TCD
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- Aug 18, 2004
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Saturday my wife and I did our annual Great Range to Marcy trot. Here's the story:
Weather: Unbelievably perfect. Sitting in the Baxter Mountain Tavern on Friday night, watching the rain come down so hard it looked like a car wash, it was hard to believe the weatherman was saying it would be clear. When we woke up at 4:30 AM, it was crystalline!
Route: We start at the Roostercomb trailhead. We skip all the sidetrips (Roostercomb, Haystack, even the 20 yards to the summit of UWJ). Return via the Phelps trail to the Garden.
Shuttle: Several options here. Some years I run ahead and get the car and bring it up to the Garden. Lately we've been catching the bus. This year, we ran a little late and got out about 7:30 PM, so a nice gentlemen from Pennsylvania gave us a ride down the hill (Thanks again!).
Timing: We started late, at 6 AM (lazy over breakfast). Normally, we start about 5:30. Any earlier, and it's kind of dark, especially on Hedgehog. Her best time to Marcy is 8:40, although this year we did 9:30 (not enough training runs).
Water: We start very light, less than a liter each. From the summit of Hedgehog, I run ahead to Deer Brook, just past the W.A. White trail junction. I filter a two liter bladder for each of us there. Similarly, from partway down Basin, I run ahead to Haystack Brook for about 1.5 liters each. The last water stop is the faucet at JBL.
Other stuff we carry: light jacket, a couple food bars, several GU packets, TP, the water filter, about .5 liter each of gatorade, space blanket, sock change, headlamp, whistle. As light as we can go.
Interesting features on the trail: Wonderful dark, thick woods on Hedgehog. Very steep trail up and down LWJ. Many fun rock climbs up UWJ and Armstrong: a couple lemon squeezers, the Armstrong ladder, and my favorite on Armstrong, the "potato shaped rock," a nearly featureless blob requiring a tricky step up, where it's hard to trust your shoes. Fun run down the Gothics cable trail. Fun downclimbing Saddleback, and also the optional cliffs on Basin. The Saddleback-Basin col is my favorite: remote, grassy and alpine.
People on the trail: Not too crowded this day. After one person camped near Roostercomb, the next people we saw were on Gothics; then scattered groups of two, with a few larger groups on the Marcy trail. Met our friend Flip at JBL.
Lot's of fun! Looking forward to next year!
Weather: Unbelievably perfect. Sitting in the Baxter Mountain Tavern on Friday night, watching the rain come down so hard it looked like a car wash, it was hard to believe the weatherman was saying it would be clear. When we woke up at 4:30 AM, it was crystalline!
Route: We start at the Roostercomb trailhead. We skip all the sidetrips (Roostercomb, Haystack, even the 20 yards to the summit of UWJ). Return via the Phelps trail to the Garden.
Shuttle: Several options here. Some years I run ahead and get the car and bring it up to the Garden. Lately we've been catching the bus. This year, we ran a little late and got out about 7:30 PM, so a nice gentlemen from Pennsylvania gave us a ride down the hill (Thanks again!).
Timing: We started late, at 6 AM (lazy over breakfast). Normally, we start about 5:30. Any earlier, and it's kind of dark, especially on Hedgehog. Her best time to Marcy is 8:40, although this year we did 9:30 (not enough training runs).
Water: We start very light, less than a liter each. From the summit of Hedgehog, I run ahead to Deer Brook, just past the W.A. White trail junction. I filter a two liter bladder for each of us there. Similarly, from partway down Basin, I run ahead to Haystack Brook for about 1.5 liters each. The last water stop is the faucet at JBL.
Other stuff we carry: light jacket, a couple food bars, several GU packets, TP, the water filter, about .5 liter each of gatorade, space blanket, sock change, headlamp, whistle. As light as we can go.
Interesting features on the trail: Wonderful dark, thick woods on Hedgehog. Very steep trail up and down LWJ. Many fun rock climbs up UWJ and Armstrong: a couple lemon squeezers, the Armstrong ladder, and my favorite on Armstrong, the "potato shaped rock," a nearly featureless blob requiring a tricky step up, where it's hard to trust your shoes. Fun run down the Gothics cable trail. Fun downclimbing Saddleback, and also the optional cliffs on Basin. The Saddleback-Basin col is my favorite: remote, grassy and alpine.
People on the trail: Not too crowded this day. After one person camped near Roostercomb, the next people we saw were on Gothics; then scattered groups of two, with a few larger groups on the Marcy trail. Met our friend Flip at JBL.
Lot's of fun! Looking forward to next year!
