Pemi Loop 11/3

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Mats Roing

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
732
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220
Location
Brighton, MA
Team members:

Stinkyfeet
Gillian
Frodo
Sir Edmund
Cruddy Toes
Mats

After much discussion Friday evening it was finally decided to have a go at it despite not so good weather forecasts. Arm had graciously placed a vehicle at Garfield TH for us in case we had to bail. It was very exciting to have Stinkyfeet in town and for Gillian it was her first Pemi loop (how many hikers did their first one-day pemi loop in November!).

We met up at 4am at LW and got going at 4:18 am. Decided to head up Franconia Ridge first so we won't get caught on it if the storm would hit. We didn't hit the frost until around the stairs on the Osseo Trail. The wind started to blow pretty good once on the ridge. At the Flume Slide cutoff we took a break for photo shots and adding on some layers before the final assault on Mt. Flume. It was still dark on the summit where ten pushups were done before heading towards Liberty and the wind protection in the forest below. The faint light in the horizon told us that sunrise was on the way.....and after a longer break in the col before liberty we turned off the headlamps before heading up Liberty. Windy on the summit so we didn't spread out the blankets and pulled out the wine and cheese.

It's amazing how time flies by when hiking with fun company......Little Haystack came quickly and soon we climbed up Lincoln and on to Lafayette. The sky looked promising as we at 9am took of towards Garfield and the few ice patches were easy to avoid. The first hikers of the day were encountered in the woods on the way down from Lafayette.Another dozen or so of hikers were encountered before we hit the Galehead Trail cutoff. With Cruddy Toes in the group there was never a shortage of conversation topics :D For some reason we sat down on the summit of Garfield in the ice cold wind until someone finally was wise to get us moving out of the wind......maybe it was Sir Edmund portioning out slices from his 2 lbs Tobleroni bar which kept us sitting there for a while ;) Skies still promising when heading down for a water refill by the Garfield tentsite cutoff. Cruddy Toes consumed a tad over one ounce of water/mile during this trip. I was more in the 4-5 oz/mile range.
The steep section below the waterhole was easier than expected since very little ice there :) Scared off some more hikers with my blue superman garment before meeting Drewski and his buddy Charles at the Galehead Trail intersection.

Decided to skip Galehead and go straight for South Twin since we didn't want to get caught in any storm. After the long haul up to South Twin we felt more certain we would make it. The gazelle (Stinkyfeet) took off down South Twin and a bit later we found her patiently waiting for us before we continued. Stinkyfeet was the only photographer in the group and she did a great job documenting the trip. can't wait for the pix :D Skipped West Bond and reached Bond without a drop of rain from the clouds. We met a number of overnighters heading up to Guyot tentsite before summiting Bondcliff. I'm sure the other five members felt fine and fresh and ready to go for another lap at his point, but my legs told me they would appreciate a sofa, some pizza and a cold beer now. The pushups became a group excercise on Bondcliff before heading down to the Wilderness Trail which we hit at 6pm. Had a little sit-down break before dashing home discussing 80's songs. Frodo and I took up the rear end as the front quartet vanished in the horizon. Arrived at a dark parking lot at 7pm just as it looked when we left early in the morning.

A happy hike with lots of memorial moments and thanks to the weather gods which were good to us today. We finished the evening at Cruddy Toes place to celebrate Neighbor Dave finishing his 200NH Higest earlier in the day. Chickety was there and it was very nice to meet her for the first time. Swamp and Arm joined us a bit later after whacking late into the dark hours. Thanks Cruddy Toes for putting up with us setting off the fire alarm, making sure the sofa and the rug were well hydrated and some other minor destruction :rolleyes:
 
I'm still kicking myself for not joining you guys, but am happy you guys had a fun time! Great going!
 
I'm kicking myself for not going out and giving OH a try on Saturday :( If you guys made the Pemi loop dry beginning at 4:18, it sounds like it didn't rain at all. No rise in the Pemi (it did flatten for a bit of the day but continues to slope down today.)

Oh well. I knocked off a bunch of peaks on the honey-do list instead. Problem is new ones get added all the time :eek:

Tim
 
Awesome! Nicely done. Was wondering why none of you were at A&P's that night ... :)

How did you fare at the Wilderness boundary getting by the bridge construction?
 
MichaelJ said:
Awesome! Nicely done. Was wondering why none of you were at A&P's that night ... :)

How did you fare at the Wilderness boundary getting by the bridge construction?

It's tough in life when you have to choose what to do. It was a very close call that we called the Pemi loop off and there would have been more guests at the potluck. Sounds like it was a great gathering!

