Mayday originated in pagan Europe as a festive holy day celebrating the first spring planting. The ancient Celts and Saxons celebrated May 1st as Beltane or the day of fire. The Saxons began their May day celebrations on the prior evening with games and feasting celebrating the end of winter and the return of the sun and fertility of the soil. Torch bearing peasants and villager would wind their way up paths to the top of tall hills or mountain crags and then ignite wooden wheels which they would roll down into the fields.
Torches and burning wagon wheels are discouraged in our National Forests, but there's nothing wrong with celebrating the First of May by hiking a path to a mountain summit. And so on Saturday morning, MichaelJ, Jenifer, Karl, Kathy, and Kaya the hiking wonderdog gathered at the base lodge of the Waterville Valley ski area in order to climb Mt. Tecumseh.
The Mt. Tecumseh Trail starts out nicely, with an trivial water crossing then traveling at an easy grade through young woods. The air was warm, the sun bright - this would be a good time to apply sunscreen, as the trees were not yet leafed out and shade was at a minimum.
The trail drops to approach a unproblematic water crossing at a set of masterful stone steps, north-facing and coated with snow. Quickly rising out of the ravine, the snow vanished. Eventually, we came to a point on one of the ski slopes and enjoyed the views of the valley and the hazy Tripyramids beyond. There are still regions of snowfield, and we enjoyed Kaya romping in the snow as much as she appreciated the cooldown.
Then we were back on the trail and the real ascent began. Sections of the trail were wet with running water, but nothing serious. Slightly more difficult were the shaded areas that still had some snow or ice. While we all had step-in crampons with us, they were never necessary; there was always a bit of rock, trail edge, or a soft spot in which to step and get traction.
The trail was a bit uninteresting, just a moderately steep climb constantly checking our footing, but the beauty of the day was the real highlight. Without leaf cover, we were at times too warm; however, the ice patches combined with the breeze to make some wonderful natural air conditioning. The blue sky continued to entice us higher up the trail. This trail never gets difficult, and would make for a fine hike by most skill levels even in lesser conditions.
At the junction with the Sosman Trail we turned onto the ridge, then stayed on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail (well, actually, we entirely missed the fork), skirting the east edge of the summit cone then climbing steeply up the north side. This spot had the deepest snow, and a careful foot was required to not posthole knee-deep.
Then the snow was gone, and we were on the summit: warm, sunny, dry, and bug-free with the view to the Tripyramids clearing of its haze. This spot called for a leisure moment, and we sprawled out to enjoy lunch and relax.
We had wanted a through-hike, but Tripoli Road was still closed. So to avoid the postholes, we left the summit by the Sosman Trail, which was clear of snow and ice but at the same time an enjoyable, delicate boulder-stepping exercise. We rejoined the Mt. Tecumseh Trail with exclamations ("How'd we ever miss that on the way up?"), and started downward, the icy sections trickier on the descent but still not a problem. I noticed a small side trail and we took it, coming out at the base of the North Side Lift. It was an interesting experience to be at an empty, closed chair lift. The shed turned out to be a nice place to take a break, as it was wide open to the fresh air but nicely shaded from the sun.
After that, we got back on the trail and came the rest of the way back down. A wonderful post-hike time was had visiting VFTT friends and relaxing on the nicest front porch in the Whites. Spring is here, and I have 28 down, 20 to go!
Pictures coming soon...
Torches and burning wagon wheels are discouraged in our National Forests, but there's nothing wrong with celebrating the First of May by hiking a path to a mountain summit. And so on Saturday morning, MichaelJ, Jenifer, Karl, Kathy, and Kaya the hiking wonderdog gathered at the base lodge of the Waterville Valley ski area in order to climb Mt. Tecumseh.
The Mt. Tecumseh Trail starts out nicely, with an trivial water crossing then traveling at an easy grade through young woods. The air was warm, the sun bright - this would be a good time to apply sunscreen, as the trees were not yet leafed out and shade was at a minimum.
The trail drops to approach a unproblematic water crossing at a set of masterful stone steps, north-facing and coated with snow. Quickly rising out of the ravine, the snow vanished. Eventually, we came to a point on one of the ski slopes and enjoyed the views of the valley and the hazy Tripyramids beyond. There are still regions of snowfield, and we enjoyed Kaya romping in the snow as much as she appreciated the cooldown.
Then we were back on the trail and the real ascent began. Sections of the trail were wet with running water, but nothing serious. Slightly more difficult were the shaded areas that still had some snow or ice. While we all had step-in crampons with us, they were never necessary; there was always a bit of rock, trail edge, or a soft spot in which to step and get traction.
The trail was a bit uninteresting, just a moderately steep climb constantly checking our footing, but the beauty of the day was the real highlight. Without leaf cover, we were at times too warm; however, the ice patches combined with the breeze to make some wonderful natural air conditioning. The blue sky continued to entice us higher up the trail. This trail never gets difficult, and would make for a fine hike by most skill levels even in lesser conditions.
At the junction with the Sosman Trail we turned onto the ridge, then stayed on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail (well, actually, we entirely missed the fork), skirting the east edge of the summit cone then climbing steeply up the north side. This spot had the deepest snow, and a careful foot was required to not posthole knee-deep.
Then the snow was gone, and we were on the summit: warm, sunny, dry, and bug-free with the view to the Tripyramids clearing of its haze. This spot called for a leisure moment, and we sprawled out to enjoy lunch and relax.
We had wanted a through-hike, but Tripoli Road was still closed. So to avoid the postholes, we left the summit by the Sosman Trail, which was clear of snow and ice but at the same time an enjoyable, delicate boulder-stepping exercise. We rejoined the Mt. Tecumseh Trail with exclamations ("How'd we ever miss that on the way up?"), and started downward, the icy sections trickier on the descent but still not a problem. I noticed a small side trail and we took it, coming out at the base of the North Side Lift. It was an interesting experience to be at an empty, closed chair lift. The shed turned out to be a nice place to take a break, as it was wide open to the fresh air but nicely shaded from the sun.
After that, we got back on the trail and came the rest of the way back down. A wonderful post-hike time was had visiting VFTT friends and relaxing on the nicest front porch in the Whites. Spring is here, and I have 28 down, 20 to go!
Pictures coming soon...
