Ray
New member
The weather was perfection, the trail conditions were excellent and the people I encountered on the trail were friendly and informative. All in all it was an awesome hike. Though the waters are high, the first two stream crossings on the North Twin Trail can be avoided by following the herd path leading up to the third crossing, which is quite doable with some careful rock hopping, caution and help from your hiking poles. After that it's all pretty gloriously straightforward.
The Twins has been one of the most enjoyable hikes I have taken so far. The cool temps and the clear fresh air provided the kind of vitality and motivation you welcome when hiking, especially when encountering the steep upper section of the North Twin trail. While at the North Twin summit it was a great pleasure meeting up with Jean and his friend Natalie, both from Montreal and great hikers. It was a fairly breezy day and, while standing at an outlook on NT, we spotted a glider swooping up and down as it gracefully traced the outline of the various peaks and valleys before us. At times the pilot seemed to come incredibly close to the terrain. At one point it flew directly overhead. This was indeed a great photo-op. Jean took several pictures. This reminds me; I should buy a camera.
Together we all continued up over to South Twin. The views from this peak are truly generous and spectacular, especially on such a beautiful day as this was. Here we stopped to relax and have some lunch. The temps were now getting cool so we had to dodge the winds while we ate. Afterwards I continued on down the steep col which seperates South Twin from Galehead Mountain. After resting a bit at the hut I joined a spontaneous company of hut guests for the brief but steep climb up Galehead. There is a rewarding outlook just before reaching the entirely wooded summit which makes Galehead well worth the climb. By now it was time to turn back.
I was so happy and energized by this hike that I didn't mind at all the steep climb up the col to the South Twin summit. In fact it was a treat to revisit both of these peaks once again. I had met some amazing hikers that day and was able to tag 36, 37 and 38 to boot. All in all it was another great day in the Whites.
Ray
The Twins has been one of the most enjoyable hikes I have taken so far. The cool temps and the clear fresh air provided the kind of vitality and motivation you welcome when hiking, especially when encountering the steep upper section of the North Twin trail. While at the North Twin summit it was a great pleasure meeting up with Jean and his friend Natalie, both from Montreal and great hikers. It was a fairly breezy day and, while standing at an outlook on NT, we spotted a glider swooping up and down as it gracefully traced the outline of the various peaks and valleys before us. At times the pilot seemed to come incredibly close to the terrain. At one point it flew directly overhead. This was indeed a great photo-op. Jean took several pictures. This reminds me; I should buy a camera.
Together we all continued up over to South Twin. The views from this peak are truly generous and spectacular, especially on such a beautiful day as this was. Here we stopped to relax and have some lunch. The temps were now getting cool so we had to dodge the winds while we ate. Afterwards I continued on down the steep col which seperates South Twin from Galehead Mountain. After resting a bit at the hut I joined a spontaneous company of hut guests for the brief but steep climb up Galehead. There is a rewarding outlook just before reaching the entirely wooded summit which makes Galehead well worth the climb. By now it was time to turn back.
I was so happy and energized by this hike that I didn't mind at all the steep climb up the col to the South Twin summit. In fact it was a treat to revisit both of these peaks once again. I had met some amazing hikers that day and was able to tag 36, 37 and 38 to boot. All in all it was another great day in the Whites.
Ray
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