Dartmouth Peak - 9/27/10

I know that many hikers tackle a traverse of the Dartmouth/Deception ridge and pick up Millen along the way. But, I broke a bone in my foot in June, and it is just beginning to heal, so I have to take it easy. I must say that this was a pretty easy BW thanks to Doc Ross.

My friend and hiking partner, Hufflepuff, and I decided that we lilked the route that Doc Ross had chosen in 2005 even though it started 500 feet below the height of land at the Caps Ridge parking area on the Jeff Notch Road. We stopped north of Caps Ridge at 2500 foot altitude, and found a convenient place to pull off the Notch road. Doc Ross had advised a compass bearing of 274 mag, just slightly north of due west, in order to avoid Millen Hill. His other advice was to stay to the north, which I have learned holds true for almost all BW's.

We were worried that the woods would have grown up considerably in the past five years, but we were pleasantly surprised. While we did hit a few thick areas, overall it was quite enjoyable. We slabbed along for about a mile, and then the bearing took us right up Dartmouth, but not to the main peak. We arrived at a flat spot to the east, and proceeded along the ridge to the main summit which has no views but is quite open. Lots of moose activity up there. It seems that our friend, Ethan, had arrived about a week before us!

The entire trip was just under 3 miles. It took us 4.5 hours, but we spent about an hour at the summit. Our moving average was 2 mph so you know it was easy for these two old hikers.

Sorry to hear about your broken foot, but happy to hear it hasn't stopped you.

Jabberwalk said:

His other advice was to stay to the north, which I have learned holds true for almost all BW's.

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This is a bushwhacking truism that appears to be true, at least much of the time. What is the reason for this phenomenon - shady northern sides mean less luxuriant growth?

We did exactly what you did on a return trip to Dartmouth with a friend. It was sheer joy compared to the first time, which featured amazingly tangled blowdowns between Millen and Dartmouth and a swarm of painful killer bees near the summit.

Amicus said:

This is a bushwhacking truism that appears to be true, at least much of the time. What is the reason for this phenomenon - shady northern sides mean less luxuriant growth?

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That is the only reason I can think of - but maybe there is a forester out there who knows of a better reason.

I was sidelined for two full months, and I still have to treat it (the foot) with kid gloves!

Betsy

audrey said:

We did exactly what you did on a return trip to Dartmouth with a friend. It was sheer joy compared to the first time, which featured amazingly tangled blowdowns between Millen and Dartmouth and a swarm of painful killer bees near the summit.

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What year was that, Audrey? These bushwacks seem to change monumentally from year to year! Dot and I were delighted that the 2500 route still was a good one.

I saved Dartmouth for my last wNHHH peak, which I visited with Carl Cressey and Damon Ritter in January 2009 by the same route that you took, more or less; did you find Carl's canister on the summit?

Wonderful open woods; hardly seemed like bushwhacking. Carl picked off Millen on the way and continued on to Deception, which I had already visited in winter. So, Damon and I returned to JNR where I had stashed my x-c skis, which were marginally faster than snowshoes for the return because of the soft snow.

I only bushwhack in the winter, as I do not like bees. Dartmouth is definitely one wNHHH peak that I would tackle again, which I cannot say for some of the others.

Deception/Dartmouth is on my list

Thanks for the cool report. I've always wanted to travel that ridge either in one long day or in pieces. I'm going to bookmark your TR for future reference. I'm interested in hiking Mt Deception. The name is so decieving!

Dr. Dasypodidae said:

I saved Dartmouth for my last wNHHH peak, which I visited with Carl Cressey and Damon Ritter in January 2009 by the same route that you took, more or less; did you find Carl's canister on the summit?

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I saw your entry with Carl from 2009, and he, Carl, was back again this year. Five groups have gone up this year. Carl is everywhere - simply amazing. That's a good peak to finish on. I still have about 18 to go. . . . and only in non-winter for me, although I have done some of the 4's in winter.

Jazzbo,

I summitted Deception from the Old Cherry Mtn Road. It was fairly routine although I made the mistake of heading up hill too soon, and climbed the west peak, which I didn't really care about. But, from there, I could see the target.

Marc Howes had a great TR on the Deception/Dartmouth traverse, but I certainly would not want to recreate what he went through! It sounded awful.

Betsy

Jabberwalk said:

What year was that, Audrey? These bushwacks seem to change monumentally from year to year! Dot and I were delighted that the 2500 route still was a good one.

