Wild River Wilderness & Black Angel Trail, Sat 9/24/11

[TigerMouth61]

Well, it was an adventure...
See the photos here

Adventure is...

• high endeavor - The plan was to hike 20 miles in 1 day. 14+ hours book time with 12 hours of sunlight
• total commitment - When I left my house at 3:40am it was dark and pouring rain, and it continued to rain for much of my hike. The Wild River Road and campground were both closed due to Hurricane Irene, so I drove to the Basin Campground, hiked up to Rim Jct and hiked the lower loop of the figure-8 I was planning to hike (Wild River Trail, Rainbow Trail, Black Angel Trail, Basin Trail).
• uncertain outcome - My friend Tom warned me that the WRW had lots of bears and suggested pepper spray. Hiking along I hear snuffling in the distance. Sure it is a mother bear and two cubs, I start singing On the Road Again to alert them of my presence. 30 minutes later I hear a snort just a few feet from the trail. I yell (or squeak?) "Get away. Leave me alone." Soon I've convinced myself that the bears were just my imagination, spooked by Tom's warnings. Then I see a giant paw print in the sand with long claw marks at the end of each toe. I start singing at the top of my lungs and don't stop until I get to he campground. There I see warning signs telling of recent bear-hiker encounters. The bears followed hikers to get the food they were carrying in their packs. Makes me wonder if singing might attract bears like the music of the ice cream truck attracts children.
• tolerance for adversity - In addition to the rain, the trail was blocked by dozens of blowdowns and even washed away at one point, but I bushwacked until I found the trail again.
• great companionship - Although it was a solo hike, I didn't feel as though I was alone. One the drive up I listened to Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant debate the philosophical question of Justice (as told by Michael J. Sandel). And on the hike itself, I had the bears for company.

Pre Trip Plan

My plan for this weekend is to Hike the Wild River Wilderness.

from Backpacker magazine
[The White Mountain National Forest] is crawling with myriad, damn-fine 10-mile stretches, but I say the best in the whole 794,000 acres is theBlack Angel Trail. It’s the embodiment of what hiking, at least for me, is all about: isolation and solitude in nature’s undomesticated playground.

Itinerary

• Friday evening: Sam's 79th birthday party
• Saturday 3:30am: Drive up to Wild River Campground: directions
• Saturday: Hike the Wild River Trail / Black Angel Trail loop: description (incl GPX), route (incl map), weather (75F, 50% chance of showers)
• Sunday morning: Drive home
• Sunday afternoon: Watch Patriots vs Bills

Stats

• Distance: 20.6 mi
• Ascending: 3750 ft
• Book Time: 14:25 hh:mm

 

[MichaelJ]

Wow, a lot of damage in there (though I'm not surprised) from Irene.

Was that the Moriah Brook Trail suspension bridge? Good to see it one piece!

Was the concrete pier in one of your photos from the old Spider Bridge (gone several years now)?