kltilton
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- Nov 22, 2004
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The idea of doing a hut traverse started about 5 years ago, when my friends Marc and Tim attempted a hut traverse in late June. I was going into my freshman year of college, and planned on running for the cross-country team in the fall. The idea of running 50 miles in the mountains did not appeal to me. Who runs up mountains anyways? Marc finished the traverse in less than 18 hours and Tim had to bail at Crawford Notch, citing sore knees. I told him, “Come on, you’re half way there.”
After two years of running cross country and track at UNH, and 3 more years running up and down mountains, the hut traverse didn’t sound so crazy. After running and hiking many of the trails along the way, I had an idea of what type of time I could do it in. The existing record of 13 hours and 9 minutes seemed within reach. So does the moon if you look at it just right.
Friday night I ate a ginourmous pasta meal at Applebee’s with desert. My waiter David runs in college down south and does some mountain races with me. He thought I had lost my mind when I told him about the hut traverse.
After gorging myself I packed my sleeping bag into my old backpack and ran up to Carter Notch in 45 minutes. Nineteen Mile Brook trail is a nice trail, but I just wanted to get to the hut and relax. This was the first time I had stayed in a hut since 5th grade, when I stayed in Lakes of the Clouds on our class trip up Mt. Washington. I met the caretakers, Dave and Kate, and hung out in the main hut for most of the night. I had some blueberry pie made by Dave and hung out with them and a southbound thru hiker named Scott. We talked about the trails around the area, the AT, and the hut traverse. Kate finished the hut traverse a couple of years ago in around 19 hours. I hit the sheets at 9:30 and got a pretty good night sleep.
The sun was up by the time I got up at 5, and I hit the trail running at 5:30 on the dot. I stopped at my car real quick to switch over to my CamelBak and headed for Madison Gulf. I hiked the Madison Gulf Trail this winter, but had never run it. The footing wasn’t too bad, but all the rocks and roots were slippery from the rain we had all week. I just wanted to get above tree line where everything would be dry. The steep slab sections on the trail were pretty wet, but my Inov8 FlyRocs gripped the granite pretty well.
I finally popped out on the Parapet Trail and took in the view over Great Gulf. When I was up here in February there was 20-foot visibility in the blowing snow. I was a little worried about the Parapet Trail but found that it wasn’t bad at all. Before I knew it I was at Madison Springs Hut. It was 8:00AM. I was about 10 minutes behind schedule, but I had planned everything for an 11.5-hour hut traverse.
After checking the summit weather forecast and eating a Powerbar I headed up the Gulfside trail to start the Northern Presis. The last time I hiked the Gulfside was about 3 years ago and the ridge was shrouded in fog. I couldn’t remember what the footing was like. I was presently surprised at how well laid out the trail was. Individual rocks of all shapes and sizes were placed to make an even foot bed. I did take one good spill between Adams and Jefferson that cut my shin open a little, but that is bound to happen when you run on jagged pieces of granite in 40-60 mile per hour winds. The wind was manageable, but if you stopped for too long it could feel a little cold. The sky was clear with only a few clouds hovering over the summit of Washington.
Below the slopes of Mt. Jefferson lay Monticello Lawn. It was pretty cool running through this flat area with cairns leading the way. It looked so green after running over miles of broken rock. It still amazes me that any plant can grow there after the brutal winters up there.
Off to the West Side Trail. At this point I was starting to feel a little tired, but I should have been; I’d been running for almost 4 hours. As I approached the Jewell Trail I thought I heard someone yell my name, but I didn’t see anyone. “OK, I guess I need to stop and eat something. I’m getting delusional,” I thought to myself. After downing a PowerGel and some water a lone figure came up the trail behind me. It was HikerBob from VFTT He was headed over to Monroe. After a quick conversation and a photo we both headed back on the trail.
The Cog Railway tracks were the next obstacle on my journey. Fortunately the train wasn’t there to cover me in black soot. I did miss out on the opportunity to moon the train as it went by though.
The West Side Trail is another example of fine trail work. The footing was excellent for being above treeline. I could see the Crawford Path and Lakes in the Clouds Hut in front of me as I made my way around the summit cone of Mt. Washington. This was the first time I had ever been this far above tree line and not summit George. There’s a first time for everything.
