BIGEarl
Well-known member
March 8, 2014: Eisenhower & Pierce
Trails: Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Mizpah Cutoff
Summits: Eisenhower and Pierce
Hikers: Angelina MacDonald, Katie Kirby, Peakbagger, and me
Tough day! At least it was a tough start. The plan was to meet Angelina at the Hannah Dustin Park & Ride and head for Crawford Notch to meet the others for the hike. Everything was going great until we decided to make a stop at the Dunkin Donuts at Exit 28 (Route 49, Campton). When we came out of Dunkin Donuts and I started to drive out of the parking place, I realized my steering and brakes were not working and there was a warning on the dash indicating the alternator wasn’t working. All of these things are driven by one belt on the engine. As it turns out a pulley had seized and destroyed the serpentine belt. After a quick check under the hood to confirm the problem I explained what had happened to Angelina and she suggested we use her car. It was sitting an hour south of where we were sitting but that was the smaller part of the problems.
We headed south to the Park & Ride, swapped vehicles, and continued our day heading for Crawford Notch. Along the way I was able to contact the others we were planning to meet and made them aware of the problems. I was also able to contact Pat (wifey) regarding the truck problems, explained what was needed for the repair, and asked if she could pick up the parts at the local Chevrolet dealer (their parts counter is open on Saturday mornings). Pat had the parts and my tools waiting in Concord for me to do the repair that evening after returning from hiking.
Note: For the motorheads out there that might be wondering….. In many cases, water pumps are belt-driven and the serpentine belt is the one doing that job. The water pump on my truck is not belt-driven. It is driven by internal gears. Consequently, there was no engine over-heating problem on the one-hour return run to the Park & Ride lot to swap vehicles.
The vehicle problems cost roughly 1.5 hours. Our original plan was an on-trail time of 7:30am and the actual was 9:00am. We had a smaller group than planned but still a fun group for the hike.
A short time after starting up Crawford Path and making a couple stops, Peakbagger asked if he should set the pace. Oh yeah, Peakbagger sets the ideal pace and I was very happy to see him out front. With occasional brief stops, we made our way to Mizpah Cutoff and took a longer refreshment break and made friends with the local bird population. Soon we were heading for the treeline. As we gained elevation the trees became more loaded with snow. The forecast for the day predicted a west-northwest wind around 35mph gusting to 45mph. I wouldn’t be surprised if that forecast was accurate. When we reached the treeline we started being hit with a pretty good wind.
Fortunately, there are sheltered areas on the walk from Pierce to Eisenhower and we were able to enjoy breaks from the wind. Also, on the climb of Eisenhower on the loop trail we were on the lee side of the mountain enjoying a little protection from the terrain. As we approached the summit the wind and exposure to it seemed to increase. Once we reached the summit we had full exposure to the wind. We stayed long enough to get a few summit pictures plus some distance view pictures. Soon, we were on our descent. We descended back into milder conditions. On the way we met the others that were also planning to hike that morning. It was really good to see everybody and I was sorry for the way the day started. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done. We had a brief visit and soon everybody was on their way.
In our case, the next target was the summit of Pierce. We re-traced our steps to the junction with Webster Cliff Trail, made the turn, and started for the summit of Pierce. We were still being hit hard by the wind but it was somewhat on our backs and easier to work with. I think everybody had their hoods up and we all just hiked to the summit. A short break at the summit for a few pictures and we ducked into the thick growth to get out of the wind.
Somewhere between Pierce and Mizpah Hut a familiar face came around the corner. It was our friend Cumulus. Every so often we bump into each other in the mountains and every meeting is a complete pleasure. Cumulus was doing counterclockwise what we were working on going clockwise. After the usual visit we all said our goodbyes and were off. The next milestone in our day was Mizpah Hut. We arrived to the hut and made a short stop for some refreshment and decide our next move.
Considering the significant delay at the start of the day and the truck repair I had waiting for me when we returned, we decided to skip Jackson and head straight down from the hut. We followed Mizpah Cutoff back to Crawford Path and then it was a quick ~2 miles to the trailhead. We wasted little time is getting packed to leave. Considering the lost time in the morning plus the potential for surprise that was waiting for at the Park & Ride, we needed to get back as quickly as we could.
In the end darkness arrived and the repairs were completed with the aid of my headlight from my pack. Everything went reasonably well and the truck is back in the game.