We didn't feel like hiking extra mileage coming off Bondcliff so we took a chance Franconia Brook was passable......worst case scenario we would have had to hike wet for the last 2.9 miles. We were able to cross the creek dry since the bridge was still there. Just the step up to the bridge was taken out. I bet today there will be more work done on it this week though.
 
giggy said:
hey mats - did the keg go along this time?

Left it at the TH since the uncertainty with the storm......sometimes it's a good idea with a keg, sometimes it's not......this time it was deemed not a good idea.......we lived off Sir Edmunds 20,000 calorie Toblerone this time :D

Maybe we need a poll about if it's prudent to bring a giant Toblerone when hiking ;)
 
Classic moment after the Pemi loop

Neighbor Dave and Chickety are over at Al's house by themselves before the Pemi hikers arrive. Neighbor Dave tries to start a fire in the fireplace without properly opening the flute........house gets filled with smoke and the fire alarm goes off......security company calls Al on his cell and asks him for the password to confirm it's Al. Al doesn't remember the password and tries to persuade them it's actually him they are talking to without success......so finally Al asks the operator: "Can you give me the first letter in the password?"
:D :D :D
 
What a treat to spend a day in the mountains with good friends old and new. :) Thanks for organizing this, Mats. And congratulations to Gillian on her first Pemi loop.

I expected we'd get pummeled with horizontal rain while crossing Bondcliff later in the afternoon so carried my "Dr. Ball umbrella" the entire day. Fortunately it wasn't necessary. My pack was one of the larger, filled with various jackets, wind pants, hats, big mitts, chemical hand warmers--I am a wimpy, thin-blooded Californian now--and a huge bag of food :D (alas, no Starbucks doubleshot). Cruddy gets the prize for smallest pack (what's new?), while Mats wins Best Outfit award. Mats was also the only one prepared for icy conditions; I think that his one screw may have proved useful in a couple of spots. :D

While it is true that I did take a few photos, I spaced out and left the cord at home so cannot download them until next weekend. Sorry!

Thank you, Cruddy, for remaining calm as we destroyed your house.

Finally, a huge congratulations to Neighbor Dave for completing his NH 200 highest on the same peak as Ed R. and Lyn B., Howe Peak. Quite an accomplishment. (And thanks for the cooldown trip thru Ice Gulch yesterday!)

Stinkyfeet (aka Fancypants)
 
Stinkyfeet said:
, Finally, a huge congratulations to Neighbor Dave for completing his NH 200 highest on the same peak as Ed R. and Lyn B., Howe Peak. Quite an accomplishment.
Stinkyfeet (aka Fancypants)

I second congrats to Neighbor Dave on the NH200. Is he also working on the NH200 in winter, a la Ed R. and Lyn B.?
 
Impressive trip all! I went up Flume via Osseo and was hoping to run into you...however, didn't realize that you were going the same direction several hours earlier. :D
 
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Abster said:
I went up Flume via Osseo and was hoping to run into you...however, didn't realize that you were going the same direction several hours earlier. :D

Thanks abster! Very thoughtful of you. Hope to time it better with you next weekend :)
 
Good job! Glad the rain held off for you.
Hiked out of the Pemi that day after a quick 2 nighter. The weather was Mint Friday on Hancocks.
Spotted the Frodo-mobile in the lot on the way out. Almost left a couple "buds" on the hood.
 
Yo Stevo,

Thanks for "almost" leaving a couple of Buds. Since I came into this hike with a sore left knee, and came out of it with a bruised right one (hiking can be dangerous :D ), I probably would have drank one (though I am not a fan of Bud). What I really needed was 9 Coronas
 
Frodo said:
Yo Stevo,

Thanks for "almost" leaving a couple of Buds. Since I came into this hike with a sore left knee, and came out of it with a bruised right one (hiking can be dangerous :D ), I probably would have drank one (though I am not a fan of Bud). What I really needed was 9 Coronas


I dislike Corona's, but that video is really funny, and will send me home LOL (another expression I dislike). :D
 
Hey Mats, just went through your TR (I don't know how I didn't see it before :confused: )

And now I want to CRY !!! I want to do a pemi loop one day, just like this one ! With a party afterward, with all the great people, and Mister NH200 himself.

Gillian, I'm so jealous...

:p :D :D ;)
 
Dr. Dasypodidae said:
I dislike Corona's, but that video is really funny, and will send me home LOL (another expression I dislike). :D

Yeah, but it rhymes well.
:D
 
OMG! That's way too funny! :D I love it. And BTW, Corona is a good beer, nice and cold with lime of course.
 
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