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The Millen-Dartmouth trip was in 1992, and our revisit would have been 1993 or 1994. It was 1999 before we got to Deception, easy from the Cherry Mt Rd, led by peakbagger at the VFTT Gathering #2. I enjoyed seeing the ancient Deception Trail still very evident from the West Peak to the East, although obscured here and there.

Audrey,

That is really interesting: 15 years later the route, from the NE, is still pleasant enough, although I am sure a lot has changed. I climbed West Scar Ridge (the first time) from Little East Pond in 2006. I tried to use the same route to ascend to Middle Scar Ridge in 2009, and I hit a solid green wall of spruce that I could not penetrate. These BW's really make you think about seasons, topography, and where growth is going to occur!

Thanks for your comments.

Betsy

You really can't make assumptions on where the going will be easier based on what side of the mountain you are on. There are tons of factors that go into it, such as:

Previous logging activity
Ridge lines and gullies
Elevation
Exposure to prevailing winds
Animal herd paths
etc...

You would be surprised - the woods don't change nearly as much as you would think over 10-20 years. It's not like these NHHH peaks are being actively logged and easier routes have become available in the last 10 years. Open woods generally don't become impenetrable in the course of 5 years. Ice storms and blowdowns have made some peaks a bit more challenging, but there is generally always a decent route to every peak if you take your time to look for better woods.

Finally, I would highly recommend not using other people's "recommended" compass bearings. (Or using an internet trip report to figure out what to set your compass to.) This is an easy way to get lost. Always use your map, figure out where you are, and figure out where you want to go before setting your bearing. The number of degrees matters little - as long as you are within the margin for error and paying attention to the lay of the land, you will get where you want to go. And if you really can't figure out this map-and-compass thing, invest in a fancy GPS with a go-to function so you can follow your cursor to the jar and then let it lead you back to where you parked.

albee said:

And if you really can't figure out this map-and-compass thing, invest in a fancy GPS with a go-to function so you can follow your cursor to the jar and then let it lead you back to where you parked.

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Boooooo! Climb by "fair means," said Reinhold Messner.

Dr. Dasypodidae said:

Boooooo! Climb by "fair means," said Reinhold Messner.

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Messner himself used GPSes on at least one of his "treks".

Doug

DougPaul said:

Messner himself used GPSes on at least one of his "treks".

Doug

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Really? Must have been Antarctica? Ok, but my guess is that he would not use a GPS on Dartmouth.

Dr. Dasypodidae said:

Really? Must have been Antarctica? Ok, but my guess is that he would not use a GPS on Dartmouth.

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Yes, it was Antarctica (early 1990).

There were barely enough satellites in orbit and user equipment wasn't nearly as good as it is today.

Doug

albee said:

Finally, I would highly recommend not using other people's "recommended" compass bearings. (Or using an internet trip report to figure out what to set your compass to.) This is an easy way to get lost. Always use your map, figure out where you are, and figure out where you want to go before setting your bearing.

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That is great advice and I whole heartedly agree. I carry a GPS for safety - to mark where I left my car and in case of injury to mark where the injured is - beyond that it is map and compass all the way. Far more reliable than a GPS anyway.

Yes, recommended compass bearings can be risky - most of the time it depends on whose recommendation it is. As a newcomer to bushwacking I definitely like to know which routes others have taken, and then to choose which one I think I might be comfortable with. There are usually several options to the top.

Jabberwalk said:

That is great advice and I whole heartedly agree. I carry a GPS for safety - to mark where I left my car and in case of injury to mark where the injured is - beyond that it is map and compass all the way. Far more reliable than a GPS anyway.

Yes, recommended compass bearings can be risky - most of the time it depends on whose recommendation it is. As a newcomer to bushwacking I definitely like to know which routes others have taken, and then to choose which one I think I might be comfortable with. There are usually several options to the top.

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I, too, agree with Albee, but one bearing that is worth remembering is 300 degrees magnetic for getting off the summit of Lafayette in a white out or storm, as trying to use a GPS in full conditions might be problematic and trying to descend in the wrong direction could be and has been a disaster.

Dr. Dasypodidae said:

300 degrees magnetic for getting off the summit of Lafayette in a white out or storm

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Don't have my maps handy - is that the bearing of the trail down to Greenleaf Hut or towards Skookumchuck?

MichaelJ said:

Don't have my maps handy - is that the bearing of the trail down to Greenleaf Hut or towards Skookumchuck?

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300 degrees magetic to the hut (aka "da Flea"); too much exposure across N Lafayette to Skook, and then a long slog through deep snow to get out, as that trail does not get snowshoed much in winter.