I reached Lakes in the Clouds at 10:01, 4:31 past my start time. I still felt pretty good at this point. I was getting a little tired, but filled up on the bottomless lemonade and another Powerbar. I hit the Crawford Path with a vengeance knowing that the footing was good and that its mostly flat or downhill to Crawford Notch. The section around Mt. Monroe was amazing. Everything was green and the view into Oakes Gulf was amazing. I met a couple near the summit of Mt. Franklin who had stayed at Lakes the previous night and were pelted by hail on there way there. There were enjoying the great weather on this day though. They asked me what I was doing and how far I was going. At first they thought I said I was going 15 miles, but when I said 50 again, they asked where my pack and food were. They offered me food, but I had to convince them I was fine.
More downhill on the Crawford Path sounded like a good idea, but by the time I hit the summit of Pierce I was starting to get pretty tired. I could still keep moving and still run, but I didn’t seem to be going very fast. Heading down the steep slippery ledges of the Webster Cliff Trail towards Mizpah didn’t help. By the time I hit Mizpah I was toast. I didn’t bonk as hard as I did doing the Pemi Loop last year, but I knew if I tried to finish that it would definitely happen. I vowed to run the last +/-3 miles to Crawford Notch to meet my Dad. I met a lot of people with little kids who were headed up to Mizpah for the night. It’s great to see kids and families out hiking considering the mounting obesity problem among children in this country. I also met a guy who told me that I was only half way to the finish. “You have to finish.” If only it were that easy.
By the time I made it to Rt. 302 my feet were a little sore and so were my knees. I had two PB&J’s and some Gatorade, and was starting to feel better. I made to Crawford at 11:59, 6:29 after starting. I was 23.3 miles into this crazy trip, not quite half way. I was about an hour slower than I planned on being once I got to Crawford. I knew I could finish the traverse if I had too, but at what cost? The thought of having to do the Garfield Ridge on not so stable knees did not appeal to me. At this point Matt Cull’s record was out of the pictures, as I would have to run the same time for the second half as I did the first, which would be nearly impossible. One of my favorite sayings is discretion is the better part of valor. I think it was needed here.
The trip wasn’t a complete failure. I got to run some new trails and finished a Presi Traverse (minus summits) by lunchtime. I have wanted to run the Gulfside Trail for the last few summers, and now I want to do it again after running it once. I also got to meet some new people, which is always a bonus. I also found the limits of what my body can do. I can sustain a pretty quick pace on mountain trails for about 5 hours. After that my body does not like me. I think some of it may have to be due to a lack of body fat. I know, what a problem to have. All in all, a great day in the mountains.
Photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/551882613xGHRby
After two years of running cross country and track at UNH, and 3 more years running up and down mountains, the hut traverse didn’t sound so crazy. After running and hiking many of the trails along the way, I had an idea of what type of time I could do it in. The existing record of 13 hours and 9 minutes seemed within reach. So does the moon if you look at it just right.
Friday night I ate a ginourmous pasta meal at Applebee’s with desert. My waiter David runs in college down south and does some mountain races with me. He thought I had lost my mind when I told him about the hut traverse.
After gorging myself I packed my sleeping bag into my old backpack and ran up to Carter Notch in 45 minutes. Nineteen Mile Brook trail is a nice trail, but I just wanted to get to the hut and relax. This was the first time I had stayed in a hut since 5th grade, when I stayed in Lakes of the Clouds on our class trip up Mt. Washington. I met the caretakers, Dave and Kate, and hung out in the main hut for most of the night. I had some blueberry pie made by Dave and hung out with them and a southbound thru hiker named Scott. We talked about the trails around the area, the AT, and the hut traverse. Kate finished the hut traverse a couple of years ago in around 19 hours. I hit the sheets at 9:30 and got a pretty good night sleep.
The sun was up by the time I got up at 5, and I hit the trail running at 5:30 on the dot. I stopped at my car real quick to switch over to my CamelBak and headed for Madison Gulf. I hiked the Madison Gulf Trail this winter, but had never run it. The footing wasn’t too bad, but all the rocks and roots were slippery from the rain we had all week. I just wanted to get above tree line where everything would be dry. The steep slab sections on the trail were pretty wet, but my Inov8 FlyRocs gripped the granite pretty well.
I finally popped out on the Parapet Trail and took in the view over Great Gulf. When I was up here in February there was 20-foot visibility in the blowing snow. I was a little worried about the Parapet Trail but found that it wasn’t bad at all. Before I knew it I was at Madison Springs Hut. It was 8:00AM. I was about 10 minutes behind schedule, but I had planned everything for an 11.5-hour hut traverse.