Thanks everybody for your patience. Hopefully we’ll get another opportunity to enjoy a day in the mountains together again very soon.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Mizpah Cutoff
Summits: Eisenhower and Pierce
Hikers: Angelina MacDonald, Katie Kirby, Peakbagger, and me
Tough day! At least it was a tough start. The plan was to meet Angelina at the Hannah Dustin Park & Ride and head for Crawford Notch to meet the others for the hike. Everything was going great until we decided to make a stop at the Dunkin Donuts at Exit 28 (Route 49, Campton). When we came out of Dunkin Donuts and I started to drive out of the parking place, I realized my steering and brakes were not working and there was a warning on the dash indicating the alternator wasn’t working. All of these things are driven by one belt on the engine. As it turns out a pulley had seized and destroyed the serpentine belt. After a quick check under the hood to confirm the problem I explained what had happened to Angelina and she suggested we use her car. It was sitting an hour south of where we were sitting but that was the smaller part of the problems.
We headed south to the Park & Ride, swapped vehicles, and continued our day heading for Crawford Notch. Along the way I was able to contact the others we were planning to meet and made them aware of the problems. I was also able to contact Pat (wifey) regarding the truck problems, explained what was needed for the repair, and asked if she could pick up the parts at the local Chevrolet dealer (their parts counter is open on Saturday mornings). Pat had the parts and my tools waiting in Concord for me to do the repair that evening after returning from hiking.
Note: For the motorheads out there that might be wondering….. In many cases, water pumps are belt-driven and the serpentine belt is the one doing that job. The water pump on my truck is not belt-driven. It is driven by internal gears. Consequently, there was no engine over-heating problem on the one-hour return run to the Park & Ride lot to swap vehicles.
The vehicle problems cost roughly 1.5 hours. Our original plan was an on-trail time of 7:30am and the actual was 9:00am. We had a smaller group than planned but still a fun group for the hike.
A short time after starting up Crawford Path and making a couple stops, Peakbagger asked if he should set the pace. Oh yeah, Peakbagger sets the ideal pace and I was very happy to see him out front. With occasional brief stops, we made our way to Mizpah Cutoff and took a longer refreshment break and made friends with the local bird population. Soon we were heading for the treeline. As we gained elevation the trees became more loaded with snow. The forecast for the day predicted a west-northwest wind around 35mph gusting to 45mph. I wouldn’t be surprised if that forecast was accurate. When we reached the treeline we started being hit with a pretty good wind.
Fortunately, there are sheltered areas on the walk from Pierce to Eisenhower and we were able to enjoy breaks from the wind. Also, on the climb of Eisenhower on the loop trail we were on the lee side of the mountain enjoying a little protection from the terrain. As we approached the summit the wind and exposure to it seemed to increase. Once we reached the summit we had full exposure to the wind. We stayed long enough to get a few summit pictures plus some distance view pictures. Soon, we were on our descent. We descended back into milder conditions. On the way we met the others that were also planning to hike that morning. It was really good to see everybody and I was sorry for the way the day started. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done. We had a brief visit and soon everybody was on their way.
In our case, the next target was the summit of Pierce. We re-traced our steps to the junction with Webster Cliff Trail, made the turn, and started for the summit of Pierce. We were still being hit hard by the wind but it was somewhat on our backs and easier to work with. I think everybody had their hoods up and we all just hiked to the summit. A short break at the summit for a few pictures and we ducked into the thick growth to get out of the wind.
Somewhere between Pierce and Mizpah Hut a familiar face came around the corner. It was our friend Cumulus. Every so often we bump into each other in the mountains and every meeting is a complete pleasure. Cumulus was doing counterclockwise what we were working on going clockwise. After the usual visit we all said our goodbyes and were off. The next milestone in our day was Mizpah Hut. We arrived to the hut and made a short stop for some refreshment and decide our next move.
Considering the significant delay at the start of the day and the truck repair I had waiting for me when we returned, we decided to skip Jackson and head straight down from the hut. We followed Mizpah Cutoff back to Crawford Path and then it was a quick ~2 miles to the trailhead. We wasted little time is getting packed to leave. Considering the lost time in the morning plus the potential for surprise that was waiting for at the Park & Ride, we needed to get back as quickly as we could.
In the end darkness arrived and the repairs were completed with the aid of my headlight from my pack. Everything went reasonably well and the truck is back in the game.
Thanks everybody for your patience. Hopefully we’ll get another opportunity to enjoy a day in the mountains together again very soon.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
