it was great. However, we will ascend the Redfield drainage all the way to the top of the ridge, and hope that conditions are better on the ridge top or eastern flank of the ridge.
We made our way down the Redfield herdpath to the Uphill Lean To, and had an uneventful hike out to the trailhead. Back at home, I did some further research into our utensil-stealing entity. It appears that pixies were to blame, they being a bit more mischievous than your average fairy. Also, according to legend, pixies lure people into the woods where they're never seen again. But they obvioulsy never considered that MudRat and I purposely enter such haunts for the sheer fun of it.
Upon reaching camp, we decided to bushwhack over to the Upper Twin Brook... to both scout a route over there, plus to cook and eat our dinner away from camp so that we didn't pique the interest of any nearby bears. It was not an easy bushwhack, and we stopped at a small mossy clearing about 100 feet short of the brook. After firing up my stove, I realized that I didn't have my removable pot handle. I searched in vain, but then realized that my can opener made a steady handle. Just as the water was about to boil, I noticed that I didn't have my plastic silverware set either! I was certain that both the handle and the silverware were packed before-hand... how did I lose them in this small area? Resurrecting the inner MacGuyer in me, I fashioned a spoon (actually more of a paddle) out of a piece of wood with Kevins folding knife. No longer did I feel emasculated. Halfway through my meal (MudRat ate his meal before me, due to the limited amount of water we could boil at one time) I realized that we should head back to camp lest we try to bushwhack back in the dark. Upon reaching camp, I went into my cooking bag to retrieve the remainder of my meal and my spoon. Only I couldn't find my spoon! I remember putting it in the bag. MudRat made a comment about the spoon when I put it in the bag. We had two eye witnesses that saw me place the spoon in the bag. Yet it wasn't here. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?!?
Using MudRat's fork I finished my meal at the bottom of the slide. We then set up our bivy sacks about 20 feet from each other, and called it a night. Just as I was dozing off, I heard something large, followed by a deep grunt. You gotta be kidding me! Of all the places we decided to sleep, it happened to be 50 feet from a bear. I didn't hear it for quite some time, and started thinking that it thought the better of "invading" our camp, and backtracked to the slide drainage. Then a few minutes later I heard it again. I got my headlamp out and shone it on the trees in the vicinity of the noise, wondering if I'd see glowing eyes staring back at me. Nothing. A few minutes later, more noise... only this was a cough... and bears don't cough (at least I don't think they do). I asked MudRat if he had just made some noise, and he said he did. Ahhh... maybe the bear and MudRat were one in the same. Only the bear noises were coming from the opposite side of the camp. After hearing the bear once again, I asked MudRat if he just made some noise and he responded "Yes". Ha! MudRat WAS the bear. The sound must have been bouncing off the wall of trees near my side of camp.
At around midnight, I woke up cold. So I closed the top of by bivy sack. I woke up again at 1am, shivering. Damn... I should have brought a sleeping bag. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I just curled up in a fetal position and tried to get more sleep. It was a fitful rest until 5am, when I remembered that I had a spring jacket in my backpack. It probably wouldn't help much but I was desparate. After donning the jacket, I fell soundly asleep until 6:30 when the sun woke me up. MudRat was already awake, and he shared that he had been cold as well. However, he obviously being the smarter between us, had brought a sleeping bag and retrieved it from his backpack in the middle of the night.
We tentatively organized our backpacks and headed to the slide to eat breakfast. MudRat made some comments about his fork, poking fun at me. I found another piece of wood and fashioned yet another spoon. Just before eating, I saw MudRat looking around frantically. He couldn't find his fork! I laughed and laughed as he made his own wooden spoon. However, the bigger question was asked: Just what kind of utensil-stealing fairy lived in these parts?!?!?
MudRat and I both concluded that descending down the slide drainage, then bushwhacking over the Redfield drainage, would be the easier route since both drainages converged downsteam. Unfortunately, the rocks within the slide drainage were very slippery, and we soon decided to cut over the Redfield drainage. Once there, the difficulty of the bushwhacking eased a bit, and we were continually making better progress as we ascended. Once the drainage began ascending the mountain (instead of paralleling it), the bushwhacking practically ended, and we enjoyed an open drainage with beautiful cascades and flumes. We noticed that the Cliff slide was directly across from us, and we have since decided that the easiest way between the two points is indeed a straight line.
The drainage was very pleasant all the way to near the top of the ridge, at which point we decided to leave the drainage and enter the woods to make our summit bid. At first, the bushwhacking wasn't too difficult, until we reached an area where the grade dramatically increased. It appeared that the steeper the grade, the thicker the trees. We would literally have to part the trees to squeeze through. This continued for more than 1/3 mile until we reached the summit ridge. Our "progress" could be measured in hours per mile. The top of the summit ridge was much more open than what we had just traversed, and we soon reached the summit. As we ate, so did the blackflies. We concluded that we would keep the Cliff to Redfield traverse in our itinerary for the Big Hike, since 90% of it was great. However, we will ascend the Redfield drainage all the way to the top of the ridge, and hope that conditions are better on the ridge top or eastern flank of the ridge.
We made our way down the Redfield herdpath to the Uphill Lean To, and had an uneventful hike out to the trailhead. Back at home, I did some further research into our utensil-stealing entity. It appears that pixies were to blame, they being a bit more mischievous than your average fairy. Also, according to legend, pixies lure people into the woods where they're never seen again. But they obvioulsy never considered that MudRat and I purposely enter such haunts for the sheer fun of it.