After checking the summit weather forecast and eating a Powerbar I headed up the Gulfside trail to start the Northern Presis. The last time I hiked the Gulfside was about 3 years ago and the ridge was shrouded in fog. I couldn’t remember what the footing was like. I was presently surprised at how well laid out the trail was. Individual rocks of all shapes and sizes were placed to make an even foot bed. I did take one good spill between Adams and Jefferson that cut my shin open a little, but that is bound to happen when you run on jagged pieces of granite in 40-60 mile per hour winds. The wind was manageable, but if you stopped for too long it could feel a little cold. The sky was clear with only a few clouds hovering over the summit of Washington.
Below the slopes of Mt. Jefferson lay Monticello Lawn. It was pretty cool running through this flat area with cairns leading the way. It looked so green after running over miles of broken rock. It still amazes me that any plant can grow there after the brutal winters up there.
Off to the West Side Trail. At this point I was starting to feel a little tired, but I should have been; I’d been running for almost 4 hours. As I approached the Jewell Trail I thought I heard someone yell my name, but I didn’t see anyone. “OK, I guess I need to stop and eat something. I’m getting delusional,” I thought to myself. After downing a PowerGel and some water a lone figure came up the trail behind me. It was HikerBob from VFTT He was headed over to Monroe. After a quick conversation and a photo we both headed back on the trail.
The Cog Railway tracks were the next obstacle on my journey. Fortunately the train wasn’t there to cover me in black soot. I did miss out on the opportunity to moon the train as it went by though.
The West Side Trail is another example of fine trail work. The footing was excellent for being above treeline. I could see the Crawford Path and Lakes in the Clouds Hut in front of me as I made my way around the summit cone of Mt. Washington. This was the first time I had ever been this far above tree line and not summit George. There’s a first time for everything.
I reached Lakes in the Clouds at 10:01, 4:31 past my start time. I still felt pretty good at this point. I was getting a little tired, but filled up on the bottomless lemonade and another Powerbar. I hit the Crawford Path with a vengeance knowing that the footing was good and that its mostly flat or downhill to Crawford Notch. The section around Mt. Monroe was amazing. Everything was green and the view into Oakes Gulf was amazing. I met a couple near the summit of Mt. Franklin who had stayed at Lakes the previous night and were pelted by hail on there way there. There were enjoying the great weather on this day though. They asked me what I was doing and how far I was going. At first they thought I said I was going 15 miles, but when I said 50 again, they asked where my pack and food were. They offered me food, but I had to convince them I was fine.
More downhill on the Crawford Path sounded like a good idea, but by the time I hit the summit of Pierce I was starting to get pretty tired. I could still keep moving and still run, but I didn’t seem to be going very fast. Heading down the steep slippery ledges of the Webster Cliff Trail towards Mizpah didn’t help. By the time I hit Mizpah I was toast. I didn’t bonk as hard as I did doing the Pemi Loop last year, but I knew if I tried to finish that it would definitely happen. I vowed to run the last +/-3 miles to Crawford Notch to meet my Dad. I met a lot of people with little kids who were headed up to Mizpah for the night. It’s great to see kids and families out hiking considering the mounting obesity problem among children in this country. I also met a guy who told me that I was only half way to the finish. “You have to finish.” If only it were that easy.
By the time I made it to Rt. 302 my feet were a little sore and so were my knees. I had two PB&J’s and some Gatorade, and was starting to feel better. I made to Crawford at 11:59, 6:29 after starting. I was 23.3 miles into this crazy trip, not quite half way. I was about an hour slower than I planned on being once I got to Crawford. I knew I could finish the traverse if I had too, but at what cost? The thought of having to do the Garfield Ridge on not so stable knees did not appeal to me. At this point Matt Cull’s record was out of the pictures, as I would have to run the same time for the second half as I did the first, which would be nearly impossible. One of my favorite sayings is discretion is the better part of valor. I think it was needed here.
The trip wasn’t a complete failure. I got to run some new trails and finished a Presi Traverse (minus summits) by lunchtime. I have wanted to run the Gulfside Trail for the last few summers, and now I want to do it again after running it once. I also got to meet some new people, which is always a bonus. I also found the limits of what my body can do. I can sustain a pretty quick pace on mountain trails for about 5 hours. After that my body does not like me. I think some of it may have to be due to a lack of body fat. I know, what a problem to have. All in all, a great day in the mountains.
Photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/551882613xGHRby
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